Rowby-John Rodriguez | |||||||||||
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![]() Rodriguez in 2024 | |||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||
Nickname | "Little John" | ||||||||||
Born | 27 March 1994 Vienna, Austria | ||||||||||
Home town | Vienna, Austria | ||||||||||
Darts information | |||||||||||
Playing darts since | 2010 | ||||||||||
Darts | Shot Signature | ||||||||||
Laterality | Right-handed | ||||||||||
Walk-on music | "Vamos a la playa" by Righeira | ||||||||||
Organisation (see split in darts) | |||||||||||
BDO | 2010–2013 | ||||||||||
PDC | 2013– | ||||||||||
Current world ranking | 65 ![]() | ||||||||||
WDF major events – best performances | |||||||||||
World Masters | Last 80: 2013 | ||||||||||
PDC premier events – best performances | |||||||||||
World Ch'ship | Last 64: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022 | ||||||||||
World Matchplay | Last 16: 2022 | ||||||||||
UK Open | Last 64: 2021, 2023. 2024 | ||||||||||
Grand Slam | Last 16: 2021 | ||||||||||
European Ch'ship | Last 16: 2015, 2022 | ||||||||||
PC Finals | Last 32: 2016 | ||||||||||
Other tournament wins | |||||||||||
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Other achievements | |||||||||||
2015 Breaks into the top 64 on the PDC Order of Merit for the first time |
Rowby-John Rodriguez (born 27 March 1994) is an Austrian professional darts player currently playing in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).
In 2010, as a 16-year-old, Rodriguez won the Austrian National Championship by beating Franz Thaler 5–0 in the final. [2]
At the second event of Q School in January 2014 he stood one win away from joining the PDC but lost 5–3 to Gerwyn Price. [3] However, after all four events had been played Rodriguez had done enough to finish ninth on the Q School Order of Merit and earn a two-year tour card. [4] His first PDC major was the UK Open where he was knocked out 5–1 by Tony Randall in the first round. [5]
In May, Rodriguez reached the final of the PDC World Youth Championship where he lost 6–4 to Keegan Brown at the O2 Arena in London as part of the Premier League finals night. Reaching the final secured him a place in the 2014 Grand Slam of Darts. [6] [7] Rodriguez was now Austria's number two player behind Mensur Suljović and they teamed up at the World Cup of Darts, but lost both their singles matches in the second round against the Belgium brothers of Kim and Ronny Huybrechts. [8] Rodriguez reached the quarter-finals of a Pro Tour event for the first time at the 14th Players Championship defeating the likes of Gary Anderson, Paul Nicholson and Jamie Caven, before losing 6–1 to Ian White. [9] His play throughout the year earned him a debut in the European Championship where he lost 6–2 to Robert Thornton in the opening round. [10] At the Grand Slam, Rodriguez beat world number three Adrian Lewis 5–2 in his opening group game before losing 5–1 to Dave Chisnall. [11] He went into his final group game knowing a win over Brown would see him qualify for the last 16 and, despite coming back from 3–0 down to level at 3–3, he lost 5–3. [12]
Rodriguez made his debut at the 2015 World Championship after he qualified through the Pro Tour Order of Merit. [13] However, he ran into an in-form Raymond van Barneveld who hit finishes of 167 and 170 as he restricted Rodriguez to two legs during the match in a 3–0 defeat. Rodriguez averaged 79.22 which was over 20 points lower than his opponent's, but he still broke into the top 64 on the Order of Merit for the first time after the tournament concluded as he was ranked world number 58. [14] [15] He won the opening Development Tour event of the year by beating Jamie Lewis 4–1 in the final. [16] Rodriguez and Suljović were eliminated in the last 16 of the World Cup for the second consecutive year, this time to Germany. [17] From the last 32 onwards he knocked out Kim Huybrechts, Wayne Jones and Mensur Suljović at the 14th Players Championship to play in his first PDC Pro Tour semi-final, where he lost 6–2 against Jelle Klaasen. [18] A 6–4 win over Christian Kist saw Rodriguez make the second round of the European Championship in which he could only average 73.43 against John Henderson in a 10–2 defeat. [19] After losing 5–3 to Robbie Green and beating Martin Phillips 5–2 at the Grand Slam, Rodriguez needed a win over Phil Taylor to qualify for the last 16, but he lost 5–2. [20]
Rodriguez hit the first 170 finish of the 2016 World Championship, but lost each of the three sets played against Dave Chisnall in the first round by deciding legs. [21] He reached the quarter-finals of the first UK Open Qualifier, but was beaten 6–1 by Adrian Lewis and he lost 6–2 to Lee Evans in the second round of the main event. [22] [23] Rodriguez was defeated in the final of three Development Tour events in 2016. [24]
Rodriguez and Mensur Suljović eliminated Italy and Singapore to ensure Austria played in their first World Cup quarter-final, where Suljović was whitewashed by Phil Taylor and Rodriguez lost 4–1 to Adrian Lewis. [25] A couple of quarter-finals out of the 20 Players Championship events qualified him for the Finals and he beat Ronny Huybrechts 6–4, before being thrashed 6–0 by Joe Cullen in the second round. [26]
Rodriguez squared his first round match with Dave Chisnall at the 2017 World Championship at two sets apiece, but lost all three legs of the decider. [27] Austria played England in the quarter-finals of the 2017 World Cup for the second successive year. Mensur Suljović thrashed Adrian Lewis 4–0 and Rodriguez lost 4–1 to Chisnall, before Austria were defeated 4–2 in the decisive doubles match. [28]
Rodriguez made his first final at a Euro Tour tournament by beating Danny Noppert, Gerwyn Price, Gabriel Clemens, Nathan Aspinall and Madars Razma at the 2022 European Darts Matchplay in Trier. [29] In the final he met Luke Humphries, who already won three Euro Tour tournaments earlier that year. Rodriguez missed a match dart in the deciding leg, after which the Englishman won with 8-7.
