Darts is one of the oldest games that is still played today. Its origins span hundreds of years in the past, all the way to medieval England and the 1300s. While the sport originated in the military to keep the enlisted engaged between battles, today’s darts take place firmly in the public eye. Players from all around the world compete to take centre stage in the global scene. One of the most respected of them is Luke Woodhouse. This article will explore Luke Woodhouse’s career and impressive wins.
Career beginnings and big wins
Luke Woodhouse entered the scene in 2013 but had to wait until the 2019 Players Championship to make his TV debut. Since then, he has been steadily collecting wins over some of the sport’s best and brightest at some of the most popular and respected competitions worldwide. With so many wins to consider, narrowing down the best of the best can be difficult. Discussed below are some of Luke Woodhouse’s most famous wins.
2019 Players Championship Finals v. Daryl Gurney
In 2019, on his first televised appearance with the PDC, Woodhouse landed one of the most important wins of his career. He managed to knock defending champion Daryl Gurney from his top spot with a 5-3 victory and cemented himself as an up-and-comer to watch.
This is possibly the most important championship win of Woodhouse’s career to date. Defeating a much more well-established player on your TV debut is incredibly rare and immediately captures the attention of players and fans around the world. Thanks to this first big win, Woodhouse stood out from the rest of the newcomers and carved out a place of fame right off the bat.
2019 PDC World Darts Championship v. Michael Smith
Michael Smith is a well-known name in the darts industry and is known as a fierce competitor. That’s why it was so exhilarating when Woodhouse, a relatively-unknown name at the time, managed to pick up a 3-1 victory. The win came despite the player’s PDC Order of Merit ranking, which placed him at 65 places below Smith. This incredible upset was yet another crucial win in the pro’s early career that placed him as a consistently talented player rapidly ascending in the world of darts.
2020 PDC Home Tour v. Gerwyn Price
In his bid to qualify for the World Grand Prix, Woodhouse continued his trek to the top at the 2020 PDC Home Tour. More specifically, he won night two of the competition with a nine-dart finish against Gerwyn Price, who was then ranked number three in the PDC. He was considered a surprise winner, although his wins against Gurney and Smith certainly set the stage for his eventual domination.
2023 World Grand Prix v. David Chisnall
David Chisnall is a talented darts player with a long series of titles and championship wins behind him. Woodhouse, on the other hand, is a much more recent entry to the professional darts scene. Despite Woodhouse’s recent high-profile wins, his big win against Chisnall at the 2023 World Grand Prix was solid. This game was an especially exciting one, with established player Chisnall heavily talked up before the match only to find himself missing chance after chance to take the lead. While he briefly took the lead in the second set, Woodhouse won the others handily.
This win against Chisnall is one of the most impressive of Woodhouse’s career to date and continues his penchant for coming in from behind and emerging victorious even in the most dubious of matches.
Darts and beyond
As a sport, darts only stands to increase in popularity in the coming years. Finding the best players as quickly into their careers as possible is a great way to remain engaged in the industry. Luke Woodhouse is an excellent example of what makes modern darts players great: courage, skill, and a dose of luck. If you’re interested in other great players, do a bit of exploring! There are many incredible gems to find.
