Having been an established fixture in the darts calendar for well over two decades, the annual UK Open is a popular tournament amongst players and fans alike. Referred to as the ‘FA Cup of Darts’ by many, it sees amateurs and professionals face one another in a direct knockout competition. As each match-up is determined by an unseeded draw, there is always a chance of David meeting Goliath at the oche. Consequently, the tournament has produced some notable giant killings over the years – just like its famous footballing cousin.
Although the 2025 Ladbrokes UK Darts Open officially commences on Friday, February 28th, 32 amateur participants have already successfully navigated various qualifying events. This small group of qualifiers will be joined by 128 professional players at the Minehead Resort, as the Butlin’s venue hosts the third major PDC tournament of the year for the eleventh time since 2014.
The final takes place on Sunday, March 3rd after an intensive schedule of seven knockout rounds, with the remaining two competitors battling it out for the title in an extended best-of-21-leg contest.
As soon as the winner is crowned, attention will turn to July's eagerly anticipated World Matchplay event. Until then, darts fans will be hoping the underdogs can cause one or two upsets in Somerset this Spring.
Find full UK Open summary on Flashscore.
Overview
Start Date: Friday, February 28th
Date of Final: Sunday, March 3rd
Location: Butlin’s Minehead Resort, Somerset
Last Winner: Dimitri Van den Bergh (Belgium)
Broadcaster: ITV3 and ITV4 (also available on ITV’s streaming platform ITVX)
Prize Money: £600,000
Odds: Luke Littler (4/1 – Favourite), Luke Humphries (7/1), Michael van Gerwen (10/1), Gerwyn Price (14/1) All odds provided by tournament sponsors Ladbrokes.
Who to keep an eye on at the 2025 UK Open
Despite the banana skins that potentially lie in wait, the bookmakers firmly believe that one of the sport’s big-name stars will claim the 2025 UK Darts Open title. Such is the bandwidth in quality between the professional and amateur circuits, it’s difficult to disagree with this notion. However, with a handful of elite candidates in contention, it’s perhaps even more challenging to accurately predict who will emerge triumphant at the Minehead Resort.
We provide a shortlist of the favourites and potential dark horses, citing recent form, previous performances at major tournaments, and head-to-head duels with possible upcoming opponents.
Having burst onto the scene by beating the legendary Raymond van Barneveld in the fourth round of the 2024 World Championships, Luke Littler returned to the Alexandra Palace to scoop darts’ ultimate prize the following year. Seven months earlier, the teenage sensation won the 2024 Premier League of Darts, having defeated familiar foe Luke Humphries in the final. The Grand Slam of Darts and World Series titles followed, as ‘The Nuke’ continued to enhance his rapidly growing reputation.
Few would bet against him adding a UK Darts Open crown to his already bustling trophy cabinet, as the Warrington-born superstar looks to cement his status as one of the sport’s best-ever players – despite only celebrating his eighteenth birthday at the end of January.
To win: 9/2 (Betfred)
Luke Humphries
After losing his World Championship title at the beginning of the year, Luke Humphries has responded in a typically resolute fashion. The experienced archer defeated Welshman Jonny Clayton in the final of the World Masters in early February, delivering an impressive 100.42 three-dart average.
Despite his considerable trophy haul, ‘Cool Hand Luke’ has surprisingly never won the UK Darts Open. Having finished as a runner-up in both 2021 and 2024 editions of the tournament, the two-time Players’ Championship Finals winner will be desperate to put past disappointments to bed.
To win: 7/1 (Ladbrokes)
Dimitri Van den Bergh
Although considered to only have a slender chance of preserving his UK Open title, rivals would be foolish to write off the talented Dimitri Van den Bergh. Following his heroics in last year’s competition, the Belgian reached the last eight of the World Matchplay after recording a nine-dart finish in a first-round meeting with Martin Schindler.
