Michael Smith (born 18 September 1990) is an English professional
darts
Darts or dart-throwing is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small sharp-pointed missiles known as darts at a round target known as a dartboard.
Points can be scored by hitting specific marked areas of the bo ...
player. Nicknamed "Bully Boy", he plays in
Professional Darts Corporation
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 ...
(PDC) events, where he is the reigning World Champion and World No. 1, having won the
2023 World Championship. He was the 2013 PDC Under-21 World Champion and has since won 17 titles on the
PDC Pro Tour
The PDC Pro Tour is a series of non-televised darts tournaments organised by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). They comprise Professional Dart Players Association (PDPA) Players Championships and European Tour events. Only four players ...
. He won his first PDC major title at the
2022 Grand Slam of Darts, having previously been a runner-up at the
World Championship
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
(2019 and 2022), the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
(2018), the
World Matchplay (2019), the
European Championship (2022), the
UK Open
The Cazoo UK Open is a ranking major darts tournament held annually at the Butlins Minehead Resort by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) in England. Often referred to as the "FA Cup of darts", the UK Open replicates the abolition of seedin ...
(2022),
The Masters
The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply The Masters, or the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, the Masters is the first maj ...
(2020) and the
World Series Finals (2018).
Early life
Smith attended
Saint Cuthbert's High School in
St Helens. When he was 15 he fell off his bike on the way to school breaking his hip, which required him to use crutches for 16 weeks. During that period, Smith threw his first 180 whilst on crutches. After leaving school, he took a joinery course at college, but he decided to drop out with one exam remaining to play in a darts tournament instead, a decision that he has described as the best of his life. He was a regular winner of local darts events and made his debut in a PDC major at the
2009 UK Open where he lost 6–5 to
Dave Ladley
Dave Ladley (born 29 September 1975) is an English darts player that competes in Professional Darts Corporation events.
Career
Ladley joined the PDC in 2002, and qualified for the 2004 UK Open, where he lost to Barrie Bates in the second rou ...
in the first round.
Career
Smith reached the last 32 of the
2010 UK Open, knocking out
Peter Manley
Peter David Manley (born 7 March 1962) is an English former professional darts player who played in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events from July 1996 until 2017. He won one major title, the Las Vegas Desert Classic, in 2003, and twic ...
and
Matt Clark before losing to
Mervyn King. He was one of a number of young players to make a significant impact in the tournament, along with
William O'Connor,
Arron Monk
Arron Monk (born 15 April 1990) is an English professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He is the son of fellow former professional darts player and the 1996 Winmau World Masters winner Colin Monk. ...
and
Reece Robinson
Reece Robinson (born 13 June 1987) is a Lebanon international rugby league footballer who most recently played for the Sydney Roosters in the NRL.
He previously played for the Brisbane Broncos, Canberra Raiders and Parramatta Eels in the Nat ...
.
He was the number four seed for the
2011 PDC Under-21 World Championship, where he lost in the quarter-finals to
Benito van de Pas
Benito van de Pas (born 18 January 1993) is a Dutch professional darts player.
Career BDO
Van de Pas reached the semi-finals of the 2011 PDC Under-21 World Championship, losing 1-4 to Michael van Gerwen.
Van de Pas won the 2011 German Open. Th ...
.
On 26 February 2011, Smith hit a
nine-dart finish in a PDC Youth Tour event in
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
, against
Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player. He is currently ranked number 3 in the world, having been number 1 from 2014 to 2021. He is also a three-time PDC World Champion, having won the title in 2014, 2 ...
. He reached the final but lost to
Shaun Griffiths
Shaun Griffiths (born 24 November 1991) is an English professional darts player who currently plays in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events.
Career
Griffiths won consecutive Winmau World Youth Masters titles in 2007 and 2008. In 201 ...
. The following day, he won his first
PDC Pro Tour
The PDC Pro Tour is a series of non-televised darts tournaments organised by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). They comprise Professional Dart Players Association (PDPA) Players Championships and European Tour events. Only four players ...
event, defeating
Dave Chisnall
Dave Chisnall (born 12 September 1980) is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He began his career in the British Darts Organisation (BDO) and was the runner-up in their World Champion ...
