Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
) is an Irish 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 ...
O'Connor first came to prominence in the 2010 UK Open when he defeated Stuart Monaghan in the First Round by 6 legs to 0. He then defeated
Mark Frost
Mark Frost (born November 25, 1953) is an American novelist, screenwriter, film-and-television producer and director. He is the co-creator of the mystery television series ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991; 2017) and was a writer and executive story ...
and Peter Wright to reach the fourth round, where he played world number 3 James Wade on the main board and lost 9 legs to 3.
He qualified for the 2010 World Grand Prix, where he lost to
Barrie Bates
Barrie Bates (born 17 October 1969) is a former Welsh darts player who played on the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) circuit. His original nickname was Batesy, but since 2007, he was known as Champagne.
Career
Bates made his PDC televised ...
in the first round by 2 sets to 0.
O'Connor along with
Mick McGowan
Michael McGowan (born 1 February 1973) is an Irish professional darts player who last played in events for the British Darts Organisation (BDO).
Career
McGowan last played on the PDC pro tour in the Killarney Pro Tour 1 in October 2013 and his ...
represented Ireland at the inaugural
PDC World Cup of Darts
The PDC World Cup of Darts is a team darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation, and was one of the three new tournaments introduced into the PDC calendar in 2010. It is broadcast live by Sky Sports.2010. The pair defeated Slovakia in the first round 6 legs to 3. However, they were narrowly beaten 6 legs to 5 in the second round to the Australian duo of
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 ...
and Paul Nicholson, who were number 4 and 16 in the world rankings respectively.
He played in his second World Cup for Ireland in 2012, again paired with McGowan and, as in 2010, they reached the second round this time by defeating Malaysia 5–2. They played the same Australian pair as in 2010 next and were whitewashed 0–4. The next week he reached the quarter-finals of the first UK Open Qualifier, but was defeated by
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 ...
4–6. This would later prove to be O'Connor's deepest run in a tournament in 2012. During the year he qualified for three of the five European Tour events. He was knocked out in the first round of the first two, but at the German Darts Masters he saw off Painter 6–5, before losing 3–6 to Wayne Jones. O'Connor was one of the two Irish qualifiers for the World Grand Prix and missed a dart for the match in the first round against
Vincent van der Voort
Vincent van der Voort (born 18 December 1975) is a Dutch professional darts player on the PDC circuit. As of the 2012 PDC World Darts Championship, his nickname is the "Dutch Destroyer", although he used to go by "Grease Lightning". He is bes ...
, losing 1–2 in sets.
O'Connor began 2013 ranked world number 54, and played in his third
World Cup of Darts
The PDC World Cup of Darts is a team darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation, and was one of the three new tournaments introduced into the PDC calendar in 2010. It is broadcast live by Sky Sports.Connie Finnan
Connie Finnan (born 20 May 1962) is a former Irish professional darts player.
Career
BDO
In September 2009, Finnan qualified for the televised stages of the World Masters. He defeated Darryl Fitton 3–1 in the last 16 before losing 3–0 ...
in February.
The pair beat Denmark 5–0 in their first match and despite losing to South Africa 4–5 they finished top of Group B on leg difference to reach the last 16. They faced Japan and were defeated 3–5. O'Connor was beaten 9–4 by
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 ...
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 ...
having earlier seen off Robbie Singleton and Johnny Haines. He struggled for form after this until the first weekend of November when he lost in the last 16 to
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 ...
and Gary Anderson in two Players Championships, earning himself £2,000 in the process.
O'Connor entered 2014 ranked world number 68, just outside the top 64 who had full playing privileges for the year ahead. He entered Q School and had his best result on the third day when he was defeated 5–0 by Pete Dyos in the last 16. The result helped him finish 24th on the Q School Order of Merit to claim the final place on offer for a two-year tour card. He was edged out 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 ...
9–8 by
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 ...
. O'Connor and Finnan lost five successive legs in the first round of the
World Cup of Darts
The PDC World Cup of Darts is a team darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation, and was one of the three new tournaments introduced into the PDC calendar in 2010. It is broadcast live by Sky Sports.European Darts Trophy by averaging 104.36 in a 6–4 win over
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 ...