Later in 2024, the ‘Dreammaker’ would hit the joint-highest checkout (170) of the World Grand Prix before being eliminated by compatriot and eventual winner Mike De Decker at the semi-final stage. Although sub-par performances at the Grand Slam of Darts and Players’ Championship Finals would put somewhat of a dampener on an otherwise successful year, Van den Bergh will expect to once again make a positive impact at the Minehead Resort.
To win: 50/1 (William Hill)
Gerwyn Price
Since winning the second of his World Series of Darts Finals titles in September 2022, Gerwyn Price has failed to re-capture the form that saw him secure countless major honours in the preceding few years. Although still commanding a top-ten position in the world rankings, the former professional Rugby player has gradually transitioned from a consistent pre-tournament favourite to a member of the chasing pack.
Nevertheless, the Welshman has shown glimpses of his former self in recent weeks. Having lost to 2023 World Masters winner Chris Dobey at the Alexandra Palace on New Year's Day, Price got his revenge at the Players Championship 2 event. Before defeating Dobey by a single leg in a nerve-shredding final in Wigan, Price knocked out reigning World Champions Luke Littler at the quarter-final stage. He then triumphed in all three of his matches on the third night of the new Premier League season. Has ‘the Iceman’ now officially returned from his spell in the cold?
To win: 14/1 (Coral)
Raymond van Barneveld
At the height of his powers, Raymond van Barneveld would have been confident of reaching the latter stages of any tournament he entered. The dynamic Dutchman is a four-time WDF World champion and has also claimed the Premier League Darts, Grand Slam of Darts, and Dessert Classic titles throughout his immensely decorated career. However, a decade has now passed since he last won a major competition.
The veteran archer endured a torrid 2024, losing to the lowly-ranked Nick Kenny at the PDC World Championships after failing to progress beyond the fourth round of any prior televised event. Nevertheless, van Barneveld produced some encouraging performances at the recent Players Championship 4 series, advancing to the last sixteen stage before suffering a narrow defeat to Irishman William O’Connor.
Affectionately nicknamed ‘Barney’ by his legion of loyal fans, the 57-year-old will undoubtedly be backed by a vociferous support at the Minehead Resort. Despite this, the bookies have understandably slapped long odds on the former back-to-back UK Open champion securing a third triumph in this year’s edition of the pro-am tournament. However, it’s difficult to completely dismiss the chances of one of the sport’s cult heroes….
To win: 150/1 (Betfred)
Match Schedule and Results
An intense programme of matches spreads out over three action-packed days, as 160 players are whittled down to two ahead of Sunday’s final. The opening four rounds unfold on the first day of the tournament, followed by rounds five and six on Saturday. The last remaining eight participants will battle for glory on the third and final day, as the 2025 UK Open champion is determined.
Pathways for the opening three rounds have already been arranged, enabling the initial 64 entrants to plot their potential route to the fourth round. We’ve provided the full list of confirmed first-round ties, and the potential second and third-round clashes that will follow (please note that second and third-round entrants are determined by PDC Order of Merit rankings – more on this later):
Find UK Open fixtures on Flashscore.
