Simon Whitlock facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Simon Whitlock
Whitlock in 2017
Personal information
Nickname	"The Wizard"
Born	(1969-03-03) 3 March 1969 (age 56) Cessnock, New South Wales, Australia
Home town	Hornsby, Australia and Waterlooville, England
Darts information
Playing darts since	1984
Darts	23g Winmau Signature
Laterality	Right-handed
Walk-on music	"Down Under" by Men at Work
Organisation (see split in darts)
BDO	2004–2009
PDC	2001–2004, 2009– (Tour Card: 2011–2024)
BDO majors – best performances
World Ch'ship	Runner Up: 2008
World Masters	Quarter Final: 2007
World Darts Trophy	Last 16: 2005, 2006, 2007
Int. Darts League	Semi Final: 2005, 2006
PDC premier events – best performances
World Ch'ship	Runner Up: 2010
World Matchplay	Semi Final: 2010, 2014
World Grand Prix	Runner Up: 2017
Grand Slam	Semi Final: 2020
Premier League	Runner Up: 2012
Ch'ship League	Runner Up: 2012
Desert Classic	Last 32: 2009
European Ch'ship	Winner (1): 2012
UK Open	Quarter Final: 2017, 2021
Players Ch'ship Finals	Semi Final: 2012
Masters	Quarter Final: 2013, 2022
Champions League	Group Stage: 2018
World Series Finals	Quarter Final: 2016, 2018
Other tournament wins
PDC World Cup of Darts – (Team event) 2022 Australian Grand Masters 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Australian Masters 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007 Basingstoke Open 2022 Gleneagle Irish Masters 2010 Japan Open 2006 Jarvis Cup 2024 New Zealand Masters 2005 Pacific Masters 2004, 2006, 2008 DPA Pro Tour DPA Pro Tour (Australian Singles) 2010 DPA Pro Tour (Castle Hill) 2006 DPA Pro Tour (Coota) 2004 DPA Pro Tour (Criterion Hotel Open) 2009 DPA Pro Tour (Goulburn) 2007, 2009 (x2) DPA Pro Tour (Illawarra Yacht Club Classic) 2009 (x2) DPA Pro Tour (Jannali) 2006 DPA Pro Tour (Mildura) 2009 DPA Pro Tour (Mittagong) 2007, 2009 DPA Pro Tour (Oceanic Masters) 2002, 2010 DPA Pro Tour (Oak Flats) 2006 DPA Pro Tour (Oak Flats Soundwaves Open) 2007 DPA Pro Tour (Queensland Open) 2009 DPA Pro Tour (Pine Rivers Open) 2007 DPA Pro Tour (Revesby) 2010 DPA Pro Tour (Russell Stewart Classic) 2006, 2007 (x2), 2009 DPA Pro Tour (Southern Illawarra Open) 2009 DPA Pro Tour (Unanderra) 2010 DPA Pro Tour (Viva Las Vegas) 2009 DPA Pro Tour (Wagga Classic) 2007 (x2) DPA Pro Tour (Wattle Time) 2004 European Tour Events Dutch Darts Masters 2012 Players Championships Players Championship (Bad Nauheim) 2010 Players Championship (Barnsley) 2012, 2016, 2017 Players Championship (Bobby Bourn Memorial) 2010 Players Championship (Coventry) 2014 Players Championship (Crawley) 2012 Players Championship (Derby) 2010 Players Championship (Dublin) 2010, 2016 Players Championship (Salzburg) 2010 Players Championship (Wigan) 2010 UK Open Regionals/Qualifiers UK Open Qualifier 2013, 2017 (x2)

Simon Whitlock (born on March 3, 1969) is an Australian professional darts player. He is known by his nickname, "The Wizard". Simon has played in major darts events around the world. He won the European Championship in 2012. He also helped Australia win the World Cup of Darts in 2022 with his teammate Damon Heta. Simon has reached the finals of the World Championship twice. He was the runner-up at the BDO World Darts Championship in 2008 and the PDC World Darts Championship in 2010.