6–5 in the final of the
2011 UK Open Qualifier 2.
2012
Smith had now become a full-time professional on the PDC darts Circuit and made his debut at the
World Championships
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
in
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
, losing 0–3 to
Co Stompé
Jacobus Wilhelmus "Co" Stompé (born 10 September 1962) is a Dutch former professional darts player. He was nicknamed The Matchstick because of his almost bald head and very thin appearance, making him look like a matchstick. He was also one of ...
in the first round. Smith only hit 3 of his 14 darts at a double during the match.
Smith won his second professional tournament in January 2012, at the
Players Championship Event 2 in
Benidorm. He won seven matches, concluding with a 6–3 victory over
Justin Pipe
Justin Pipe (born 9 November 1971) is an English former professional darts player who has played in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He was a former top 10 player.
Playing career
Pipe was a boxer in his youth, and, as a staunc ...
to take the title and the
£6,000 prize money. In April, he earned a place in the
European Tour Event 1 in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
by defeating
Les Wallace
Les Wallace (born 22 February 1962) is a Scottish retired professional darts player. He adopted the nickname "McDanger", coming out for his matches dressed in a traditional kilt. He won the 1997 BDO World Darts Championship which is one of th ...
and
Shaun Griffiths
Shaun Griffiths (born 24 November 1991) is an English professional darts player who currently plays in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events.
Career
Griffiths won consecutive Winmau World Youth Masters titles in 2007 and 2008. In 201 ...
in the UK qualifier. He played
Jamie Caven
Jamie Robert Caven (born 10 March 1976) is an English former professional darts player who plays in British Darts Organisation (BDO) events. He has won seven events on the PDC Pro Tour, including two in the same weekend in May 2013. Caven was ...
in the first round and hit a nine dart finish on his way to a 6–4 win, but then lost 5–6 to
Mark Walsh in round two. His results meant he qualified for the
World Matchplay for the first time in his career via the ProTour Order of Merit. He faced
Raymond van Barneveld in the first round and was beaten 4–10. Smith also played in the
World Grand Prix for the first time, losing to
Phil Taylor 0–2 in the first round. After all 33 ProTour events of 2012 had been played, Smith was 25th on the Order of Merit, inside the top 32 who qualified for the
Players Championship Finals
The Players Championship Finals is a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. The tournament originally featured the top 32 players from the Players Championship Order of Merit, a separate ranking system that only takes int ...
. It was Smith's first appearance in the tournament and he beat
Ian White 6–5 in the first round before losing 6–10 to
Kim Huybrechts
Kim Huybrechts (born 16 November 1985) is a Belgian professional darts player currently playing in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He made the final of a major TV event, the 2012 Players Championship Finals, losing to Phil Taylor 13 ...
.
2013
Smith's position on the ProTour Order of Merit also saw him qualify for the
2013 World Championship, as he took the second of sixteen places that were awarded to the highest non-qualified players. However, he ran into an in-form
Raymond van Barneveld in the first round who averaged 108.31 as Smith could only win one leg during the match in a 0–3 defeat.
Smith reached the final of the third UK Open Qualifier in March, but was beaten 2–6 by
Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player. He is currently ranked number 3 in the world, having been number 1 from 2014 to 2021. He is also a three-time PDC World Champion, having won the title in 2014, 2 ...
.
Smith won the 2013 PDC World Youth Championship with a 6–1 victory over Ricky Evans, which was broadcast just before the 2013 Premier League Darts Final. Smith led van Barneveld 3–0 in the third round of the
UK Open
The Cazoo UK Open is a ranking major darts tournament held annually at the Butlins Minehead Resort by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) in England. Often referred to as the "FA Cup of darts", the UK Open replicates the abolition of seedin ...
but went on to lose 8–9. In October, he advanced to the semi-finals for the second time in 2013 at the 12th
Players Championship but his run was ended with a 6–3 defeat to
Kevin Painter
Kevin Painter (born 12 July 1967) is an English retired darts player, known as "The Artist". He is arguably most famous for finishing as the runner-up to Phil Taylor in the 2004 PDC World Championship final, now widely credited as one of the ...