Second Round
William Borland 6-2 Brett Claydon
Darren Beveridge 6-4 James Hurrell
Tom Sykes 6-1 Thibault Tricole
Adam Lipscombe 6-4 Jelle Klaasen
Radek Szaganski 6-5 Benjamin Reus
Haupai Puha 6-2 Aden Kirk
Christian Kist 6-1 Chris Landman
George Killington 6-5 Owen Bates
Nathan Girvan 6-3 Alexander Merkx
Mario Vandenbogaerde 6-5 Darius Labanauskas
Marvin van Velzen 6-5 Joshua Richardson
Dom Taylor 6-5 Steve Lennon
Martijn Dragt 6-4 Graham Hall
Justin Hood 6-3 Shaun Fox
Berry van Peer 6-3 Danny van Trijp
Lukas Wenig 6-5 Paul Rowley
Dominik Gruellich 6-2 Andreas Harrysson
Graham Usher 6-2 Rusty-Jake Rodriguez
Cam Crabtree 6-1 Andy Baetens`
Tommy Lishman 6-5 Michele Turetta
Adam Hunt 6-4 Maik Kuivenhoven
Jurjen van der Velde 6-2 Bradley Brooks
Nathan Rafferty 6-4 Jim Long
Niko Springer 6-5 Patrick Geeraets
Matthew Dennant 6-3 Andy Boulton
Thomas Lovely 6-4 Stefaan Henderyck
Beau Greaves 6-1 Rhys Griffin
Darryl Pilgrim 6-2 Jitse van der Wal
Sebastian Bialecki 6-4 Robert Grundy
Jimmy van Schie 6-5 Simon Stevenson
Greg Ritchie 6-1 Tommy Morris
Third Round
Scott Williams 6-4 Wessel Nijman
Ricky Evans 6-5 Gabriel Clemens
Raymond van Barneveld 6-4 Graham Usher
Beau Greaves 6-2 Mickey Mansell
Jermaine Wattimena 6-3 Florian Hempel
Madars Razma 6-1 Ryan Meikle
Kim Huybrechts 6-4 Lukas Wenig
Justin Hood 6-3 Darren Beveridge
Alan Soutar 6-0 Callan Rydz
William O'Connor 6-4 Tom Sykes
Jose de Sousa 6-4 Jimmy van Schie
Adam Lipscombe 6-4 Ian White
Rob Owen 6-5 Niels Zonneveld
Jurjen van der Velde 6-3 Keane Barry
Kevin Doets 6-2 Greg Ritchie
Haupai Puha 6-4 Christian Kist
Martin Lukeman 6-5 Jim Williams
Cameron Menzies 6-5 Dom Taylo
Thomas Lovely 6-3 Matthew Dennant
Danny Lauby 6-3 Darryl Pilgrim
Luke Woodhouse 6-3 Sebastian Bialecki
Matt Campbell 6-5 Nathan Girvan
Radek Szaganski 6-4 Cam Crabtree
Nick Kenny 6-3 Dominik Gruellich
William Borland 6-5 Martijn Dragt
Connor Scutt 6-3 Berry van Peer
Mensur Suljovic 6-1 Nathan Rafferty
Dylan Slevin 6-5 Niko Springer
Stephen Burton 6-3 Tommy Lishman
Mario Vandenbogaerde 6-4 Richard Veenstra
George Killington 6-4 Marvin van Velzen
Fourth Round
Jonny Clayton 10-3 Gary Anderson
Luke Littler 10-9 Peter Wright
Luke Humphries 10-7 Beau Greaves
Michael van Gerwen 10-8 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Dave Chisnall 10-9 Ricky Evans
Dimitri Van den Bergh 10-6 Raymond van Barneveld
Chris Dobey 10-6 Stephen Bunting
Connor Scutt 10-9 Gerwyn Price
Stephen Burton 10-6 Radek Szaganski
Ryan Searle 10-7 Adam Hunt
Martin Schindler 10-7 Mario Vandenbogaerde
Michael Smith 10-6 Kevin Doets
Danny Noppert 10-2 Daryl Gurney
William O'Connor 10-7 Scott Williams
Alan Soutar 10-7 Matt Campbell
Cameron Menzies 10-4 Mike De Decker
Krzysztof Ratajski 10-4 Joe Cullen
Nathan Aspinall 10-5 Martin Lukeman
Dylan Slevin 10-7 Haupai Puha
James Wade 10-3 William Borland
Mensur Suljovic 10-6 Luke Woodhouse
Ross Smith 10-7 Jose de Sousa
Jurjen van der Velde 10-6 Adam Lipscombe
Josh Rock 10-5 Justin Hood
Danny Lauby 10-9 Brendan Dolan
Madars Razma 10-9 Ricardo Pietreczko
Damon Heta 10-2 Kim Huybrechts
Rob Cross 10-4 Thomas Lovely
Jermaine Wattimena 10-6 Ritchie Edhouse
Gian van Veen 10-4 Nick Kenny
Ryan Joyce 10-8 Andrew Gilding
Rob Owen 10-7 George Killington
Fifth Round
Dimitri Van den Bergh 10-9 Chris Dobey
Luke Littler 10-4 Jermaine Wattimena
Luke Humphries 10-0 Ryan Searle
Rob Owen 10-8 Michael van Gerwen
