 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "World Masters" darts – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(December 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Founded | 1974 |
|---|---|
| First season | 1974 |
| Organising body | BDO (1974–2019) WDF (2022, 2024–) |
| Country | England (1974–2019) Netherlands (2022) Hungary (2024) |
| Most recent champion(s) |  Wesley Plaisier Beau Greaves(2024) |
| Tournament format | Sets |
TheWorld Masters is a darts tournament, initially organised by theBritish Darts Organisation from 1974 and later by theWorld Darts Federation. It is one of the longest-running and most prestigious of the BDO/WDF tournaments. The tournament was originally sponsored by Phonogram before changing its sponsor in 1975 to darts board manufacturer,Winmau. The World Masters was originally contested as the best of 5 legs (first to 3) before later transitioning to the set format.
It was previously the final leg of theBDO's Grand Slam title of televised majors, along with theBDO World Darts Championship,International Darts League andWorld Darts Trophy, until the latter two tournaments were axed in 2008. The champion is referred to as theWorld Master.
The tournament was unseeded for most of its history and all players entered the main draw in the first round. Seedings were introduced for the first time in 2007 at the behest of the BBC to ensure the top players were present for the televised stages of the event. Thus, the top eight ranked players received a bye to the last-16.[1]
After the collapse of the British Darts Organisation in September 2020,[2] theWorld Darts Federation announced plans to launch the WDF World Masters.[3] In December 2020, it was announced that the 2021 tournament will be held atDe Bonte Wever inAssen,Netherlands.[4] This was then pushed back to 2022 due to ongoing coronavirus restrictions.[5] The new WDF version of the event changed the format from setplay to legplay for the first time, with significantly shorter matches.[6] The event also moved to a biennial format.[7] In 2024 a new host nation was announced as Budapest, Hungary was the host for the 2024 WDF World Masters.[8] For 2025 theProfessional Darts Corporation will rebrand their existingMasters tournament as the Winmau World Masters.[9]
| Year | Champion | F. Av | Sc. (sets) | Runner-Up | F. Av | Prize Money | Venue | Sponsor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Ch. | R.-Up | ||||||||
| 1974 | Cliff Inglis | N/A | 3 – 2 |  Harry Heenan | N/A | £800 | £400 | £200 | West Centre Hotel, Fulham | Phonogram |
| 1975 |  Alan Evans | N/A | 3 – 1 | David Jones | N/A | £2,000 | £1,000 | £500 | ||
| 1976 | John Lowe | N/A | 3 – 0 | Phil Obbard | N/A | £2,000 | £1,000 | £500 | Winmau | |
| 1977 | Eric Bristow | 75.90 | 3 – 1 | Paul Reynolds | 74.37 | £3,000 | £2,000 | £500 | Wembley Conference Centre | |
| 1978 | Ronnie Davis | 79.23 | 3 – 2 | Tony Brown | 82.65 | £4,751 | £3,001 | £1,000 | ||
| 1979 | Eric Bristow | 81.93 | 2 – 0 |  Allan Hogg | 72.00 | £6,251 | £4,001 | £1,250 | ||
| 1980 | John Lowe | 84.69 | 2 – 0 | Rab Smith | 73.77 | £6,251 | £4,001 | £1,250 | ||
| 1981 | Eric Bristow | 92.04 | 2 – 1 | John Lowe | 95.10 | £7,800 | £5,000 | £1,500 | ||
| 1982 | Dave Whitcombe | 87.09 | 2 – 1 | Jocky Wilson | 80.40 | £10,950 | £7,500 | £1,750 | Rainbow Suite, Kensington | |
| 1983 | Eric Bristow | 87.90 | 2 – 1 | Mike Gregory | 87.90 | £10,950 | £7,500 | £1,750 | ||
| 1984 | Eric Bristow | 101.16 | 3 – 1 | Keith Deller | 86.55 | £13,100 | £7,500 | £3,000 | ||
| 1985 | Dave Whitcombe | 89.49 | 3 – 0 |  Ray Farrell | 83.49 | £15,000 | £8,000 | £3,000 | ||
| 1986 | Bob Anderson | N/A | 3 – 2 | Bob Sinnaeve | N/A | £15,000 | £8,000 | £3,000 | ||
| 1987 | Bob Anderson | 94.26 | 3 – 1 | John Lowe | 90.81 | £15,000 | £8,000 | £3,000 | ||
| 1988 | Bob Anderson | 87.51 | 3 – 2 | John Lowe | 85.11 | £15,000 | £8,000 | £3,000 | ||