. His youth title earned him a place in the
Grand Slam of Darts
The Grand Slam of Darts is a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation and is known as the Cazoo Grand Slam of Darts for sponsorship purposes. The PDC also invited the best performing players from its rival, the British Dart ...
and he produced an impressive display in his first group match against
Dave Chisnall
Dave Chisnall (born 12 September 1980) is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He began his career in the British Darts Organisation (BDO) and was the runner-up in their World Champion ...
as from 3–1 down he hit legs of 11, 12, 14 and 13 darts to win 5–3 with an average of 103.17. However, he then lost 5–2 to
Scott Waites
Scott Waites (born 17 February 1977) is an English professional darts player who plays in tournaments of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). He is a two-time BDO World Darts Champion having won the 2013 tournament and 2016 tournament. ...
and 5–1 to
Ted Hankey
Edward Hankey (born 20 February 1968) is an English former professional darts player and convicted sex offender. Nicknamed "The Count", he won the BDO World Darts Championship in 2000, was runner-up in 2001, and won the title for a second time ...
to finish third in
Group H and be eliminated from the tournament.
2014
Smith broke into the world's top 32 on the Order of Merit just before the cut-off for the
2014 World Championship to qualify through the main ranking list for the first time. He beat
Morihiro Hashimoto
(10 February 1977 – 13 March 2017) was a Japanese darts player, nicknamed The Ogre.
Career
Hashimoto first appeared in the PDC circuit competing in the 2009 Las Vegas Desert Classic qualifiers, as well as a Players Championship. He attempt ...
3–1 in the first round.
He then defeated reigning and 16-time world champion
Phil Taylor 4–3 in the second round, taking out the bullseye on a 128 finish to win the match. In the next round Smith hit a 136 finish, with his opponent
Peter Wright waiting on 41, to lead 3–2 but only won one more leg after this to lose 4–3. He was named the PDC's Young Player of the Year at the Annual Awards in January. Smith won through to the final of the sixth
UK Open Qualifier of the year but averaged just 70.94 as he was whitewashed 6–0 by Michael van Gerwen. A rematch against Wright followed in the third round of the
UK Open
The Cazoo UK Open is a ranking major darts tournament held annually at the Butlins Minehead Resort by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) in England. Often referred to as the "FA Cup of darts", the UK Open replicates the abolition of seedin ...
with Smith throwing for the match in the final leg, but he missed a total of seven darts at doubles to lose 9–8. His second final of 2014 was at the fifth
Players Championship, which he reached by beating
Raymond van Barneveld 6–3 in the quarter-finals and
Gary Anderson 6–4 in the semis, but was again whitewashed in the decider, this time by
Brendan Dolan
Brendan Gabriel Dolan (born 2 August 1973) is a Northern Irish professional darts player from County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He is best known for becoming the first player to hit a ...
.
At the
World Matchplay he recorded a 10–8 victory over
Justin Pipe
Justin Pipe (born 9 November 1971) is an English former professional darts player who has played in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He was a former top 10 player.
Playing career
Pipe was a boxer in his youth, and, as a staunc ...
before losing 13–6 to Taylor in the second round. At the
European Darts Grand Prix, Smith eliminated
Gary Anderson,
Adrian Lewis
Adrian Lewis (born 21 January 1985) is an English professional darts player currently playing in the PDC. He is a two-time PDC World Darts Champion, winning in 2011 and 2012. He is nicknamed Jackpot, as he won a jackpot gambling in Las Vegas ...
and
Stephen Bunting
Stephen Bunting (born 9 April 1985) is an English professional darts player who competes in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Nicknamed The Bullet, Bunting won the 2014 BDO World Darts Championship and is a twice former Wor ...