. In the second round, O'Connor was 5–4 ahead of
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 ...
but bust his score when on 70 and missed one match dart at double six to be beaten 6–5.
At the 2015 UK Open, O'Connor overcame
Dean Winstanley
Dean Winstanley (born 10 February 1981) is an English professional darts player.
He first took up darts as a two-year-old, stopped playing at the age of 12, and then started playing again when he was 22. He turned professional in 2008 and won ...
5–3, Mark Webster 9–5 and Ian White 9–6 to reach the fifth round of the event for the first time where he played
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 ...
. The opening eight legs were shared, before Bunting took four of the next five and he went on to eliminate O'Connor 9–6. He saw off Ian White 6–1 and
Vincent van der Voort
Vincent van der Voort (born 18 December 1975) is a Dutch professional darts player on the PDC circuit. As of the 2012 PDC World Darts Championship, his nickname is the "Dutch Destroyer", although he used to go by "Grease Lightning". He is bes ...
6–3 to reach his first quarter-final in three years and first in a European Tour event at the German Darts Masters. O'Connor led world number one
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 ...
3–1, but went on to lose 6–4 despite taking out three 100 plus finishes. O'Connor and Finnan's
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
second round match with Hong Kong went to a doubles match which they lost 4–3. O'Connor was unable to advance past the first round of the World Grand Prix for the fourth time as he missed two match darts 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 ...
.
O'Connor was beaten 6–5 by
Jeffrey de Graaf
Jeffrey de Graaf (born 21 November 1990) is a Dutch darts player. He has played in six World Championships (four BDO and two PDC) but has lost in the first round each time. He moved from the BDO to the PDC in 2016.
Career BDO
In 2012, De Graaf ...
in the second 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 ...
. He ousted
Tomas Seyler
Tomas Seyler (born 16 July 1974), nicknamed "Shorty", is a German former professional darts player.
Career
Seyler reached the second round of the Winmau World Masters in 2003, beating Vincent van der Voort in the first round, but lost to Raymon ...
6–3 and
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 1 ...
6–1 at the German Darts Masters, before losing 6–2 to Gary Anderson in the third round. O'Connor did not get past the last 64 of any individual event in the rest of the year. At the
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
he and
Mick McGowan
Michael McGowan (born 1 February 1973) is an Irish professional darts player who last played in events for the British Darts Organisation (BDO).
Career
McGowan last played on the PDC pro tour in the Killarney Pro Tour 1 in October 2013 and his ...
squeezed past Hong Kong 5–4 in the first round, but they exited the tournament in the next round after they lost their singles matches to the Northern Irish team of
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 ...
and
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 ...
.
O'Connor just avoided having to enter Q School in 2017 as he was ranked 64th on the Order of Merit.
William kicked off 2017 when he defeated
Max Hopp
Max Hopp (born 20 August 1996) is a German professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events.
Career
Hopp reached the final of the 2011 WDF World Cup boys' singles, and won the boys' singles event at the 2012 ...
,
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 ...
,
Keegan Brown
Keegan Brown (born 5 November 1992) is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He won the 2014 PDC World Youth Championship.
Career Early career
Brown began playing darts at the age of ni ...
,
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 ...
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 ...
in the second round, where he took on fellow Irishman
Steve Lennon
Stephen Brendan Lennon (born 25 November 1993) is an Irish professional darts player who plays in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).
Career
Lennon played county darts for Kilkenny and Kildare. Lennon has played professional dar ...
. William got the better of Lennon 6–2 to book a spot in the Last 64. Here, he played
Mick Todd
Mick Todd (born 6 June 1972) is a former professional English darts player who plays in the Professional Darts Corporation events.
He earned a PDC Tour Card in 2011 and 2014, and qualified for the 2014 UK Open and 2017 UK Open
The 2017 Coral U ...