Simon's Early Darts Career

Whitlock in 2006

In 2003, Simon Whitlock made it to the top 16 players at the World Championship. He won against Paul Williams and Peter Manley. However, he lost his next game to Richie Burnett by a score of 5–3.

In 2005, Simon reached the semi-finals of the BDO World Championship. He lost to Martin Adams with a score of 5–0. He also made it to the semi-finals of the International Darts League in both 2005 and 2006. He was defeated by Mervyn King and Raymond van Barneveld in those games.

Simon won the first two events in the Dartplayers Australia (DPA) series of tournaments. He also played in the BDO World Championship in 2008. He won against Edwin Max, Fabian Roosenbrand, Ted Hankey, and Brian Woods. This led him to the final game, where he lost to Mark Webster 7–5.

In the 2009 BDO World Darts Championship, Simon was the twelfth best player. He reached the second round after beating Mark Barilli. But he then lost to Darryl Fitton.

Simon Joins the PDC Again

Simon Whitlock returned to playing in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) on March 19, 2009. He started playing in the AGP circuit and won eight tournaments there. He qualified for the Las Vegas Desert Classic but lost in his first televised game to Terry Jenkins.

At the 2009 Grand Slam of Darts, Simon won all three of his group games. He beat Ted Hankey, Wayne Mardle, and Scott Waites. In the next round, he defeated Steve Beaton 10–1. However, he later lost to Scott Waites, who ended up being the runner-up in the tournament.

At the 2010 PDC World Championship, Simon had a great run. He beat Colin Osborne, Wayne Jones, Terry Jenkins, James Wade, and Raymond van Barneveld. He made it to the final, but lost to the famous player Phil Taylor 7–3.

After reaching the World Championship final, Simon was chosen to play in the 2010 Premier League Darts. He finished second in the league standings, which meant he qualified for the semi-finals. He lost to James Wade 8–6 in that game.

In his first World Matchplay event in 2010, Simon reached the semi-finals. He was again defeated by Phil Taylor. At the 2010 Grand Slam of Darts, he lost all three of his group matches. He played against Dave Chisnall, Colin Osborne, and Robert Thornton.

Simon represented Australia with Paul Nicholson at the first PDC World Cup of Darts in December 2010. They reached the semi-finals but lost to Wales' team, Mark Webster and Barrie Bates.

Success in 2011 and 2012

At the 2011 PDC World Darts Championship, Simon beat Steve Evans and Denis Ovens. He then lost to Vincent van der Voort in the third round. He also played in the 2011 Premier League, finishing sixth.

During the 2011 PDC Pro Tour, Simon made history. He was the first player to hit a "nine-dart finish" in two tournaments in a row. A nine-dart finish is when a player completes a game of 501 points in the fewest possible darts, which is nine.

At the 2011 World Matchplay, Simon defeated Peter Wright and Denis Ovens to reach the quarter-finals. He was then beaten by Andy Hamilton 17–15.

Simon had to pull out of the 2011 Grand Slam of Darts and 2011 Players Championship Finals because of an injury. He played at the 2012 World Championship. He won against Dennis Smith, Steve Beaton, Michael van Gerwen, and Gary Anderson. However, he lost a close game to Andy Hamilton 6–5.

Simon teamed up with Paul Nicholson again for the 2012 PDC World Cup of Darts. They won against teams from Ireland, Belgium, and the Netherlands. This brought them to the final against England's Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis. In a very exciting "sudden death" leg, both Simon and Paul missed chances to win the match.

He was chosen for the Premier League again. Simon won seven of his fourteen games, finishing second in the standings. This allowed him to play in the play-offs. Simon played Andy Hamilton in the semi-finals. He hit a nine-darter in the second leg of the game and won the match to reach the final. In the final, he played Phil Taylor and lost 10–7.

Simon hit another nine-darter in his second round match at the 2012 Austrian Darts Open (ET1) against Joe Cullen. But he still lost the game 6–4.