en route to facing
Mervyn King in the final. Smith missed too many doubles throughout the match, including one to claim the title, as he lost his third ranking final of the year 6–5. Another final followed a week later at the 14th Players Championship where he lost 6–4 to Van Gerwen. Smith's rich vein of form continued into the
European Darts Trophy as he reached the final and came back from 3–0 against Van Gerwen to win the title 6–5, which included a 158 finish to break throw in the ninth leg. He suffered first round exits at the
World Grand Prix and
European Championship, but topped
Group F at the
Grand Slam
Grand Slam most often refers to:
* Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves
Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to:
Games and sports
* Grand slam, winning category te ...
by winning all three of his games. Smith knocked out
Christian Kist
Christian Kist (born 21 April 1986) is a Dutch professional darts player. In 2012, he won the BDO World Darts Championship, defeating Tony O'Shea in the final. Since 2014, he has competed in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).
Career BDO
K ...
10–5 but was then beaten 16–3 by Taylor in the quarter-finals, losing 13 consecutive legs from 3–3. His year in the major events concluded with a 6–4 defeat to
Andy Smith in the opening round of the
Players Championship Finals
The Players Championship Finals is a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. The tournament originally featured the top 32 players from the Players Championship Order of Merit, a separate ranking system that only takes int ...
.
2015
After seeing off
Mensur Suljović
Mensur Suljović (Serbian Cyrillic: Менсур Суљовић; born 5 March 1972) is an Austrian professional darts player. He plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, having previously played in the British Darts Organisation (B ...
3–1 in the first round of the
2015 World Championship, Smith beat
Brendan Dolan
Brendan Gabriel Dolan (born 2 August 1973) is a Northern Irish professional darts player from County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He is best known for becoming the first player to hit a ...
4–2 after having been 2–0 down, to set up a third round tie with fellow St. Helens player
Stephen Bunting
Stephen Bunting (born 9 April 1985) is an English professional darts player who competes in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Nicknamed The Bullet, Bunting won the 2014 BDO World Darts Championship and is a twice former Wor ...
. Despite taking out checkouts of 170 and 132, Smith was 3–0 down, before finding his scoring game to restrict Bunting to one leg as he closed the gap to 3–2. Ultimately his slow start to the match proved costly as he lost the next set to be knocked out 4–2 in a game that saw each player average 102 and hit eight 180s apiece. Smith won the fifth
UK Open Qualifier by beating
Adrian Lewis
Adrian Lewis (born 21 January 1985) is an English professional darts player currently playing in the PDC. He is a two-time PDC World Darts Champion, winning in 2011 and 2012. He is nicknamed Jackpot, as he won a jackpot gambling in Las Vegas ...
6–5. A rematch with Bunting followed in the third round of the
UK Open
The Cazoo UK Open is a ranking major darts tournament held annually at the Butlins Minehead Resort by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) in England. Often referred to as the "FA Cup of darts", the UK Open replicates the abolition of seedin ...
, with Smith missing two match darts in the deciding leg to be beaten 9–8. He claimed the second European Tour title of his career by winning the
International Darts Open with a 6–3 victory over
Benito van de Pas
Benito van de Pas (born 18 January 1993) is a Dutch professional darts player.
Career BDO
Van de Pas reached the semi-finals of the 2011 PDC Under-21 World Championship, losing 1-4 to Michael van Gerwen.
Van de Pas won the 2011 German Open. Th ...
in the final. Smith suffered a 10–4 defeat to
Gerwyn Price
Gerwyn Stephen Price (born 7 March 1985) 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 cu ...
in the first round of the
World Matchplay, but retained his
European Darts Trophy title by seeing off
Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player. He is currently ranked number 3 in the world, having been number 1 from 2014 to 2021. He is also a three-time PDC World Champion, having won the title in 2014, 2 ...
in the final for the second year in a row. At the
World Grand Prix he punished two missed match darts from Price to beat him 2–1, but Smith then lost from 2–0 up in sets against
Jamie Lewis
Jamie Lewis (born 8 November 1991) is a Welsh professional darts player who currently plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and World Darts Federation (WDF) events. His biggest achievement to date was reaching the semi-finals of the 2018 ...
in the second round. Wins over
Wayne Jones, Lewis and
Andy Fordham
Andrew Fordham (2 February 1962 – 15 July 2021) was an English professional darts player, commonly known as The Viking. He won the 2004 BDO World Darts Championship and the 1999 Winmau World Masters.