Josh Rock 10-9 Ross Smith
Jonny Clayton 10-7 Alan Soutar
Nathan Aspinall 10-2 Jurjen van der Velde
Rob Cross 10-9 Danny Noppert
Krzysztof Ratajski 10-8 Dave Chisnall
William O'Connor 10-3 Mensur Suljovic
Michael Smith 10-7 Madars Razma
Gian van Veen 10-7 Stephen Burton
Martin Schindler 10-9 Dylan Slevin
Ryan Joyce 10-3 Danny Lauby
James Wade 10-9 Cameron Menzies
Damon Heta 10-7 Connor Scutt
Sixth Round
Michael Smith 10-3 Dimitri Van den Bergh
Luke Littler 10-8 Krzysztof Ratajski
Luke Humphries 10-2 Ryan Joyce
Josh Rock 10-6 Rob Cross
Martin Schindler 10-4 Jonny Clayton
James Wade 10-8 Rob Owen
Gian van Veen 10-9 Damon Heta
Nathan Aspinall 10-8 William O'Connor
Quarter-finals
Luke Littler 10-4 Gian van Veen
Josh Rock 10-7 Nathan Aspinall
Jonny Clayton 10-8 Michael Smith
James Wade 10-9 Luke Humphries
Semi-finals
Jonny Clayton 6-11 Luke Littler
Josh Rock 2-11 James Wade
Final
Luke Littler 11-2 James Wade
Prize Money
The total prize pot for the 2025 UK Darts Open is £600k, with 128 players receiving various-sized cuts of this bounty. As has been the case since 2023, the overall winner will receive £110k, with £50k being awarded to the tournament runner-up. The four semi-finalists take home £30k apiece.
The value of financial rewards on offer has steadily increased over the years, with the current pot almost five times the size of the competition’s maiden prize fund. Darts legend Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor received £30k for winning the inaugural UK Open in 2003, while second-placed Shayne Burgess earned a sum of £15k – the same amount that will be handed to eliminated quarter-finalists.
Full list of 2025 Ladbrokes UK Open prize money allocations:
Winner: £110,000
Runner-up: £50,000
Semi-finalists: £30,000
Quarter-finalists: £15,000
Last 16 (sixth round): £10,000
Last 32 (fifth round): £5,000
Last 64 (fourth round): £2,500
Last 96 (third round): £1,500
Last 128 (second round): £1,000
Tournament Format
A direct knockout competition, the UK Open consists of eight single-match rounds. Although participants range from amateur newcomers to seasoned professionals, the competition uses an unseeded draw to determine match opponents. As a result, there is a distinct possibility of two favourites clashing well ahead of the tournament’s latter stages.
However, only a fraction of the competition’s 160 participants are involved from the start. Alongside the 32 players who secured their place in the tournament via one of the PDC’s multiple qualifying events, tour card holders assuming the 97th to 128th positions in the Order of Merit rankings will compete in the opening round. From then onwards, the next 32 highest-ranked tour card holders will join the competition with every passing round until all of the PDC’s top 128 players are integrated. This means the strongest 32 players on the circuit – otherwise referred to as the ‘big boys' – enter at the fourth-round stage.
Eight competitors remain at the conclusion of the first five round, before the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final take place on the last day of the tournament. The number of potential legs contested in each match increases from 11 in the first three rounds to 19 in the fourth round, before rising to 21 at the semi-final stage. The competition culminates in a best-of-21-leg final on Sunday 3rd March.