, who O'Connor beat 10–3 over the longer format. In the Last 32, he played
Ronnie Baxter
Ronnie Baxter (born 5 February 1961) is an English former professional darts player who competed in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He used the nickname "The Rocket" for his matches. Baxter was known for his fast robotic throwing a ...
, with William claiming a super 10–6 win to reach his second ever
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 ...
Last 16.
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 ...
was his opponent, and the Aussie proved just too much, defeating O'Connor 10–7, although the Limerick man picked up £6,500 for his run.
O'Connor continued his form in Barnsley the following weekend, reaching the Last 16 of Players Championship 3, and the Last 32 of Players Championship 4. He defeated
Zoran Lerchbacher
Zoran Lerchbacher (born 30 May 1972) is an Austrian professional darts player from Graz, Austria currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation.
Career
Lerchbacher qualified for the 2014 PDC World Darts Championship and won 4–1 in ...
and
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 ...
to set up a tie with the 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 ...
in the Last 32. O'Connor beat van Gerwen superbly 6–4, but lost to
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 ...
in the following round. In Players Championship 4 the next day, he dispatched of
Jermaine Wattimena
Jermaine Wattimena (born 9 March 1988) is a Dutch darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) tournaments.
Career
Wattimena won the first event he entered as he claimed the 2008 Malta Open by beating Vincent Busuttil in t ...
and
Mick Todd
Mick Todd (born 6 June 1972) is a former professional English darts player who plays in the Professional Darts Corporation events.
He earned a PDC Tour Card in 2011 and 2014, and qualified for the 2014 UK Open and 2017 UK Open
The 2017 Coral U ...
, but was beaten by
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 ...
in the Last 32.
O'Connor had a couple of bad months, with his best result being a Last 32 in Players Championship 12, where he defeated
Ronnie Baxter
Ronnie Baxter (born 5 February 1961) is an English former professional darts player who competed in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He used the nickname "The Rocket" for his matches. Baxter was known for his fast robotic throwing a ...
and
Paul Harvey
Paul Harvey Aurandt (September 4, 1918 – February 28, 2009) was an American radio broadcaster for ABC News Radio. He broadcast ''News and Comment'' on mornings and mid-days on weekdays and at noon on Saturdays and also his famous '' The Rest ...
before a 6–5 loss to
Steve Lennon
Stephen Brendan Lennon (born 25 November 1993) is an Irish professional darts player who plays in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).
Career
Lennon played county darts for Kilkenny and Kildare. Lennon has played professional dar ...
. He once again teamed up with
Mick McGowan
Michael McGowan (born 1 February 1973) is an Irish professional darts player who last played in events for the British Darts Organisation (BDO).
Career
McGowan last played on the PDC pro tour in the Killarney Pro Tour 1 in October 2013 and his ...
at the
World Cup of Darts
The PDC World Cup of Darts is a team darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation, and was one of the three new tournaments introduced into the PDC calendar in 2010. It is broadcast live by Sky Sports.2018 European Darts Matchplay, losing 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 ...
by a scoreline of 8–2. He then won a first PDC title at Players Championship 13 on 30 April 2019, beating
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.
...
8–4 in the final.
In June 2019, O'Connor alongside
Steve Lennon
Stephen Brendan Lennon (born 25 November 1993) is an Irish professional darts player who plays in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).
Career
Lennon played county darts for Kilkenny and Kildare. Lennon has played professional dar ...
made it all the way to the final of the 2019 PDC World Cup of Darts where they eventually lost to Scotland 3–1.
In the 2020 PDC World Championships, O'Connor made an apparent calculation blunder in losing his second round match 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 ...
.
O'Connor was selected as a 'challenger' for the 2020 Premier League night in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
, Ireland.
World Championship results
PDC
* 2018: First round (lost 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 ...
1–3)
* 2019: Third round (lost to
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 ...
1–4)
* 2020: Second round (lost 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 ...
2–3)
* 2021: Second round (lost to
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 ...
2–3)
* 2022: Third round (lost to Michael Smith 2–4)
* 2023: Second round (lost to
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 ...