Darts career
Fordham made his first ap ...
saw Smith top his group at the
Grand Slam
Grand Slam most often refers to:
* Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves
Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to:
Games and sports
* Grand slam, winning category te ...
and he then averaged 104.59 to beat
Dave Chisnall
Dave Chisnall (born 12 September 1980) is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He began his career in the British Darts Organisation (BDO) and was the runner-up in their World Champion ...
10–7 and reach the quarter-finals. Smith's first major event semi-final soon followed as he defeated Lewis 16–11, but he was heavily beaten 16–6 by Van Gerwen.
2016
At the
2016 World Championship wins over
Jeffrey de Zwaan
Jeffrey de Zwaan (born 26 March 1996) is a Dutch professional darts player who plays in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).
Career
De Zwaan progressed through to the last 16 of the 2014 World Masters, where he lost 3–0 to Gle ...
,
Steve Beaton
Steve Beaton (born 5 April 1964) is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He won the BDO World Darts Championship in 1996 and is a former World No. 1.
Background
Beaton was born in Co ...
and
Benito van de Pas
Benito van de Pas (born 18 January 1993) is a Dutch professional darts player.
Career BDO
Van de Pas reached the semi-finals of the 2011 PDC Under-21 World Championship, losing 1-4 to Michael van Gerwen.
Van de Pas won the 2011 German Open. Th ...
saw Smith reach the quarter-finals for the first time, where he was 3–0 ahead of
Raymond van Barneveld. He could only win two legs as Van Barneveld moved 4–3 up, but he took the next to take the match to a ninth and final set. Smith finished 130 on double five to move within a leg of the match and missed one dart to win it, before Van Barneveld won four legs in a row to end Smith's event. Smith made his debut in the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
after receiving a wildcard from the PDC. On the opening night he played twice due to
Gary Anderson being ill. Smith lost his first matches 7–2 to
Peter Wright and 7–1 to
Adrian Lewis
Adrian Lewis (born 21 January 1985) is an English professional darts player currently playing in the PDC. He is a two-time PDC World Darts Champion, winning in 2011 and 2012. He is nicknamed Jackpot, as he won a jackpot gambling in Las Vegas ...
. His first point came in week three courtesy of a 6–6 draw with
Dave Chisnall
Dave Chisnall (born 12 September 1980) is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He began his career in the British Darts Organisation (BDO) and was the runner-up in their World Champion ...
.
Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player. He is currently ranked number 3 in the world, having been number 1 from 2014 to 2021. He is also a three-time PDC World Champion, having won the title in 2014, 2 ...
scored a world record three-dart average of 123.40 against Smith in a 7–1 win, but the following week Smith got his first Premier League victory by beating Van Barneveld 7–5. However, Smith lost his last two matches to finish bottom of the table and be eliminated from the event.
Smith played in the final of the
2016 Austrian Darts Open and lost 6–4 to
Phil Taylor. He saw off
Simon Whitlock
Simon Whitlock (born 3 March 1969) is an Australian professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) tournaments, having also played in the British Darts Organisation (BDO) between 2004 and 2009. He uses the nickname ...
10–6 at the
World Matchplay, before losing 11–7 to
Steve Beaton
Steve Beaton (born 5 April 1964) is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He won the BDO World Darts Championship in 1996 and is a former World No. 1.
Background
Beaton was born in Co ...
in the second round and was knocked out 2–1 in sets by
Alan Norris in the first round of the
World Grand Prix. Smith was also eliminated in the first round of the
European Championship and
Players Championship Finals
The Players Championship Finals is a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. The tournament originally featured the top 32 players from the Players Championship Order of Merit, a separate ranking system that only takes int ...
.
