Paul Lim facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Paul Lim
Personal information
Full name	Paul Lim Leong Hwa 林良華
Nickname	"The Singapore Slinger"
Born	(1954-01-25) 25 January 1954 (age 71) Singapore
Darts information
Playing darts since	1973
Darts	21g Target
Laterality	Right-handed
Walk-on music	"Walk of Life" by Dire Straits preceded opening from "Fanfare for the Common Man" by Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Organisation (see split in darts)
BDO	1980–1994
PDC	1994–
WDF	1980–1994, 2019–
Current world ranking	53 (6 October 2022)
BDO majors – best performances
World Ch'ship	Runner Up: 2024
World Masters	Last 16: 1981, 1985, 1987, 1988
PDC premier events – best performances
World Ch'ship	Last 16: 2001
World Matchplay	Quarter Final: 1995
World Grand Prix	Last 16: 1998, 1999
Desert Classic	Last 32: 2004
US Open/WSoD	Last 64: 2008, 2010
Other tournament wins
Australian Grand Masters 1983 Bud Brick Memorial 2022 Camellia Classic 1994 Colorado Open 2005 Darts America 1986, 1990 Golden Gate Classic 1987 Hong Kong Open 1989, 1992, 1998, 2000, 2001 Houston Open 1980, 1987, 1995 Japan Open 2022 Los Angeles Open 1987, 1993 Malaysian Open 1980 Oregon Open 1999 Philippines Open 2018 Singapore Open 1992, 1993 Virginia Beach Classic 1992, 1998 PDC Asian Tour 2018, 2019 (x2), 2023, 2025 (x2) PDC Asia Qualifier 2017 Bullshooter World Ch'ship 1996 Dartslive France 2017 Dartslive Hong Kong 2012 Dartslive Korea 2016 Dartslive Taipei 2016 THE WORLD 2011 Ulaanbaatar Open 2023, 2024
Other achievements
First player to achieve nine-dart finish at World Championships (1990)
Medal record Men's Darts Representing  Papua New Guinea WDF Asia-Pacific Cup Gold 1980 Newcastle Men's singles Gold 1980 Newcastle Team event Gold 1984 Honolulu Men's singles Gold 1986 Auckland Men's singles Representing  United States WDF Asia-Pacific Cup Gold 1988 Tokyo Team event Gold 1990 Singapore Mixed pairs Gold 1990 Singapore Team event Gold 1990 Singapore Men's overall Silver 1990 Singapore Men's singles Silver 1990 Singapore Men's pairs Representing  Singapore WDF World Cup Bronze 1987 Copenhagen Men's singles Bronze 1989 Toronto Men's pairs IDF World Ch'ship Silver 2013 Shanghai Men's singles Representing  Hong Kong WDF World Cup Silver 2019 Cluj Men's team
Updated on 19 November 2007.

Paul Lim Leong Hwa (born on January 25, 1954) is a professional darts player from Singapore. He is known by his nickname, "the Singapore Slinger". Lim made history by being the first player to achieve a perfect nine-dart finish during the Embassy World Darts Championship in 1990. He also reached the finals of the 2024 WDF Lakeside World Championship.

Early Life and Darts Beginnings

Paul Lim was born in Singapore. His father was a wealthy merchant. When he was 20, after finishing his national service, Lim moved to England. There, he studied at a culinary school. He started playing darts in the 1970s at a local pub in Chiswick.

Later, at age 26, he returned to Singapore to work as a hotel chef. In 1982, he moved to Papua New Guinea to continue his work as a chef.

Darts Career Highlights

While living in Papua New Guinea, Paul Lim started representing the country in international darts competitions. He won the 1980 World Darts Federation Pacific Cup singles title. In that tournament, he even achieved a ten-dart finish, which is a very impressive score.

Playing for the USA and Singapore

Lim became friends with Jerry Umberger, an American player he had beaten in the Pacific Cup. In 1985, Lim moved to San Bernardino, California, to play on the American darts circuit. He worked part-time as a chef and played darts on weekends.

Even though he first played for the United States, Lim later began playing for Singapore once it became a member of the World Darts Federation (WDF). By 1988, he was ranked as the number one darts player in the United States.

The Famous Nine-Dart Finish

Paul Lim first played in the World Championship in 1982. For several years, he didn't get past the second round. However, in 1990, he made history. On January 9, he achieved the first-ever nine-dart finish in a World Championship match against Jack McKenna. This amazing feat earned him a bonus prize of £52,000!

This was only the second time a nine-dart finish had been shown on TV. That year, Lim reached the quarter-finals of the event, which was his best performance in that tournament.

Moving to the PDC

In 1994, Lim decided to join the World Darts Council (now called the PDC). He played in the 1994 World Matchplay. While he didn't win many big titles in the PDC, he continued to compete in their World Championship from 1997 to 2002.

Recent World Championship Appearances

Lim returned to the PDC World Championship stage in 2013. He had qualified as the World Soft Tip Champion. He won his first match but then lost to the highly-ranked player Michael van Gerwen. He also played in the 2014 World Championship.

Team Singapore at the World Cup

Paul Lim started playing in the PDC World Cup of Darts in 2014, representing Singapore with his teammate Harith Lim. They often surprised stronger teams.

In the 2017 World Cup, Paul and Harith Lim caused a big upset. They defeated the top-ranked Scottish team, which included famous players Gary Anderson and Peter Wright. This win helped Singapore reach the quarter-finals for the first time!

In the 2018 PDC World Darts Championship, Lim beat Kai Fan Leung and Mark Webster. He then faced Gary Anderson again and lost, but he almost hit another nine-dart finish!

Later Career and WDF Success

Lim continued to play in the PDC World Championship in 2019 and 2020. In 2019, he also represented Hong Kong in the WDF World Cup.

In 2024, Paul Lim, as the oldest player in the tournament, made an incredible run to the final of the WDF World Darts Championship. He showed great skill and determination, though he eventually lost to Shane McGuirk.

Personal Life

Paul Lim is married to Janet, who is from England. They have two sons. When he lived in San Bernardino, Lim worked as a chef, specializing in French and Asian cooking. He is also a Catholic.

World Championship Results

Paul Lim has played in many World Championships for different darts organizations. Here are his results:

BDO World Championship

• 1982: First round
• 1983: Second round
• 1984: First round
• 1985: First round
• 1986: Second round
• 1987: Second round
• 1988: Second round
• 1989: Second round
• 1990: Quarter-finals (his best result, where he hit the nine-dart finish)
• 1991: First round
• 1992: Second round
• 1994: Second round

PDC World Championship

• 1997: Group-stage
• 1998: Group-stage
• 1999: First round
• 2000: First round
• 2001: Second round
• 2002: First round
• 2013: First round
• 2014: Preliminary round
• 2016: Preliminary round
• 2018: Second round
• 2019: First round
• 2020: First round
• 2021: Second round
• 2022: First round

WSDT World Seniors Darts Championship

• 2022: First round

WDF World Darts Championship

• 2024: Runner-up (reached the final)

Career Finals

Paul Lim has reached several major finals in his career, especially in WDF events.

WDF Major Finals: 5 (3 wins, 2 runner-up)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent in the final	Score
Winner	1.	1980	Asia-Pacific Cup Singles	Jerry Umberger	unknown
Winner	2.	1984	Asia-Pacific Cup Singles	Terry O'Dea	unknown
Winner	3.	1986	Asia-Pacific Cup Singles	Len Heard	unknown
Runner-up	1.	1990	Asia-Pacific Cup Singles	Albert Anstey	unknown
Runner-up	2.	2024	WDF World Darts Championship	Shane McGuirk	3–6 (s)