Gary Anderson (darts Player)
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Gary James Grant Anderson (born 22 December 1970) is a Scottish professional
darts Darts is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small projectile point, sharp-pointed projectile, projectiles known as dart (missile), darts at a round shooting target, target known as a #Dartboard, dartboard. Point ...
player who competes in
Professional Darts Corporation The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) is a professional darts organisation in the United Kingdom, established in 1992 when a group of leading players split from the British Darts Organisation (BDO) to form what was initially called the Wor ...
(PDC) events, where he is currently ranked world number thirteen; he reached a peak ranking of world number two from 2015 to 2017. Anderson is a former
British Darts Organisation The British Darts Organisation (BDO) was a darts organisation founded on 7 January 1973 by Olly Croft, and dissolved in 2020 under the stewardship of Des Jacklin. Made up of 66 member counties, it oversaw professional, semi-professional and ...
(BDO) and
World Darts Federation The World Darts Federation (WDF) is a sport governing body and (along with the PDC) a tournament organiser for the game of darts Darts is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small projectile point, sharp-poin ...
(WDF) world number one. Nicknamed "the Flying Scotsman", after the famous steam train, he is a two-time, back-to-back PDC World Champion, having won the title in
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
and
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. Before switching to the PDC following the 2009 BDO World Championship, Anderson won four BDO major titles: the International Darts League, World Trophy and Finder Masters in
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
as well as the 2008 Finder Masters. He defeated Phil Taylor 7–6 in the 2015 PDC World Championship final and Adrian Lewis 7–5 the following year, while he was also a finalist in
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
,
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
and
2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
. He has won six other PDC major singles titles: the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
in
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
and
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
, the Players Championship Finals in
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
and the UK Open, World Matchplay, and Champions League in 2018. He has also won the
2019 PDC World Cup of Darts The 2019 BetVictor World Cup of Darts was the ninth edition of the PDC World Cup of Darts. It took place from 6–9 June 2019 at the Barclaycard Arena (Hamburg), Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany. The Dutch pairing of Michael van Gerwen and Ra ...
, representing
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
alongside Peter Wright. Anderson has also won 39
PDC Pro Tour The PDC Pro Tour is a series of non-televised darts tournaments organised by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). They comprise Professional Dart Players Association (PDPA) Players Championships and European Tour events. Only four players ...
events as of May 2025, putting him third on the all-time list behind
Michael van Gerwen Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player, who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world number three; he was ranked world number one from 20 ...
on 90 and Phil Taylor on 70. He has won an overall total of 54 PDC titles. Anderson has been renowned for his heavy scoring and for having one of the smoothest throws.Darts Psychology: Gary Anderson - The First Round!
The Martin Effect; Retrieved 27 December 2010
Arthur McKay hits the bullseye with the Flying Scotsman
Arthur McKay; Retrieved 6 January 2015


Career


Early career

Born in
Musselburgh Musselburgh (; ; ) is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, east of Edinburgh city centre. It had a population of as of . History The name Musselburgh is Old English language, Old English in ...
, Anderson began his career playing in
British Darts Organisation The British Darts Organisation (BDO) was a darts organisation founded on 7 January 1973 by Olly Croft, and dissolved in 2020 under the stewardship of Des Jacklin. Made up of 66 member counties, it oversaw professional, semi-professional and ...
events and won the second tournament he entered by claiming the 2001 Welsh Open with a defeat of John Walton. The win ensured he qualified for the following year's
World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...
for the first time, where he suffered a first round defeat to Sweden's Stefan Nagy, going down 3–0. The following year, in the 2003 BDO World Darts Championship Anderson reached the semi-final stage before bowing out to eventual runner-up Ritchie Davies. Anderson would not win another match at the Lakeside Country Club until
2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...
, when he beat Gary Robson in the first round before again falling to the eventual finalist this time in
Raymond van Barneveld Raymond van Barneveld (born 20 April 1967) is a Dutch professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he was ranked world number one from January 2008 to June 2008. Nicknamed "Barney", he is a five-t ...
in the second round. In the following two years, Anderson was knocked out of the World Championship in the first round by Dutch players – in
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
, he lost to Albertino Essers, and in
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
, he was defeated by Fabian Roosenbrand.