In the 2024 World Cup of Darts, Rodriguez and his Austria teammate Mensur Suljović were the runners-up, reaching the final where they lost to England. [30]
Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Team | Teammate | Opponents in the final | Score [N 1] |
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Runner-up | 1. | 2021 | World Cup of Darts | ![]() | Mensur Suljović | ![]() | 1–3 (m) |
Runner-up | 2. | 2024 | ![]() | 6–10 (l) |
Tournament | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||
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PDC Ranked televised events | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
PDC World Championship | DNP | DNQ | 1R | 1R | 1R | DNQ | 2R | 1R | DNQ | 2R | 1R | DNQ | ||||||||||||||||||
UK Open | DNP | 1R | DNQ | 2R | DNQ | 1R | 2R | 4R | 3R | 4R | 4R | |||||||||||||||||||
World Matchplay | DNQ | 2R | DNQ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
European Championship | DNP | 1R | 2R | DNQ | 2R | DNQ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Grand Slam of Darts | DNP | RR | RR | DNQ | 2R | DNQ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Players Championship Finals | DNP | DNQ | 2R | DNQ | 1R | DNQ | 1R | 1R | 1R | |||||||||||||||||||||
Non-major televised events | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
PDC World Cup of Darts | DNP | 2R | 2R | QF | QF | DNP | QF | F | 2R | RR | F | |||||||||||||||||||
World Series of Darts Finals | NH | 2R | Did not qualify | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
PDC World Youth Championship | 2R | F | 2R | QF | 2R | RR | DNP | |||||||||||||||||||||||
BDO Ranked televised events | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
BDO World Championship | DNQ | PDC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Winmau World Masters | 3R | PDC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Year-end ranking | N/A | 58 | 41 | 41 | 59 | 72 | 88 | 71 | 65 | 51 | 49 |
PDC European Tour
Season | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
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2014 | GDC DNP | DDM DNP | GDM DNP | ADO DNP | GDT DNP | EDO DNP | EDG 3R | EDT DNP | |||||
2015 | GDC DNQ | GDT 1R | GDM 1R | DDM 2R | IDO 3R | EDO 2R | EDT 3R | EDM QF | EDG 1R | ||||
2016 | DDM 2R | GDM DNQ | GDT 1R | EDM 2R | ADO 2R | EDO DNQ | IDO DNQ | EDT DNQ | EDG DNQ | GDC 2R | |||
2017 | GDC DNQ | GDM 3R | GDO DNQ | EDG DNQ | GDT DNQ | EDM DNQ | ADO 1R | EDO DNQ | DDM 2R | GDG DNQ | IDO DNQ | EDT DNQ | |
2018 | EDO DNQ | GDG 1R | GDO DNQ | ADO DNQ | EDG DNQ | DDM 1R | GDT DNQ | DDO DNQ | EDM DNQ | GDC DNQ | DDC 2R | IDO DNQ | EDT DNQ |
2019 | EDO DNQ | GDC DNQ | GDG DNQ | GDO DNQ | ADO DNQ | EDG DNQ | DDM 3R | DDO DNQ | CDO 1R | ADC QF | EDM DNQ | IDO DNQ | GDT DNQ |
2020 | BDC 1R | GDC DNQ | EDG DNQ | IDO DNQ | |||||||||
2021 | HDT DNQ | GDT DNQ | |||||||||||
2022 | IDO DNQ | GDC DNQ | GDG DNQ | ADO 2R | EDO 2R | CDO QF | EDG QF | DDC DNQ | EDM F | HDT WD | GDO DNQ | BDO DNQ | GDT 2R |
2023 | BSD DNQ | EDO DNQ | IDO DNQ | GDG DNQ | ADO 1R | DDC DNQ | BDO DNQ | CDO 1R | EDG DNQ | EDM DNQ | GDO DNQ | HDT 3R | GDC DNQ |
2024 | BDO DNQ | GDG DNQ | IDO DNQ | EDG DNQ | ADO DNQ | BSD DNQ | DDC DNQ | EDO DNQ | GDC DNQ | FDT DNQ | HDT | SDT | CDO |
Rodriguez is of Filipino descent. His older brother, Roxy-James Rodriguez, is a former professional darts player who reached the last 16 of the European Darts Trophy in 2014. [31] His younger brother, Rusty-Jake Rodriguez, is also a darts player and made his PDC European Tour debut in the 2017 Austrian Darts Open. [32]
Paul Lim Leong Hwa is a Singaporean professional darts player. He was the first player to hit a perfect nine-dart finish during the Embassy World Darts Championship, which he achieved in 1990 during his second round match against Jack McKenna. Lim won £52,000 for his nine-darter, which was £28,000 more than Phil Taylor won for winning the tournament. Lim's was the only nine-dart finish in a world championship match until 2009, when Raymond van Barneveld completed one against Jelle Klaasen. It was also the only nine-dart finish ever achieved at the BDO World Darts Championship.
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