| 1989 | Peter Evison | 92.67 | 3 – 2 | Eric Bristow | 92.67 | £9,600 | £4,000 | £2,000 | ||
| 1990 | Phil Taylor | 98.46 | 3 – 2 | Jocky Wilson | 91.85 | £15,000 | £8,000 | £3,000 | Ramada Inn. Lillie Road, West London | |
| 1991 | Rod Harrington | 89.88 | 3 – 2 | Phil Taylor | 92.94 | £14,000 | £7,000 | £3,000 | ||
| 1992 | Dennis Priestley | 102.27 | 3 – 2 | Mike Gregory | 100.14 | £14,000 | £7,000 | £3,000 | Earls Court,London | |
| 1993 | Steve Beaton | 87.57 | 3 – 1 | Les Wallace | 91.50 | £14,000 | £7,000 | £3,000 | ||
| 1994 | Richie Burnett | 93.57 | 3 – 2 | Steve Beaton | 90.27 | £14,000 | £7,000 | £3,000 | ||
| 1995 |  Erik Clarys | 94.17 | 3 – 0 | Richie Burnett | 90.96 | £13,100 | £7,000 | £2,500 | ||
| 1996 | Colin Monk | 92.70 | 3 – 2 | Richie Burnett | 91.71 | £13,100 | £7,000 | £2,500 | Paragon Hotel, Lillie Road, London | |
| 1997 |  Graham Hunt | 88.89 | 3 – 2 | Ronnie Baxter | 91.26 | £13,100 | £7,000 | £2,500 | ||
| 1998 | Les Wallace | 90.72 | 3 – 2 | Alan Warriner-Little | 86.04 | £14,100 | £8,000 | £2,500 | Lakeside Country Club,Frimley Green | |
| 1999 | Andy Fordham | 88.20 | 3 – 1 | Wayne Jones | 81.87 | £14,100 | £8,000 | £2,500 | ||
| 2000 | John Walton | 90.75 | 3 – 2 | Mervyn King | 86.82 | £14,100 | £8,000 | £2,500 | ||
| 2001 | Raymond van Barneveld | 95.64 | 4 – 2 |  Jarkko Komula | 95.16 | £14,100 | £8,000 | £2,500 | ||
| 2002 | Mark Dudbridge | 87.39 | 7 – 4 | Tony West | 82.50 | £16,800 | £10,000 | £3,000 | Bridlington Spa | |
| 2003 | Tony West | 93.60 | 7 – 6 | Raymond van Barneveld | 96.84 | £16,800 | £10,000 | £3,000 | ||
| 2004 | Mervyn King | 97.86 | 7 – 6 | Tony O'Shea | 98.19 | £21,800 | £15,000 | £3,000 | ||
| 2005 | Raymond van Barneveld | 94.71 | 7 – 3 |  Göran Klemme | 87.45 | £21,800 | £15,000 | £3,000 | ||
| 2006 | Michael van Gerwen | 94.50 | 7 – 5 | Martin Adams | 93.69 | £23,800 | £15,000 | £3,000 | Leisure World,Bridlington | |
| 2007 | Robert Thornton | 94.26 | 7 – 5 | Darryl Fitton | 95.28 | £50,000 | £25,000 | £10,000 | ||
| 2008 | Martin Adams | 95.55 | 7 – 6 | Scott Waites | 97.26 | £50,000 | £25,000 | £10,000 | Bridlington Spa | |
| 2009 | Martin Adams | 90.15 | 7 – 6 | Robbie Green | 86.07 | £53,000 | £25,000 | £10,000 | ||
| 2010 | Martin Adams | 94.29 | 7 – 3 | Stuart Kellett | 90.99 | £58,000 | £25,000 | £10,000 | Hull City Hall,Kingston upon Hull | |
| 2011 | Scott Waites | 100.62 | 7 – 2 | Dean Winstanley | 95.85 | £55,000 | £25,000 | £10,000 | Hull Arena, Kingston upon Hull | |
| 2012 | Stephen Bunting | 94.86 | 7 – 4 | Tony O'Shea | 84.81 | £60,000 | £25,000 | £10,000 | Hull City Hall,Kingston upon Hull | |
| 2013 | Stephen Bunting | 96.11 | 7 – 0 | James Wilson | 93.91 | £60,000 | £25,000 | £10,000 | Bonus Arena andHull City Hall,Kingston upon Hull | |
| 2014 | Martin Phillips | 89.67 | 7 – 3 | Jamie Hughes | 82.08 | £60,000 | £25,000 | £10,000 | ||
| 2015 | Glen Durrant | 93.22 | 7 – 3 |  Larry Butler | 92.53 | £60,000 | £25,000 | £10,000 | Hull City Hall,Kingston upon Hull | |
| 2016 | Glen Durrant | 92.46 | 6 – 3 | Mark McGeeney | 86.28 | £60,000 | £25,000 | £10,000 | Lakeside Country Club,Frimley Green | |
| 2017 |  Krzysztof Ratajski | 97.57 | 6 – 1 | Mark McGeeney | 90.21 | £60,000 | £25,000 | £10,000 | Bridlington Spa,Bridlington | |
| 2018 | Adam Smith-Neale | 96.86 | 6 – 4 | Glen Durrant | 99.68 | £60,000 | £25,000 | £10,000 | ||
| 2019 |  John O'Shea[11] | 88.89 | 6 – 4 | Scott Waites | 86.24 | £49,500 | £18,000 | £7,500 | Circus Tavern,Purfleet | One80, L-Style |
| 2022 | Wesley Plaisier | 96.27 | 7 – 2 (legs) | Barry Copeland | 95.93 | €35,000 | €10,000 | €5,000 | De Bonte Wever,Assen | Winmau |
| 2024 | Wesley Plaisier | 96.33 | 7 – 3 (legs) |  Kai Gotthardt | 90.63 | €35,000 | €10,000 | €5,000 |  Gerevich Aladár National Sports Hall,Budapest | |