Major successes and PDC switch

Anderson won the first major tournaments of his career by claiming the International Darts League and World Darts Trophy back-to-back in 2007. It was a significant achievement as he succeeded against fields comprising the top players and world champions from both the rival organisations: the
Professional Darts Corporation The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) is a professional darts organisation in the United Kingdom, established in 1992 when a group of leading players split from the British Darts Organisation (BDO) to form what was initially called the Wor ...
and BDO. In the two events, he had victories against Wayne Mardle, Roland Scholten, Mervyn King, James Wade, Adrian Lewis, Mark Webster,
John Part John Part (born 29 June 1966) is a Canadian former professional darts player and current commentator, who competes in World Seniors events. Nicknamed "Darth Maple", he is a three-time World Champion, having won the 1994 BDO World Darts Champions ...
, Peter Manley, Andy Hamilton and Phil Taylor. Shortly after his WDT title, his success continued by clinching the BDO British Open to add to his 2007 Scottish Open success. Anderson also won the Zuiderduin Masters two years in a row – the first of which was an unranked event, the second was the first championship since the tournament was elevated to the status of ranking major. Anderson finished 2007 as the WDF world number 1, while he later ended 2008 as the WDF world number 2 behind
Scott Waites Scott Waites (born 17 February 1977) is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He is a two-time BDO World Darts Champion having won the 2013 tournament and 2016 tournament. He is also ...
WDF WORLD RANKING SYSTEMS: ROLL OF HONOUR (1984-2008)
World Darts Federation (WDF). Retrieved 6 January 2005.
WDF WORLD RANKING SYSTEMS: ROLL OF HONOUR (1984 to 2008)
World Darts Federation (WDF). Retrieved 25 January 2005.
In 2008, Anderson won the German Open, Welsh Open and BDO International Grand Prix titles. He also won the Dutch Pentathlon in 2008,The 3rd Dutch Pentathlon (DP) 2009
Dartshop Kattestaart. 8 May 2009. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
retaining the title in 2009, with a world record score of 502 points.Van der Voort champion, world record Anderson
May 2009. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
Between 2000 and 2008, Anderson represented Scotland at three WDF World Cups, four WDF Europe Cups, and five Six Nations Cup. With Scotland, Anderson lifted successive Six Nations Cups in 2002 and 2003,Six Nations Cup
Global Darts. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
Six Nations Cup
Darts 1. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
as well as winning the WDF Europe Cup four-man and overall team titles in 2002.WDF Europe Cup Roll of Honour
World Darts Federation (WDF) Retrieved 25 January 2015.
In total, Anderson played thirty-two matches for Scotland, winning twenty-two of them. After months of speculation, Anderson joined the PDC in early 2009. He made his PDC televised debut in an exhibition match at the Premier League Darts meeting in
Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
, after Wayne Mardle had withdrawn with illness, and defeated
John Part John Part (born 29 June 1966) is a Canadian former professional darts player and current commentator, who competes in World Seniors events. Nicknamed "Darth Maple", he is a three-time World Champion, having won the 1994 BDO World Darts Champions ...
with a three-dart average of 107. He then qualified for the 2009 UK Open at the
Reebok Stadium The Toughsheet Community Stadium is a Association football, football stadium in Horwich near Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. It is the home ground of Bolton Wanderers F.C., Bolton Wanderers Football Club, with an all-seated capacity of 28, ...
in
Bolton Bolton ( , locally ) is a town in Greater Manchester in England. In the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, Bolton is between Manchester, Blackburn, Wigan, Bury, Greater Manchester, Bury and Salford. It is surrounded by several towns and vill ...
, losing in the second round 6–4 to Paul Nicholson. On his PDC World Championship debut in
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
, Anderson defeated Jamie Caven 3–2 in the first round before losing 4–0 against Ronnie Baxter in the second round.


2010

In June 2010, Anderson reached his first ever PDC major final at the 2010 UK Open. He defeated
Michael van Gerwen Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player, who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world number three; he was ranked world number one from 20 ...
, Paul Nicholson, Mervyn King (who hit a nine-dart finish against Anderson), Andy Hamilton, and Tony Ayres before losing to Phil Taylor in the final 11–5. At the 2010 World Matchplay he produced the first whitewash for six years with a 10–0 thumping of fellow Scot Robert Thornton during their first round encounter. His second round encounter was against Jelle Klaasen, with Klaasen winning 14–12. Anderson qualified for the 2010 Grand Slam of Darts, and went into the tournament as the number six seed. Anderson defeated Mark Hylton, Mark Webster and Wayne Jones in the group stage to finish top of his group. In the second round he defeated Colin Osborne 10–3 to again play Jones in the quarter finals. Anderson led 15–12 before Jones took the last four legs to win the match 16–15. Anderson represented Scotland along with Robert Thornton for the inaugural PDC World Cup of Darts in
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
. They entered the tournament in the second round as 4th seeds and beat
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
, paired by Anastasia Dobromyslova and Roman Konchikov, 6–2 to advance to the group stage, where they lost their opening group game to
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
pairing Mark Webster and Barrie Bates. Having recovered to secure victory against
Bill Davis William Grenville Davis, (July 30, 1929 – August 8, 2021) was a Canadian politician who served as the 18th premier of Ontario from 1971 to 1985. Behind Oliver Mowat, Davis was the List of premiers of Ontario by time in office, second-longes ...
and Darin Young of the
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, Anderson and Thornton went out after defeat to
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
's Carlos Rodriguez and Antonio Alcinas.