We’ve provided a breakdown of each round below:
First Round
Participants:
The 16 amateur qualifiers
Four of these qualifiers advanced to the competition after winning one of the ‘PDC in the Community’ events hosted in Pencoed, Newport, Alfreton, and Plymouth. All other 12 qualifiers progressed via four standalone PDC qualifying events in Milton Keynes and Wigan. Eight of these competitors qualified by virtue of winning one of the heats in Milton Keynes or Wigan, while the remaining qualifiers occupied the top four places of the Amateur Qualifiers Points Table, a league used to rank player performances throughout the four qualifying events. These are referred to as ‘Order of Merit’ qualifiers.
The 16 amateur qualifiers are as follows:
Winners of PDC events in Milton Keynes: Shaun Fox (England), Graham Usher (England), Tom Sykes (England), Graham Hall (England)
Winners of PDC events in Wigan: Derek Coulson (Wales), Tommy Morris (England), Tommy Lishman (England), Paul Rowley (England)
Order of Merit Qualifiers (Milton Keynes and Wigan): Scott Baker (England), Danny van Trijp (Netherlands), Jamie Kelling (England), Christopher Wickenden (England)
Winner of Pencoed ‘PDC in the Community’ event: Mike Gillet (Wales)
Winner of Newport ‘PDC in the Community’ event: Chris Hartrey (England)
Winner of Alfreton ‘PDC in the Community’ event: Marc Dewsbury (England)
Winner of Plymouth ‘PDC in the Community’ event: Simon Stevenson (England)
The eight highest-ranked 2024 Development Tour Order of Merit players (without a PDC Tour card)
These players are as follows:
Danny Jansen (Netherlands), Beau Greaves (England), Jurjen van der Velde (Netherlands), Henry Coates (England), Owen Roelofs (Netherlands), Charlie Manby (England), Daniel Perry (England), Nathan Girvan (Scotland)
The eight highest-ranked 2024 Challenge Tour Order of Merit players (without a PDC Tour card)
These players are as follows:
Alexander Merkx (Netherlands), Andreas Harrysson (Sweden), Jimmy van Schie (Netherlands), John Henderson (Scotland), Stefan Bellmont (Switzerland), Aden Kirk (England), Lee Cocks (England), Darius Labanauskas (Lithuania)
PDC Tour Card Holders ranked 97th to 128th: Darryl Pilgrim (England), Karel Sedláček (Czechia), Cam Crabtree (England), Jules van Dongen (USA), Andy Boulton (Scotland), Tavis Dudeney (England), Thomas Lovely (England), Maik Kuivenhoven (Netherlands), Cor Dekker (Norway), Wesley Plaisier (Netherlands), Niko Springer (Germany), Rusty-Jake Rodriguez (Austria), Oskar Lukasiak (Sweden), Tom Bissell (England), Jim Long (Canada), Adam Paxton (England), Christian Kist (Netherlands), Stefaan Henderyck (Belgium), Sebastian Białecki (Poland), Adam Lipscombe (England), Marvin van Velzen (Netherlands), Maximilian Czerwinski (Germany), Tytus Kanik (Poland), Max Hopp (Germany), Kai Gotthardt (Germany), Leon Weber (Germany), Pero Ljubić (Croatia), Adam Warner (England), Dennie Olde Kalter (Netherlands), Dominik Gruellich (Germany), Greg Ritchie (Scotland), Viktor Tingström (Sweden)
Match length: Best of 11 legs
Second Round
Participants:
The 32 first-round winners
PDC Tour Card Holders ranked 65th to 96th: Thibault Tricole (France), James Hurrell (England), Dom Taylor (England), Chris Landman (Netherlands), Mario Vandenbogaerde (Belgium), Andy Baetens (Belgium), Rhys Griffin (Wales), Berry van Peer (Netherlands), Radek Szagański (Poland), Nathan Rafferty (Northern Ireland), Steve Lennon (Republic of Ireland), Jelle Klaasen (Netherlands), Jitse van der Wal (Netherlands), Lukas Wenig (Germany), Patrick Geeraets (Netherlands), Darren Beveridge (Scotland), Matthew Dennant (England), Owen Bates (England), Danny Lauby Jr. (USA), William Borland (Scotland), Benjamin Drue Reus (Denmark), Adam Hunt (England), George Killington (England), Robert Grundy (England), Brett Claydon (England), Haupai Puha (New Zealand), Martijn Dragt (Netherlands), Joshua Richardson (England), Michele Turetta (Italy), Tim Wolters (Germany), Bradley Brooks (England), Justin Hood (England)