| Year | Champion | F. Av | Sc. | Runner-Up | F. Av | Prize Money | Venue | Sponsor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Ch. | R.-Up | ||||||||
| 1982 | Bob Aldous | N/A | 3–1 | Gary Robson | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Wembley Conference Centre | Elkadart |
| 1983 | Bob Aldous | N/A | 3–0 |  Simon Adams | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1984 | Gary Spedding | N/A | 3–1 | Paul Holloway | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1985 | Richard Herbert | N/A | 3–0 | Gerald Porter | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1986 |  Harith Lim | N/A | 3–0 | Rowan Barry | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Rainbow Suite, Kensington | Winmau |
| 1987 | Sean Bell | N/A | 3–1 | Mark Day | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1988 | Sean Dowling | N/A | 3–2 | Paul Linwood | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1989 | Dennis Beisser | N/A | 3–1 | Peter van Tilburg | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1990 | Craig Clancy | N/A | 3–2 | Lee Murphy | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Ramada Inn. Lillie Road, West London | |
| 1991 | Michael Barnard | N/A | 3–1 | Leeanne Maddock | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1992 | Leeanne Maddock | N/A | 3–1 | Christian Lechtken | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Earls Court,London | |
| 1993 | Jamie Caven | N/A | 3–1 | Lee Palfreyman | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1994 | Steven de Brucker | N/A | 3–0 | Lee Palfreyman | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1995 | Martin Whatmough | 75.15 | 3–0 |  Nick Hjortoft | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1996 | Carsten Hoffmann | N/A | 3–2 | Steve Smith | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Paragon Hotel, Lillie Road, London | |
| 1997 | Aaron Turner | N/A | 3–1 | Leon Womack | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1998 | Paul Higgins | N/A | 3–2 | Keith Rooney | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Lakeside Country Club,Frimley Green | |
Most men's tournament wins 5 -Eric Bristow.
Bob Anderson andMartin Adams have both won 3 times (also both achieving 'hat tricks' by winning in three consecutive years), whileDave Whitcombe,John Lowe,Raymond van Barneveld,Stephen Bunting,Glen Durrant andWesley Plaisier have all won the Masters twice.
Youngest championMichael van Gerwen (2006) aged 17 years, 174 days, who eclipsed the record ofEric Bristow
Double Champion Leeanne Maddock (1992) aged 17 years won both the youth title and the women's title.
Joint World Championship & Masters Champions Only seven players have ever won the World Masters and the World Championship in the same season. Eric Bristow achieved the feat three times (1979 Masters 1980 World, 1983–84 and 1984–85). Bob Anderson (1987–88), Richie Burnett (1994–95), John Walton (2000–01), Martin Adams (2009–10 and 2010–11), Stephen Bunting (2013–14) and Glen Durrant (2016–17) were the others. There have been two other instances of players holding both championships at the same time (Phil Taylor 1990 and Raymond van Barneveld 2005) - but these were not during the same season which is considered to end with the World Championship.
Not Dropping A Set Stephen Bunting's 2013 win was achieved without dropping a set.
There are 15 players who have won the Masters and the BDO World Championship during their careers: John Lowe, Eric Bristow, Bob Anderson, Phil Taylor, Dennis Priestley, Richie Burnett, Steve Beaton, Raymond van Barneveld, Les Wallace, John Walton, Andy Fordham, Martin Adams, Scott Waites, Stephen Bunting, and Glen Durrant. Additionally, Michael van Gerwen won the Masters in 2006 and has since won the PDC World Championship three times, but not the BDO World Championship.
The 2011 tournament was also shown in the United States for the first time withESPN3 broadcasting it.[16]