2011

Anderson qualified for the 2011 World Championship as the number 11 seed and in the first round played
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
's Morihiro Hashimoto. Anderson won 3–0 in sets, taking all nine legs without reply, with an average of 103.23. In the second round he faced two-time world champion Dennis Priestley, winning 4 sets to 2. He then defeated Andy Smith in the third round (whilst setting his highest World Championship average of 108.39),
Raymond van Barneveld Raymond van Barneveld (born 20 April 1967) is a Dutch professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he was ranked world number one from January 2008 to June 2008. Nicknamed "Barney", he is a five-t ...
in the quarter-finals, and Terry Jenkins in the semi-finals to ensure his place in the final against Adrian Lewis. Anderson was defeated 7–5 by Lewis, who also hit a nine-dart finish during the first set of the match. Despite the loss, Anderson's run ensured him a place in the 2011 Premier League as he had moved into the top four on the
Order of Merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...
. Anderson was the number two seed for the 2011 Players Championship Finals, and reached his second successive major final, where he played Phil Taylor. Anderson led 11–9, but Taylor checked out 128 in the deciding leg to win 13–12. In the Premier League he got off to a winning start by beating
Simon Whitlock Simon Whitlock (born 3 March 1969) is an Australian professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, having previously competed in British Darts Organisation (BDO) events. Nicknamed "The Wizard", he won th ...
8–5 on the opening night at the O2 Arena. He went on to win his first four games before losing to Taylor in week five. Anderson finished the group stage in third place and played Van Barneveld in the semi-finals, winning 8–6. In a repeat of the World Championship final he played Lewis (who had beaten Taylor 8–3 in the other semi-final) and beat him 10–4 to win his first major championship in the PDC, his third in total, and his first in the UK having had his previous successes in the Netherlands. In the World Matchplay he was beaten 10–6 in his first round match against Andy Hamilton, and he lost in the second round of the European Championship 10–5 to Peter Wright. Away from the television cameras on the
PDC Pro Tour The PDC Pro Tour is a series of non-televised darts tournaments organised by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). They comprise Professional Dart Players Association (PDPA) Players Championships and European Tour events. Only four players ...
he won four Players Championships during the year including both during the same weekend in
Nuland Nuland is a village in the Netherlands, Dutch province of North Brabant. It is located about 8 km (5 mi) east of 's-Hertogenbosch. History In the Middle Ages, Nuland was part of the Kwartier van Maasland of the Meierij van 's-Hertoge ...
. In the first round of the World Grand Prix he faced Richie Burnett and lost 2–1 in sets. Anderson qualified from
Group C Group C was a category of sports car racing introduced by the FIA in 1982 and continuing until 1993, with ''Group A'' for Touring car racing, touring cars and ''Group B'' for Grand tourer, GTs. It was designed to replace both Group 5 (motorspor ...
of the
Grand Slam of Darts The Grand Slam of Darts is a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation and is known as the Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts for sponsorship purposes. The PDC used to invite the best performing players from its rival, the Briti ...
and then won through to the final where he met Taylor and was comfortably beaten 16–4. Anderson holds the record for the highest ever three dart average in darts history in an official tournament with a 133.35 average in a 6–1 win against Arron Monk in a UK Open Qualifier during 2011.


2012

Anderson survived a huge scare in the first round of the 2012 World Championship as his opponent Jyhan Artut had four darts to win the match. He missed and Anderson won the match 3–2 on a sudden-death leg. He used his lucky escape to his advantage by defeating Devon Petersen and Colin Lloyd, 4–2 and 4–1 respectively, to set up a quarter-final clash with
Simon Whitlock Simon Whitlock (born 3 March 1969) is an Australian professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, having previously competed in British Darts Organisation (BDO) events. Nicknamed "The Wizard", he won th ...
. He won the first set of the match, but missed a total of 29 darts at a double and lost 1–5. He played in his second
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 name is ...
for Scotland in February, this time with Peter Wright and together they were beaten by South Africa in the second round, losing in a sudden-death leg. Anderson had a disappointing defence of his
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
title. He finished bottom of the league table having won just three matches from the 14-game season. In winning the event in 2011 he made a total of 79 180's, but could only manage 31 this year, the least of any of the eight players. However, in the last league game Anderson did have an encouraging 7–7 draw with Phil Taylor. In June, he completed his first live televised nine-dart finish in a 9–3 third round win over Davey Dodds at the UK Open. He lost in the next round to compatriot, and eventual winner of the event, Robert Thornton 7–9. He was then forced to take a month away from the sport due to problems focusing with his left eye, returning to play in the World Matchplay. There he played Dean Winstanley in the first round and, despite leading 5–0, lost the match 11–13. Anderson was banned by the Darts Regulation Authority for two
European Tour The European Tour, currently titled as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons, and legally the PGA European Tour or the European Tour Group, is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European ...
events and the European Championship due to "him failing to complete his match and his subsequent behaviour" at the European Tour Event 2. In October, he lost in the final of the 14th Players Championship of the year, 5–6 to Robert Thornton in an all Scottish final. Anderson then won the non-ranking Irish Masters by beating Colin Osborne 6–1 in the final. He finished second in Group F of the
Grand Slam of Darts The Grand Slam of Darts is a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation and is known as the Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts for sponsorship purposes. The PDC used to invite the best performing players from its rival, the Briti ...
to qualify for the last 16, where he faced Andy Hamilton. Despite averaging almost 102, Anderson lost 9–10 in a thrilling match. After all 33 ProTour events of 2012 had been played, Anderson was 26th on the Order of Merit, inside the top 32 who qualified for the Players Championship Finals. He saw off Wes Newton and Robert Thornton, but was then beaten 8–10 by
Simon Whitlock Simon Whitlock (born 3 March 1969) is an Australian professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, having previously competed in British Darts Organisation (BDO) events. Nicknamed "The Wizard", he won th ...
in the quarter-finals. During the 2012 season, Anderson, together with the seven other players who competed in the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
recorded a charity single with Chas Hodges and his band called 'Got My Tickets for the Darts' which was written by Chas. It was released on 18 May, the night after the play-offs at the O2 in London, where it was premiered. Proceeds from the single were donated to the Haven House Children's Hospice.