2017
Smith during the ">2017 German Darts Grand Prix
Smith entered the
2017 World Championship without a match win since September 2016 having lost 10 in a row. He took the deciding set of his first round match with
Ricky Evans without dropping a leg and said he had been fighting his demons recently. In the next round he missed five darts to eliminate
Mervyn King 4–1, but kept his composure to eventually see him off 4–3. Smith went 3–1 up on
James Wade
James Martin Wade (born 6 April 1983) 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 ...
in the third round, but after Wade took the next set, Smith lost six legs in a row to be eliminated 4–3. He missed two darts to win the third
UK Open Qualifier as
Peter Wright beat him 6–5. Four 6–5 wins saw him reach the final of the
Gibraltar Darts Trophy and at 4–4 he took out a 132 finish with
Mensur Suljović
Mensur Suljović (Serbian Cyrillic: Менсур Суљовић; born 5 March 1972) is an Austrian professional darts player. He plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, having previously played in the British Darts Organisation (B ...
waiting on 56 to break throw and took home his first title in nearly two years with a 6–4 victory. Smith qualified for the
2017 European Championship as third seed, losing in the quarter-final to
Rob Cross.
2018
Smith was thirteenth seeded at the
2018 World Championship, losing in the second round to eventual champion
Rob Cross, having missed two match darts. Following the championship, Smith was invited into the
2018 Premier League, the second invitation to the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
he had received. Smith finished the league phase in second place, qualifying for the play-offs. He beat
Gary Anderson in the semi-final before losing in the final 4–11 to
Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player. He is currently ranked number 3 in the world, having been number 1 from 2014 to 2021. He is also a three-time PDC World Champion, having won the title in 2014, 2 ...
.
2018 also saw Smith win his first event on the
World Series of Darts
The World Series of Darts is a series of darts tournaments organised by the Professional Darts Corporation.
Beginning in 2013, the World Series has comprised between two and seven tournaments across the world, where a mixture of the top-ranked P ...
, taking the
2018 Shanghai Darts Masters with an 8–2 win over Rob Cross in the final. Smith reached the final of the
2018 World Series of Darts Finals, missing five darts to take the title in a 10–11 defeat to
James Wade
James Martin Wade (born 6 April 1983) 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 ...
.
2019
Smith was tenth seed at the
2019 World Championship. In the second round, he eliminated
Ron Meulenkamp
Ronnie “Ron” Meulenkamp (born 5 November 1988) is a Dutch darts player playing in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).
Career
Meulenkamp was runner-up in both the 2011 Isle of Man Open and England Open.
He was also a semi-f ...
before beating
John Henderson and
Ryan Searle
Ryan Searle (born 22 June 1989, Brisbane, Australia) is an Australian professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent.
He is a regular on the Australia national baseball team, the "Southern Thunder". He has been both a starter and a relief p ...
to reach the quarter-final. He reached his first World Championship semi-final with a 5–1 victory over
Luke Humphries
Luke Humphries (born 11 February 1995) is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He won the 2019 PDC World Youth Championship.
Career
Humphries won five PDC Development Tour titles in 20 ...
,
then beat
Nathan Aspinall
Nathan Aspinall (born 15 July 1991) is an English professional darts player currently playing in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He won the 2019 UK Open with a 170 checkout in the final leg against former World Champion Rob Cross.
...
in the semi-final to set up a final against
Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player. He is currently ranked number 3 in the world, having been number 1 from 2014 to 2021. He is also a three-time PDC World Champion, having won the title in 2014, 2 ...
. Smith was defeated in the final, 3–7.
He reached the final of the
2019 World Matchplay, where he faced
Rob Cross. Smith lost the first 9 legs of the match and eventually lost 13–18.
2020
Smith suffered an early exit at the
2020 World Championship, losing to
Luke Woodhouse
Luke Woodhouse (born 13 October 1988) is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events.
Known as "Woody", he won a PDC Challenge Tour event in 2013.
