Philip Douglas Taylor is an English former professional darts player. Nicknamed "The Power", he dominated darts for over three decades and won 214 professional tournaments, including a record 85 major titles and a record 16 World Championships. In 2015, the BBC rated Taylor among the ten greatest British sportsmen of the last 35 years.
A nine-dart finish, also known as a nine-darter, is a perfect leg or single game in the sport of darts. The object of the game is to score a set number of points, most commonly 501; in order to win, a player must reach the target total exactly and hit a double scoring area with their last dart. When the target is 501, the minimum number of darts needed to reach it is nine. For example, one way to achieve a nine-dart finish is to score 60 on each of the first seven throws, then a 57 on the eighth, and lastly a 24 on the ninth. It is regarded as an extremely difficult feat to achieve even for the sport's top players, and is considered the highest single-game achievement in the sport, similar to a maximum 147 break in snooker or a 300-point game in bowling.
Raymond van Barneveld is a Dutch professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. Nicknamed "Barney", although originally known as "The Man", he is one of the most successful darts players in history. Van Barneveld is a five-time World Darts Champion, a two-time UK Open Champion and a former winner of the Las Vegas Desert Classic, the Grand Slam of Darts and the Premier League. He is also a twice-winner of the World Masters and the World Darts Trophy, and a three-time winner of the International Darts League, the Dutch Open and the WDF World Cup Singles event.
The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) is a professional darts organisation in the United Kingdom, established in 1992 when a group of leading players split from the British Darts Organisation (BDO) to form what was initially called the World Darts Council (WDC). Sports promoter Eddie Hearn is the PDC chairman.
John Part is a Canadian former professional darts player and current commentator. Nicknamed "Darth Maple", he is a three-time World Champion, having won the 1994 BDO World Darts Championship on his world championship debut, and the PDC World Championship in 2003 and 2008. Part is statistically North America's greatest darts player to date. He has the distinction of being the first non-UK player to win the World Championship, and the only non-European to date to win the PDC World Darts Championship.
James Martin Wade is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). He became the youngest player to win a major PDC title, when he won the 2007 World Matchplay at the age of 24. This record has since been broken by Michael van Gerwen. Wade has won eleven PDC majors, third in the all-time list behind Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen.
The Ladbrokes UK Open is a ranking major darts tournament held annually at the Butlins Minehead Resort by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) in England. The event is often referred to as the "FA Cup of darts" as it has an unseeded open draw made after each round, and entry is open to players at all levels of darts. One-hundred-and-sixty players compete in the multi-board event over eight-stages before the PDC’s Top 32 enter the tournament in the fourth round. The tournament has a prize fund of £600,000; the victor’s prize is £110,000.
Michael van Gerwen is a Dutch professional darts player. He is currently ranked No. 2 in the world, having been No. 1 from 2014 to 2021. He is also a three-time PDC World Champion, having won the title in 2014, 2017 and 2019. Van Gerwen is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.
Dave Lanning was an English sports commentator and journalist, best known for his coverage of Professional Darts. He was brought up in Poole and educated at Poole Grammar School.
Devon Petersen is a South African professional darts player and a pundit for Sky Sports. He has qualified for the PDC World Championship on seven occasions with his best result coming in 2014, 2019 and 2021 when he reached the last 16. Petersen has become popular for dancing on to the stage to Shakira's "Waka Waka " before his matches.
The PDC Awards Dinner is an awards ceremony organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. It is held at the Dorchester Hotel in London. It has been held annually since 2007. Each January, the PDC has awarded players for outstanding performance in the previous season including player of the year awards, recognizing nine-dart finishes, and inducting members to the PDC Hall of Fame.
Fallon Suzanne Michelle Sherrock is an English professional darts player who plays in World Darts Federation (WDF) and Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. Born in Milton Keynes, Sherrock reached the final of the 2015 BDO Women's World Darts Championship, where she was runner-up to Lisa Ashton.
Gerwyn Price is a Welsh professional darts player and former professional rugby union and rugby league player. Nicknamed "The Iceman", he competes in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), where he is currently the World No. 5. He is a 3-time Grand Slam Champion and a former world champion, becoming the first ever Welshman to win the tournament. He is also a former world No. 1.
This is a list of the main career statistics of English professional darts player Phil Taylor, whose professional career lasted from 1987 to 2018. Taylor won 214 professional titles and was runner-up in 48 finals. He won a record 85 major titles and a record 16 World Championships. In team events, he won 10 titles including being a four-time winner of the PDC World Cup of Darts and has had 2 runners-up finishes in team events. In 1999 and 2004 he defeated the reigning BDO champion in a special challenge match.
Ryan Searle is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events.
Luke Humphries is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is the current World No. 1 and World Champion. Nicknamed "Cool Hand Luke" in reference to the 1967 film, he is also the reigning World Grand Prix champion, Grand Slam champion, and Players Championship Finals champion. He also won the 2019 PDC World Youth Championship.
José Augusto Oliveira de Sousa is a Portuguese professional darts player. He is based in Tarragona and represented Spain at the 2011 WDF World Cup, but played for the Portuguese team afterwards at the PDC. He won his first televised major title at the 2020 Grand Slam of Darts. He is known among darts fans for his maverick-like scoring, relatively frequent miscounts and unorthodox checkouts in matches. He frequently helps out at local hotels and restaurants during the summer.
William Borland is a Scottish darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events.
Luke Littler is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He is the current PDC World Youth Champion, the current Bahrain Masters Champion, and the current 2024 Belgian Darts Open champion. He is also the youngest ever player to hit a televised nine-dart finish at the age of only 14 years old in 2021. He is also the youngest player to have won a match in the WDF World Darts Championship, and PDC World Darts Championship. He is also the youngest player to reach the PDC World Darts Championship final, aged 16 years, the youngest ever player to hit 2 televised nine darters; the first one he achieved, at the 2024 Bahrain Darts Masters aged 16, and the second, he achieved at the 2024 Belgian Darts Open aged 17.
The 2024 PDC World Darts Championship was a professional darts event that took place at Alexandra Palace in London, England, from 15 December 2023 to 3 January 2024. It was the 31st World Darts Championship to be organised by the Professional Darts Corporation.