2013

Anderson survived three match darts versus John Bowles in the second round of the 2013 World Championship to win in a deciding set, but was then comfortably beaten by
Raymond van Barneveld Raymond van Barneveld (born 20 April 1967) is a Dutch professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he was ranked world number one from January 2008 to June 2008. Nicknamed "Barney", he is a five-t ...
0–4 in 33 minutes as he missed a total of 23 darts at doubles. Because the ranking system works as a two-year rolling list based on prize money earned, Anderson lost the £100,000 from reaching the 2011 World Championship final and dropped to world number 11 after the tournament. Anderson partnered Robert Thornton for the third time at the World Cup of Darts and they were shocked by Spain 4–5 in the last 16. He threw a nine-dart finish in the third UK Open Qualifier during a first round win over Josh Payne, but lost in the following round 5–6 to
Michael van Gerwen Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player, who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world number three; he was ranked world number one from 20 ...
. He qualified for the 2013 Premier League by virtue of being the 2011 champion. In the first eight matches he could only beat Phil Taylor and
Simon Whitlock Simon Whitlock (born 3 March 1969) is an Australian professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, having previously competed in British Darts Organisation (BDO) events. Nicknamed "The Wizard", he won th ...
and went into the ninth week knowing he had to beat James Wade to have any chance of avoiding being one of the two relegated players from the 10-man league. Anderson lost 3–7 to Wade and stated afterwards that he has struggled with his game for the last year. At the UK Open he led Kevin Painter 7–3 in the fourth round, but then lost six consecutive legs to exit the tournament 7–9. Anderson showed his best darts in the first round of the World Grand Prix as he averaged 104.86 in the double start event during a two sets to nil 10-minute defeat of Jelle Klaasen. He then edged past Wes Newton 3–2 before meeting Phil Taylor in top form in the quarter-finals who beat Anderson 3–0. At the
Grand Slam of Darts The Grand Slam of Darts is a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation and is known as the Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts for sponsorship purposes. The PDC used to invite the best performing players from its rival, the Briti ...
, Anderson produced two superb performances in the group stage as he averaged 107.14 and 111.80 in defeats of Wesley Harms and Peter Wright. He lost his other game to James Wade to finish second in the group and play Taylor in the last 16. Anderson again posted an impressive average of 106.13 (almost four points ahead of Taylor's), but from 4–4 was unable to capitalise on the chances his scoring set up and lost 10–5. Anderson's second major quarter-final of the year came at the Players Championship Finals where he lost 9–7 to
Justin Pipe Justin Pipe (born 9 November 1971) is an English former professional darts player who competed in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He won six PDC titles. Playing career Pipe was a Boxing, boxer in his youth, and, as a staunch anti- ...
.