World Championship results PDC
* 2020: Third ro ...
in the second round. Smith missed three match darts to beat
Peter Wright in the final of the
2020 Masters, losing 11–10 in a last leg decider. He had previously defeated
Mensur Suljović
Mensur Suljović (Serbian Cyrillic: Менсур Суљовић; born 5 March 1972) is an Austrian professional darts player. He plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, having previously played in the British Darts Organisation (B ...
,
Adrian Lewis
Adrian Lewis (born 21 January 1985) is an English professional darts player currently playing in the PDC. He is a two-time PDC World Darts Champion, winning in 2011 and 2012. He is nicknamed Jackpot, as he won a jackpot gambling in Las Vegas ...
and
Nathan Aspinall
Nathan Aspinall (born 15 July 1991) is an English professional darts player currently playing in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He won the 2019 UK Open with a 170 checkout in the final leg against former World Champion Rob Cross.
...
to reach the final.
On 27 February 2020, in week 4 of the
2020 Premier League, Smith hit his first televised
nine-dart leg in a 7–5 victory over
Daryl Gurney
Daryl Gurney (born 22 March 1986) is a Northern Irish professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. Gurney is a winner of two majors, having won the World Grand Prix in 2017 in his native Ireland, and the P ...
.
2021
Smith had another early exit at the
2021 World Championship, losing again in the second round, this time to
Jason Lowe.
At the
2021 Grand Slam of Darts he beat
Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player. He is currently ranked number 3 in the world, having been number 1 from 2014 to 2021. He is also a three-time PDC World Champion, having won the title in 2014, 2 ...
16–13 to reach the semifinals, where he eventually lost 16–12 to
Peter Wright. Smith led 12–8, but Wright won eight consecutive legs to clinch a place in the final against
Gerwyn Price
Gerwyn Stephen Price (born 7 March 1985) 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 cu ...
.
2022
Smith began his
2022 World Championship campaign with a comfortable 3–0 win over
Ron Meulenkamp
Ronnie “Ron” Meulenkamp (born 5 November 1988) is a Dutch darts player playing in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).
Career
Meulenkamp was runner-up in both the 2011 Isle of Man Open and England Open.
He was also a semi-f ...
, before defeating
William O'Connor 4–2. The next two games saw him take on two of the most in-form players from the 2021 season; first defeating
Jonny Clayton
Jonny Clayton (born 4 October 1974) is a Welsh professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. Nicknamed The Ferret, he was half of the Welsh team that won the 2020 PDC World Cup of Darts before winning his ...
in a last-set shootout that went to extra legs; and then triumphing over defending champion
Gerwyn Price
Gerwyn Stephen Price (born 7 March 1985) 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 cu ...
, surviving two match darts before winning the final set. In the semi-final Smith took an early lead over
James Wade
James Martin Wade (born 6 April 1983) 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 ...
and eventually triumphed 6–3, reaching the final for the second time in his career. Smith lost the final 7–5 to
Peter Wright and claimed £200,000 as runner-up.
Smith reached the final of the UK Open in March, but lost 11–10 to
Danny Noppert
Danny Noppert (born 31 December 1990) is a Dutch professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He is a former BDO World Darts Championship finalist, as well as being a Finder Darts Masters champion in 2017, ...
despite Noppert only averaging 84.82 to see his 7th final defeat. He recovered well to win a night event on the final standard night of the
2022 Premier League, but came 7th in the table and did not qualify for the playoff places. His good form after the UK Open continued, winning 3 Pro Tour titles in a short period and performing well in the European Tour.
In July, Smith reached the last 16 of the
2022 World Matchplay, where he was beaten 11–7 by
Dirk van Duijvenbode
Dirk van Duijvenbode (born 30 June 1992) is a Dutch professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He is known for his energetic walk-on, combined with hardstyle music. More recently, he has become known for ...
. In October, Smith reached an eighth major televised final, losing 11–8 to namesake
Ross Ross or ROSS may refer to:
People
* Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan
* Ross (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning
* Earl of Ross, a peerage of Scotland
Places
* RoSS, the Republic of Sou ...
in the
European Championship final. The following month, Smith finally won his first major title at his ninth attempt in the
2022 Grand Slam of Darts. He consecutively defeated
Lisa Ashton
Lisa Ashton (born 27 August 1970) is an English professional darts player who currently plays in World Darts Federation (WDF) and Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. She is a four-time BDO World Darts Women's Champion and has won over ...