Match length: Best of 11 legs
Third Round
Participants:
The 32 second-round winners
PDC Tour Card Holders ranked 33rd to 64th: Luke Woodhouse (England), Raymond van Barneveld (Netherlands), Jermaine Wattimena (Netherlands), Scott Williams (England), Gabriel Clemens (Germany), Martin Lukeman (England), Cameron Menzies (Scotland), Callan Rydz (England), Kevin Doets (Netherlands), Mickey Mansell (Northern Ireland), Ricky Evans (England), Madars Razma (Latvia), José de Sousa (Portugal), Kim Huybrechts (Belgium), Niels Zonneveld (Netherlands), Richard Veenstra (Netherlands), William O'Connor (Republic of Ireland), Keane Barry (Republic of Ireland), Ian White (England), Wessel Nijman (Netherlands), Florian Hempel (Germany), Jim Williams (Wales), Matt Campbell (Canada), Alan Soutar (Scotland), Nick Kenny (Wales), Ryan Meikle (England), Robert Owen (Wales), Mensur Suljović (Austria), Connor Scutt (England), Dylan Slevin (Republic of Ireland), Stephen Burton (England), Jeffrey de Graaf (Sweden)
Match length: Best of 11 legs
Fourth Round
Participants:
The 32 third-round winners
PDC Tour Card Holders ranked 1st to 32nd: Luke Humphries (England), Luke Littler (England), Michael van Gerwen (Netherlands), Rob Cross (England), Stephen Bunting (England), Jonny Clayton (Wales), Dave Chisnall (England), Chris Dobey (England), Gerwyn Price (Wales), Damon Heta (Australia), Nathan Aspinall (England), Peter Wright (Scotland), Danny Noppert (Netherlands), James Wade (England), Gary Anderson (Scotland), Dimitri Van den Bergh (Belgium), Josh Rock (Northern Ireland), Ryan Searle (England), Ross Smith (England), Michael Smith (England), Andrew Gilding (England), Martin Schindler (Germany), Joe Cullen (England), Mike De Decker (Belgium), Daryl Gurney (Northern Ireland), Dirk van Duijvenbode (Netherlands), Gian van Veen (Netherlands), Ritchie Edhouse (England), Ryan Joyce (England), Ricardo Pietreczko (Germany), Krzysztof Ratajski (Poland), Brendan Dolan (Northern Ireland)
Match length: Best of 19 legs
Fifth Round to Quarter-Finals
Participants: Winners of each previous round. No new entrants.
Match length: Best of 19 legs
Semi-Finals and Final
Participants: Winners of quarter-finals
Match length: Best of 21 legs
Tournament history, record-breakers, and past champions
Between 2003 and 2013, the UK Darts Open was staged annually in June at Bolton Wanderers’ Reebok Stadium. Throughout the entirety of that early period, the competition almost exclusively produced English and Dutch champions. Ayrshire-born Robert Thornton – who had never previously won a major PDC tournament before his heroics in 2012 – would break the hegemony of these two nations. Nevertheless, Canadian John Part (2004), Welshman Barrie Bates (2006), American archer Gary Mawson (2008) and Scotsman Gary Anderson (2010) did all manage to reach the final.
The all-conquering Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor secured victory in two of the first three UK Open finals, before claiming a further three titles in the subsequent seven years. After Power registered his fifth and final triumph in 2013, the competition switched locations and was brought forward in the darts calendar. Since then, eleven of the last twelve editions of the UK Open have been hosted at the Butlin’s Minehead Resort in Somerset over the first weekend in March. Due to the implementation of social restrictions pre-empted by the coronavirus pandemic, Milton Keynes’ Marshall Arena staged the event in 2021.