2014

Anderson comfortably beat Mark Dudbridge and Brendan Dolan in the 2014 World Championship to face
Michael van Gerwen Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player, who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world number three; he was ranked world number one from 20 ...
in the third round. He took advantage of a sluggish start from Van Gerwen to establish a 3–1 lead and also missed two darts to win the set he lost. However, Anderson's usual scoring power deserted him as he lost three sets in a row to exit the tournament. Anderson bemoaned the fact that he had been playing consistently well over the previous months but kept losing games he should win through silly mistakes. He then began the year by claiming his first ranking title in two and a half years at the German Darts Championship. Anderson recovered from 5–3 down to
Justin Pipe Justin Pipe (born 9 November 1971) is an English former professional darts player who competed in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He won six PDC titles. Playing career Pipe was a Boxing, boxer in his youth, and, as a staunch anti- ...
in the final to win 6–5, surviving six match darts from his opponent in the process and said afterwards his goal for the year was to reclaim his ranking in the top eight. His good start to the year continued as he won the fifth UK Open Qualifier with a 6–2 defeat of Robert Thornton. At the UK Open itself he lost 9–7 to Ian White in the fifth round. Anderson's third title of the year came at the first Players Championship as he averaged 111.47 in beating Andrew Gilding 6–5 in a high quality final. Another tournament victory came a week later at the third event by edging out Phil Taylor 6–5, with Anderson describing afterwards that winning has become a habit again. Anderson received a
Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British broadcasting of sports events, subscription sports channels operated by the satellite television, satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television ...
wildcard to participate in the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
this year. He had a fantastic second half of the season to win five of his last seven matches, drawing the other two, to finish fourth in the
table Table may refer to: * Table (database), how the table data arrangement is used within the databases * Table (furniture), a piece of furniture with a flat surface and one or more legs * Table (information), a data arrangement with rows and column ...
and qualify for the play-offs. Anderson played Van Gerwen in the semi-finals against whom he lost to 7–5 and beat 7–4 during the league stage. There was never more than a leg between the players throughout the whole match with Van Gerwen throwing for it in the deciding leg. He kicked off with a 171 and Anderson could only reply with 17 and went on to lose 8–7. With doubling so often the weakness in Anderson's game, he managed to hit 43% during the whole season this year, the third highest out of the ten players. In June he won his fifth title of the season at the 11th Players Championship with a 6–2 defeat of Thornton. At the World Matchplay, Anderson beat Jamie Caven 10–8 and Stephen Bunting 13–8 (whilst averaging 104.41) to progress past the second round for the first time in his sixth appearance in the event. In the quarter-finals he outplayed Adrian Lewis in winning 13–8 and was then involved in a high quality match against Phil Taylor in the semi-finals as both players averaged 105 which Anderson just lost 17–15. Anderson stated that the quality of his darts was beginning to scare other players again and his successful week took him back into the world's top 10. In September he averaged 115.62 in thrashing Lewis 6–0 in the semi-finals of the 13th Players Championship and then fought back from 5–3 down in the final against Richie Burnett to take the title 6–5. He also reached the final of the 16th event but lost 6–2 against Brendan Dolan. Anderson's successful season in the floor events concluded at the final Players Championship where he sealed the title by throwing a 10 dart leg to edge Peter Wright 6–5. He finished the season top of the Pro Tour Order of Merit and was therefore the number one seed for the Players Championship Finals, something Anderson said he had worked his heart out all year to achieve. He produced his very highest standard throughout the event beginning with a 6–5 win over Christian Kist with an average of 110.62. In the quarter-finals he beat Taylor for the first time since 2007 in a televised knockout match and then eliminated Vincent van der Voort 11–7 and Lewis 11–6 in the final. It was Anderson's fourth major title and he ended the tournament with an overall average of 104.72.


2015: World Championship win

Anderson seemed to become frustrated with his first round opponent Scott Kirchner's playing style at the 2015 World Championship. Kirchner threw an imaginary dart before every visit to the board and Anderson struggled to a 3–1 win averaging 86.20. A much higher quality match followed against the fast throwing Jelle Klaasen in which Anderson recovered from 3–1 down to win 4–3, taking out a crucial 84 finish on the bull in the fifth set with Klaasen waiting on 89 for the match. Both players averaged over 100 with 20 180s thrown. More comfortable victories followed over Cristo Reyes (averaged 104.54) and the previous year's finalist Peter Wright (averaged 102.12) to set up a semi-final tie with
Michael van Gerwen Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player, who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world number three; he was ranked world number one from 20 ...
. Just like their meeting in the third round of 2014's event, Van Gerwen recovered from a 3–1 deficit to level at 3–3. However, he would miss four darts to gain a set lead for the first time in the match, with Anderson going on to take it 6–3. He finished with a checkout rate of 50% and averaged over 100 for the fourth game in a row. Anderson held an early 3–1 advantage over Phil Taylor in the final, before the 16-time world champion won nine of the next ten legs to move 4–3 ahead. Taylor then missed three darts to take the next set, allowing Anderson to tie the scores at 4–4. In Anderson's first visit to the board at the beginning of the ninth set he hit two treble 20s, but his third dart knocked them out of the bed to score nothing. He lost the leg and became distracted by a member of the audience shouting out to be two legs down, before punishing more missed darts from Taylor to claim the set. Anderson stood one set away from the title when he made it 6–4, but Taylor quickly recovered to send the match into a deciding set. Taylor had three darts to hold his throw in the second leg, but could not find the target as Anderson took the final set without reply to win his first World Championship 7–6. The match broke the record for 180s in a PDC final with 32, beating the 31 thrown during the
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
final. Anderson's total 180s during the whole tournament of 64 was also a record. The title saw him climb to world number three, his highest position to date. Later in the month he was crowned the PDC Player of the Year, Pro Tour Player of the Year, Fans' Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year at the annual awards dinner.2015 PDC Awards - Anderson's Quartet!
PDC. 22 January 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
Four-Some Anderson's Awards Success
PDC. 23 January 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2015.