,
Joe Cullen,
Ritchie Edhouse
Ritchie Edhouse (born 19 April 1983) is a professional English darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation events. He reached the last 32 of the 2015 BDO World Trophy, and won a PDC Challenge Tour event in 2016, before gaining a ...
,
Rob Cross,
Joe Cullen (second time in the tournament), and
Raymond van Barneveld before defeating
Nathan Aspinall
Nathan Aspinall (born 15 July 1991) is an English professional darts player currently playing in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He won the 2019 UK Open with a 170 checkout in the final leg against former World Champion Rob Cross.
...
16–5 in the final.
[ ]
2023
Smith opened his
2023 World Championship campaign with a 3–0 win over
Nathan Rafferty
Nathan Rafferty (born 17 January 2000) is a Northern Irish professional darts player who currently competes in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events.
Career
Rafferty made his TV debut on the 2018 UK Open
Eighteen or 18 may refer to:
...
. In the third round Smith came from 3–1 down in order to beat
Martin Schindler
Martin Schindler (born 16 August 1996) is a German professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events.
Career
Schindler won a PDC Tour Card at Qualifying-School (Q-School) in January 2017. He represented Germany ...
4–3. In the semi-final Smith beat
Gabriel Clemens
Gabriel Clemens (born August 16, 1983) is a German professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events.
Career
In 2017, Clemens made the semi-finals of the 2017 World Masters (darts), World Masters, and missed matc ...
6–2.
World Championship results
PDC
* 2012: First round (lost to
Co Stompé
Jacobus Wilhelmus "Co" Stompé (born 10 September 1962) is a Dutch former professional darts player. He was nicknamed The Matchstick because of his almost bald head and very thin appearance, making him look like a matchstick. He was also one of ...
0–3)
* 2013: First round (lost to
Raymond van Barneveld 0–3)
* 2014: Third round (lost to
Peter Wright 3–4)
* 2015: Third round (lost to
Stephen Bunting
Stephen Bunting (born 9 April 1985) is an English professional darts player who competes in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Nicknamed The Bullet, Bunting won the 2014 BDO World Darts Championship and is a twice former Wor ...
2–4)
* 2016: Quarter-finals (lost to
Raymond van Barneveld 4–5)
* 2017: Third round (lost to
James Wade
James Martin Wade (born 6 April 1983) 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 ...
3–4)
* 2018: Second round (lost to
Rob Cross 3–4)
* 2019: Runner-up (lost to
Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player. He is currently ranked number 3 in the world, having been number 1 from 2014 to 2021. He is also a three-time PDC World Champion, having won the title in 2014, 2 ...
3–7)
* 2020: Second round (lost to
Luke Woodhouse
Luke Woodhouse (born 13 October 1988) is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events.
Known as "Woody", he won a PDC Challenge Tour event in 2013.
World Championship results PDC
* 2020: Third ro ...
1–3)
* 2021: Second round (lost to
Jason Lowe 1–3)
* 2022: Runner-up (lost to
Peter Wright 5–7)
* 2023: Winner (beat
Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player. He is currently ranked number 3 in the world, having been number 1 from 2014 to 2021. He is also a three-time PDC World Champion, having won the title in 2014, 2 ...
7–4)
Career finals
PDC major finals: 10 (2 titles, 8 runners-up)
PDC World Series finals: 4 (2 titles, 2 runners-up)
PDC team finals: 1 (1 runner-up)
Performance timeline
''PDC European Tour''
Nine-dart finishes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Michael
1990 births
Living people
English darts players
Sportspeople from St Helens, Merseyside
Professional Darts Corporation current tour card holders
PDC world darts champions
Grand Slam of Darts champions
World Series of Darts winners
PDC world youth champions
Darts players who have thrown televised nine-dart games
PDC World Cup of Darts English team
21st-century English people