Two players – Adrian ‘Jackpot’ Lewis and three-time champion James Wade – have made 20 or more UK Open appearances. Power is the competition’s most successful participant with five titles, having reached six finals over a glittering ten-year spell. A further three archers have won the tournament on more than one occasion, with Dutch icon Michael van Gerwen (3), the aforementioned John Wade (3), and popular figure Raymond van Barneveld (2) enjoying multiple crowns.
Prior to 2024, only representatives from three countries – England, the Netherlands, and Scotland – had experienced becoming a UK Open champion. That all changed last year when Belgium’s Dimitri Van den Bergh overcame Luke Humphries in a thrilling final.
The event has witnessed a total of fifteen nine-dart finishes, with eleven of these captured live on television. However, no player has delivered a perfect leg since the sixth round of the 2022 UK Open, when James Wade and Michael Smith hit nine-dart finishes to help secure victories over Boris Krčmar and Mensur Suljović respectively.
Phil Taylor
Given his extraordinary level of dominance throughout the competition's formative years, Phil Taylor’s personal list of UK Open achievements warrants its own section. Aside from his five titles and six appearances as a finalist, the Stoke-born sharpshooter is the proud holder of an extensive set of tournament records. A selection of his best efforts are recorded below:
Highest 3-dart average in a UK Open tournament (2015 – 107.82)
Phil Taylor also claims the next three highest 3-dart tournament averages:
2009 – 107.38
2013 – 106.81
2010 – 106.43
Michael van Gerwen is the only other player to break the 105 threshold, delivering a 3-dart average of 105.57 en route to winning the 2015 championship.
Highest 3-dart average in a UK Open match (vs. Kevin Painter, 2010 – 118.66)
Phil Taylor also claims the next two highest 3-dart match averages (and six of the top seven):
115.62 – 2009 quarter-final vs. Mark Lawrence
115.51 – 2009 last 32 contest vs. Ken Mather
Joint biggest margin of victory in a UK Open final (10 legs)
Phil Taylor 18 – 8 Shayne Burgess (2003)
Adrian Lewis defeated Terry Jenkins by the same margin in the 2014 final, winning 11-1.
Most 9-dart finishes (four)
2004 – 4th round vs. Matt Chapman (method – 3 x T20, 3 x T20, T20, T19, D12)
2005 – semi-final vs. Roland Scholten (method - 3 x T20, 3 x T20, T20, T19, D12)
2007 – 5th round vs. Wes Newton (method - 3 x T20, 3 x T20, T20, T19, D12)
2008 – 4th round vs. Jamie Harvey (method – 3 x T20, 2 x T20, T19, 2 x T20, D12)
N.B. Please note that Phil Taylor delivered each of the UK Open’s first four nine-dart finishes.
The Final
The final of the 2025 UK Open takes place on Sunday 3rd March, as the three-day event comes to its conclusion. Although it’s impossible to predict who will stand at the oche in the climactic fixture of the weekend, history tells us that at least one finalist will be competing on home soil. Since the tournament’s inception in 2003, there have been a staggering eight all-English finals.
Furthermore, there has been an English representative in all but eight of the UK Open’s 22 previous finals. Four of these finals came in a unique three-year spell, with Scotland’s Peter Wright featuring in 2015 and 2016 finals against Michael van Gerwen (Netherlands) and the 2017 showpiece against Gerwyn Price (Wales), while compatriot Gary Anderson and Australian Corey Cadby went toe-to-toe for the 2018 title. Andrew Gilding was the last native player to emerge victorious at the Minehead Resort, overcoming Michael van Gerwen in the 2023 final.
With the bookies expecting Warrington-born Luke Littler and Cheshire’s Luke Humphries to be the last two men standing, it’s fair to say this particular trend may well continue…
UK Open past 5 winners:
2024 – Dimitri Van den Bergh (Belgium)
2023 – Andrew Gilding (England)
2022 – Danny Noppert (Netherlands)
2021 – James Wade (England)
2020 – Michael van Gerwen (Netherlands)