Rest of season

At the Masters, following wins over Andy Hamilton, 10–2, and James Wade, 10–5, in which Anderson averaged 121 in the first five legs, he lost 11–6 to
Raymond van Barneveld Raymond van Barneveld (born 20 April 1967) is a Dutch professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he was ranked world number one from January 2008 to June 2008. Nicknamed "Barney", he is a five-t ...
in the semi-finals. Anderson began his
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
campaign with a 7–5 win over Phil Taylor. He was beaten 6–2 in the final of the German Darts Championship by
Michael van Gerwen Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player, who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world number three; he was ranked world number one from 20 ...
. From 8–4 ahead of Mervyn King in the third round of the UK Open, Anderson missed a total of 13 match darts to be defeated 9–8. In week six of the Premier League, Anderson secured a superb 7–1 win over Adrian Lewis, with a 109 average, and continued his form into that weekend by beating James Wade 6–5 to win the first Players Championship event of the year. On his first competitive return to Scotland as world champion, Anderson overcame Kim Huybrechts 7–5 in week seven of the Premier League. He missed double 12 for a nine darter in the last leg. After a 6–6 draw in week nine with Van Barneveld, with a 108 average, Anderson sat third in the Premier League table, with the first round of fixtures completed, and a total of six wins, one draw and 13 points from his first nine matches. After three defeats in his next five matches, Anderson secured his place in the Premier League play-offs with another 7–5 defeat of Phil Taylor in week 14. He finished the regular Premier League season beating Adrian Lewis 7–3 to finish in third. Anderson recorded nine wins, two draws and 20 points from 16 games. He lost 6–4 to Phil Taylor in the final of the ninth Players Championship. Anderson rallied from 7–4 down to
Dave Chisnall David Chisnall (born 12 September 1980) is an English professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked world number twelve; he reached a peak ranking of world number five in ...
in the Premier League semi-finals to send the match into a deciding leg in which Chisnall missed three match darts, allowing Anderson to take out a 116 finish to beat him 10–9. Anderson defeated Van Gerwen 11–7 in the final to claim the second Premier League title of his career. He became the second player after Phil Taylor win to the World Championship and Premier League in the same year. Anderson made his World Series of Darts debut at the Dubai Masters, but lost to Phil Taylor at the semi-final stage. Anderson and Peter Wright teamed up at the World Cup of Darts as the number two seeds. After wins over Singapore, Hungary, and Hong Kong, they saw off the Dutch duo of Van Gerwen and Van Barneveld in a doubles match to ensure Scotland would play in their first final in the event. They faced England's Taylor and Lewis and were 2–1 down in the tie, before Anderson beat Taylor 4–1 which meant the winner of Wright against Lewis would claim the title, with Lewis triumphing 4–1. At the World Matchplay, Anderson beat Steve Beaton 10–4 in the first round before a surprise 13–9 second round defeat to Mensur Suljović, which ended his bid for the Triple Crown. Following the completion of the tournament, Anderson became the world number two for the first time in his career. He won his second Players Championship of the year at the final event by seeing off James Wade 6–2. In the final of the European Championship, Anderson held a 10–7 advantage over Van Gerwen, but lost four legs in a row without getting a dart for the title as he was beaten 11–10. He averaged 104.22 against Mark Webster in the second round of the
Grand Slam of Darts The Grand Slam of Darts is a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation and is known as the Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts for sponsorship purposes. The PDC used to invite the best performing players from its rival, the Briti ...
, but the Welshman took out 71% of his shots at doubles to defeat Anderson 10–6 and he lost in the same stage of the Players Championship Finals 10–4 to
Daryl Gurney Daryl Gurney (born 22 March 1986) is a Northern Irish professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked world number twenty-five; he reached a peak ranking of world number thre ...
.


2016: Second World Championship title

300px, Anderson in 2016 In the defence of his title, Anderson reached the final of the 2016 World Championship without facing any troubles following wins over
Andy Boulton Andrew Boulton (born 25 February 1973) is a Scottish professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. Nicknamed "X-Factor", he has won four titles on the PDC Challenge Tour. Career BDO, UK Open appearances ...
,
Daryl Gurney Daryl Gurney (born 22 March 1986) is a Northern Irish professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked world number twenty-five; he reached a peak ranking of world number thre ...
, Vincent van der Voort, James Wade and Jelle Klaasen with the loss of just two sets. In the semi-finals, he won 6–0 over Jelle Klaasen with a 107 average and threw a nine-dart finish in the opening set. He played Adrian Lewis in a rematch of the 2011 final and hit a 170 finish in the penultimate leg, before hitting double 12 (the same double which he hit to win his first World Championship) to retain his title with a 7–5 win, a reversal of the scoreline from five years ago. 34 180s were thrown which is a record in a professional match. Anderson became the 11th player to win more than one World Championship and joined Eric Bristow,
Raymond van Barneveld Raymond van Barneveld (born 20 April 1967) is a Dutch professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he was ranked world number one from January 2008 to June 2008. Nicknamed "Barney", he is a five-t ...
and Lewis in being the only players to have successfully defended their first world title.