Simon won Players Championship 12 with a 6–4 victory over Andy Hamilton. The next week, at the European Championship, he won his first big title. Simon won the championship by beating Wes Newton 11–5. He then won his first European Tour title at the 2012 Dutch Darts Masters. He defeated his World Cup partner Paul Nicholson 6–1 in the final.

Simon lost to Phil Taylor in the final of the 2012 Championship League Darts, 6–5. He then won his second Players Championship of the year. He beat Dennis Priestley 6–2 in the final. Simon was the second best player for the 2012 Players Championship Finals. He beat Jamie Caven 6–3 in the first round. Simon then defeated Ronnie Baxter and Gary Anderson. But he lost to Phil Taylor in the semi-finals 11–2.

Playing in 2013

Simon won his first two matches in the 2013 World Championship easily. He then won a deciding set against Dave Chisnall. However, he lost to Raymond van Barneveld 5–1. In his third World Cup of Darts with Paul Nicholson, they were defeated 5–1 by Belgium's team, Ronny Huybrechts and Kim Huybrechts.

He played in the 2013 Premier League but finished sixth in the standings.

Simon won his first tournament of 2013 at the fifth UK Open Qualifier. He beat Michael van Gerwen 6–1 in the final. However, Michael van Gerwen then beat Simon in the final of the 2013 European Darts Open 6–2. Simon won an award for the best televised performance of the year at the PDC Awards Dinner. This was for his quarter-final win over Jamie Caven. But he lost to Adrian Lewis 11–6 in the 2013 European Championship final.

Playing in 2014

Simon Whitlock beat Ian White 5–4 in the quarter-finals of the 2014 PDC World Darts Championship. But he was defeated by Peter Wright 6–2 in the semi-finals. After this tournament, Simon moved up to third place in the world rankings. Simon played in the Premier League but only won one of his nine matches. This meant he was out of the competition. Simon and Paul Nicholson reached the semi-finals of the 2014 PDC World Cup of Darts. They played against England's Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis. Simon lost to Taylor 4–1, but Nicholson beat Lewis 4–2. Australia then lost 4–0 in the final doubles game. Simon won Players Championship 12 by beating James Wade 6–3 in the final. He also reached the final of the 2014 European Darts Open, but lost 6–2 against Peter Wright.

At the World Matchplay, Simon won against Kevin Painter, Raymond van Barneveld, and James Wade. This helped him reach the semi-finals of this event for the second time. He was defeated by Michael van Gerwen. He also lost to van Gerwen in the final of the Singapore Darts Masters.

Playing in 2015 and 2016

At the 2015 World Championship, Simon was beaten 3–1 by Darren Webster in the first round. Simon did not get a special invitation to play in the Premier League. This was the first time he missed the event since 2009.

Simon lost to Ricky Evans 3–2 in the first round of the 2016 World Championship. In October, Simon won Players Championship 18. He defeated Ronny Huybrechts 6–5 in the final.

Simon beat Alan Norris in a very close game at the World Grand Prix. But he lost to van Gerwen in the quarter-finals. He defeated Chris Dobey to win his second title of the year at Players Championship 19.

Playing in 2017

Whitlock in 2017

Simon was beaten 4–0 in the second round of the 2017 World Championship by Darren Webster. Simon defeated Gary Anderson 6–4 in the final to win UK Open Qualifier 2. He also won the fifth event by beating Ronny Huybrechts 6–3. At the main event, he lost a very close game 10–9 to Daryl Gurney in the quarter-finals. He won his third ranking event title of 2017 a week later, winning Players Championship 4.

Playing in 2020 and 2024

After his rankings dropped in 2019, Simon made it to the semi-finals of two televised events in 2020. These were the World Grand Prix and the Grand Slam. He also reached the quarter-finals in the World Matchplay. He beat Michael van Gerwen in the quarter-finals at both the Grand Prix and the Slam. He defeated van Gerwen 16–15 in a deciding leg at the Grand Slam. Simon also hit a Grand Slam record of 20 "180s" (three darts in the triple 20) in that game against van Gerwen.