Rest of season

Anderson took the fourth UK Open Qualifier with a 6–1 victory over James Wade, but at the
main event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...
suffered a huge surprise fourth round loss as amateur Barry Lynn won 9–3. He finished third in the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
to qualify for the semi-finals and rallied from 8–4 down against Phil Taylor to trail by one leg, but would be beaten 10–7. Anderson had an exceptional year in the invitational World Series events as he claimed the Dubai Masters, Auckland Darts Masters and Tokyo Darts Masters. He reached the semi-finals of the World Matchplay for the second time, but lost 17–8 to Taylor. Anderson's second Pro Tour title of 2016 was the 12th Players Championship which he won by edging out Terry Jenkins 6–5. Anderson's first major final after the World Championship came at the World Grand Prix which he got to without dropping more than one set against Jamie Caven, Kyle Anderson, Kim Huybrechts and
Raymond van Barneveld Raymond van Barneveld (born 20 April 1967) is a Dutch professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he was ranked world number one from January 2008 to June 2008. Nicknamed "Barney", he is a five-t ...
. However, he was powerless to stop
Michael van Gerwen Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player, who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world number three; he was ranked world number one from 20 ...
from capturing the title with a 5–2 win. Anderson was whitewashed 6–0 by Wade in the first round of the European Championship, averaging just 77.40. In his next event, the World Series of Darts Finals, Anderson wore glasses on stage for the first time. He said after going for an eye test he could not believe he had won two world title without being able to see properly and also explained that he has had to change his throw after his old one would knock his glasses off. He did lose 6–5 to Joe Cullen in his first match wearing them, but reached the semi-finals of the Grand Slam where he was defeated 16–14 by Wade.


2017

In his quarter-final match with
Dave Chisnall David Chisnall (born 12 September 1980) is an English professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked world number twelve; he reached a peak ranking of world number five in ...
at the 2017 World Championship 33 180s were thrown, just one shy of the record. With the match tied at three sets apiece, Chisnall was ahead in the seventh set 2–0, but missed four darts to take it and Anderson would win 5–3. After Peter Wright equalised their semi-final at 3–3 after trailing 3–1, Anderson won nine of the next ten legs to reach the final for the third year in a row with a 6–3 victory. He was on a 17-game unbeaten streak at the event and missed two darts to take a 3–1 lead over
Michael van Gerwen Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player, who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world number three; he was ranked world number one from 20 ...
in the early stages of the final. Van Gerwen then won 12 of the next 14 legs in taking four sets in a row and, though Anderson pulled one back, his reign as world champion ended with a 7–3 loss. Anderson had not averaged over 100 in his two previous wins in the final, but averaged 104.93 in this defeat, as well as hitting 22 180s which is a record in a single match. The pair smashed the record for the most 180s in a match with 42 and Anderson's 71 for the entire tournament is also a record. Anderson and Van Gerwen also met in the final of the Masters, with Anderson losing 11–7. He was level at 7–7 with Van Gerwen in the semi-finals of the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
, before being defeated 10–7. Anderson and Wright suffered a surprise first round 5–2 defeat to Singapore 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 name is ...
.


2018: World Matchplay and UK Open champion

Anderson began his 2018 season with a loss to eventual runner-up Phil Taylor in the quarter-finals of the 2018 World Championship, failing to reach the final for the first time in 4 years. With Rob Cross breaking into the top 3 in Order of Merit with his World Championship victory over Taylor, Anderson would start the 2018 season ranked 4th in the world. In the semi finals of the Masters, Anderson lost to
Michael van Gerwen Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player, who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world number three; he was ranked world number one from 20 ...
11–5. Two weeks later Anderson won 2018 UK Open Qualifier 4. and entered the 2018 UK Open as the 6th seed. Having not reached the final since the 2010 UK Open, where he lost to Taylor, Anderson reached the final for a second time and defeated Corey Cadby 11–7. A week later, Anderson won back-to-back Pro Tour titles at in Players Championships 3 and 4. In the 2018 Premier League, Anderson had an 8–5–3 (W–L–D) record to finish 3rd in the league table and reach the playoffs for the 5th year straight, but would fall to Michael Smith in the semi-final. Nevertheless, Anderson would turn around two days later to win his third Players Championship title of the year at PC11. Two, Anderson would partner Peter Wright for the fourth time, representing Scotland at the 2018 PDC World Cup of Darts. With the pair having only lost one set before the final, they fell to the reigning champions,
The Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
team of Michael van Gerwen and
Raymond van Barneveld Raymond van Barneveld (born 20 April 1967) is a Dutch professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he was ranked world number one from January 2008 to June 2008. Nicknamed "Barney", he is a five-t ...
, with Van Gerwen defeating Anderson 4–0. Anderson defeated Rob Cross 8–4 in the final of the 2018 US Darts Masters where he hit the tournament high checkout of 164 in the final leg. The following week, he would suffer a first round defeat in the 2018 Shanghai Darts Masters, losing to Royden Lam 6–5 in a deciding leg. Anderson returned to form at the 2018 World Matchplay, defeating Stephen Bunting 10–7 and Van Barneveld 11–9 before achieving a 19–17 victory over Joe Cullen in the quarter-finals, hitting a nine-dart finish which earned him £45,000. Anderson met Mensur Suljović in the final. In the longest match in World Matchplay history, Anderson defeated Suljović 21–19 in the best of 35 match with the stipulation that the game must be won by 2 clear legs. The tournament saw Anderson hit 52 180s, the most ever in a winning effort at the Matchplay, and second overall only to the 56 that Adrian Lewis hit in his
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
campaign. After taking second in his group with victories over Michael van Gerwen and Dave Chisnall, but a loss to Daryl Gurney, Anderson would meet Suljović again in the semi-final of the 2018 Champions League of Darts. The Scotsman secured an 11–4 victory over the Austrian to avenge his defeat in the 2017 Final where the Austrian won 11–9. Anderson was quick to follow up with another 11–4 victory in the final against his fellow countryman Peter Wright to become the third champion in as many stagings of the tournament. A week later in the World Grand Prix, Anderson would again struggle when he fell to the reigning champion
Daryl Gurney Daryl Gurney (born 22 March 1986) is a Northern Irish professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked world number twenty-five; he reached a peak ranking of world number thre ...
for the second time in two weeks, with a 3–0 defeat in the quarter-finals. In November, Anderson went undefeated in the group stage of the Grand Slam and met MVG in the semi-final having only lost 12 legs combined in the prior rounds. Anderson won the match 16–12 to setup a meeting with
Gerwyn Price Gerwyn Price (born 7 March 1985) is a Welsh professional darts player and former professional rugby union and rugby league player. He competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world ...
in the final. After at one point leading the match 11–8, Anderson was visibly distracted by Price, and only won 2 of the next 10 legs, to lose 16–13 in the controversial final. The following week in the 2018 Players Championship Finals, Anderson once again met Van Gerwen in the semi-finals with each of them having only given up 9 legs in the tournament so far. This time around, Van Gerwen would win 11–9.