At the 2024 PDC World Championship, Simon defeated Paolo Nebrida 3–2 in the first round. However, he lost to Gary Anderson 3–0 in the second round.

Simon's Life Outside Darts

Simon Whitlock has three sons from his previous marriages: Nicholas (born 1991), Mason (born 2003), and Locky (born 2007). He is a big fan of the football team Portsmouth F.C..

In 2012, Simon and seven other players from the Premier League recorded a song for charity. The song was called 'Got My Tickets for the Darts' and was written by Chas Hodges. It was released on May 18, the day after the play-offs in London. All the money from the song went to the Haven House Children's Hospice.

World Championship Results

BDO World Championship

• 2005: Semi-finals (lost to Martin Adams 0–5)
• 2006: Second round (lost to Paul Hanvidge 2–4)
• 2007: Second round (lost to Niels de Ruiter 3–4)
• 2008: Runner-up (lost to Mark Webster 5–7)
• 2009: Second round (lost to Darryl Fitton 2–4)

PDC World Championship

• 2003: Third round (lost to Richie Burnett 3–5)
• 2010: Runner-up (lost to Phil Taylor 3–7)
• 2011: Third round (lost to Vincent van der Voort 2–4)
• 2012: Semi-finals (lost to Andy Hamilton 5–6)
• 2013: Quarter-finals (lost to Raymond van Barneveld 1–5)
• 2014: Semi-finals (lost to Peter Wright 2–6)
• 2015: First round (lost to Darren Webster 1–3)
• 2016: First round (lost to Ricky Evans 2–3)
• 2017: Second round (lost to Darren Webster 0–4)
• 2018: Second round (lost to Darren Webster 1–4)
• 2019: Second round (lost to Ryan Joyce 0–3)
• 2020: Fourth round (lost to Gerwyn Price 2–4)
• 2021: Third round (lost to Krzysztof Ratajski 0–4)
• 2022: Second round (lost to Martijn Kleermaker 1–3)
• 2023: Second round (lost to José de Sousa 2–3)
• 2024: Second round (lost to Gary Anderson 0–3)

Major Tournament Finals

BDO Major Finals: 1 (1 Runner-up)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent in the final	Score
Runner-up	1.	2008	World Darts Championship	Mark Webster	5–7 (s)

PDC Major Finals: 7 (1 Title, 6 Runners-up)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent in the final	Score
Runner-up	1.	2010	World Darts Championship	Taylor, PhilPhil Taylor	3–7 (s)
Runner-up	2.	2012	Premier League	Taylor, PhilPhil Taylor	7–10 (l)
Winner	1.	2012	European Championship	Newton, WesWes Newton	11–5 (l)
Runner-up	3.	2012	Championship League	Taylor, PhilPhil Taylor	4–6 (l)
Runner-up	4.	2013	European Championship	Lewis, AdrianAdrian Lewis	6–11 (l)
Runner-up	5.	2017	World Grand Prix	Gurney, DarylDaryl Gurney	4–5 (s)
Runner-up	6.	2018	European Championship	James Wade	8–11 (l)

PDC World Series Finals: 1 (1 Runner-up)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent in the final	Score
Runner-up	1.	2014	Singapore Darts Masters	Michael van Gerwen	8-11 (l)

PDC Team Finals: 2 (1 Title, 1 Runner-up)

Outcome	'No.	ear	Championship	Team	Teammate	Opponents in the final	Score
Runner-up	1.	2012	World Cup of Darts	Australia	Paul Nicholson	England – Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis	3–4 (m)
Winner	2.	2022	World Cup of Darts	Australia	Damon Heta	Wales – Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton	3–1 (m)

Nine-Dart Finishes

Simon Whitlock televised nine-dart finishes

Date	Opponent	Tournament	Method	Prize
17 May 2012	Andy Hamilton	Premier League Darts	3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T15, D18	Unknown

High Averages

Simon Whitlock televised high averages

Average	Date	Opponent	Tournament	Stage	Score
108.86	12 November 2018	Gerwyn Price	2018 Grand Slam of Darts	Group stage	5-4 (l)