2019: World Cup win

Anderson entered the 2019 World Championship as the fourth seed and won his opening match against Kevin Burness 3–1. He led his third round match against Jermaine Wattimena 3–1, before losing the next two sets, then had to survive match darts to take the game to a tie break before eventually prevailing 5–3 in the deciding set. In the fourth round, Anderson recovered from a 2–0 deficit to Chris Dobey to win the final set in another tiebreaker with a score of 4–2 legs. In the quarter finals, Anderson appeared to have gotten his game back with a 5–2 victory over
Dave Chisnall David Chisnall (born 12 September 1980) is an English professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked world number twelve; he reached a peak ranking of world number five in ...
and a 103.03 average, his first over 100 in the tournament. Anderson visibly struggled however in his semi-final match with
Michael van Gerwen Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player, who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world number three; he was ranked world number one from 20 ...
. The world number one put up a 104.76 average to Anderson's 97.98 to secure a 6–1 victory and only giving up 7 legs. Anderson had been struggling with back problems for a couple of years at this point, and took the decision to withdraw from the Masters at the start of February 2019 due to these issues. He then had to take the decision to also pull out of the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
, meaning that he'd miss the tournament for the first time since 2010. However, Anderson stated that a specialist had found the problem with his back and that he hoped to be back in action within a couple of months after receiving treatment. On 25 February, it was announced that Anderson would make his yearly debut at the 2019 UK Open in March. Anderson, alongside teammate Peter Wright, won the
2019 PDC World Cup of Darts The 2019 BetVictor World Cup of Darts was the ninth edition of the PDC World Cup of Darts. It took place from 6–9 June 2019 at the Barclaycard Arena (Hamburg), Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany. The Dutch pairing of Michael van Gerwen and Ra ...
, the first time Scotland had won the tournament.


2020

Anderson exited the 2020 World Championship in the fourth round, losing to Nathan Aspinall. He returned to the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
after a year away. Anderson won his first ranking title since the 2018 Matchplay at the first Players Championship event of 2020; beating Jeff Smith in the final. At the 2020 World Matchplay, Anderson made his first televised singles final since 2018, losing to Dimitri Van den Bergh.


2021: Fifth world final

Anderson went into the 2021 PDC World Darts Championship, 2021 World Championship as thirteenth seed; and dismissed his chances of a third world title after an opening win over Madars Razma, describing 2019 & 2020 as "rotten". He beat Mensur Suljović 4–3 in a controversial game, with Anderson accusing his opponent of gamesmanship. Anderson then whitewash (sport), whitewashed Devon Petersen to reach the eighth PDC World Championship quarterfinal of his career. Dirk van Duijvenbode won the first set against Anderson in the quarter-finals, but Anderson turned the game around including a run of ten legs in a row to win the match 5–1. Anderson secured a 6–3 win over
Dave Chisnall David Chisnall (born 12 September 1980) is an English professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked world number twelve; he reached a peak ranking of world number five in ...
in the semi-finals to qualify for his fifth World Championship final and set up a repeat of the controversial 2018 Grand Slam of Darts final against
Gerwyn Price Gerwyn Price (born 7 March 1985) is a Welsh professional darts player and former professional rugby union and rugby league player. He competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world ...
. Anderson went on to lose the final 7–3 to Price. At the 2021 World Matchplay, World Matchplay he lost in the second round to Nathan Aspinall.


2022

Anderson reached the semi-finals of the 2022 PDC World Darts Championship, 2022 World Championship. He began his campaign with a 3–1 win over Adrian Lewis in the second round. Victories against Ian White and Rob Cross saw him advance to the quarter-finals. He faced Luke Humphries for a place in the last four and won the match 5–2, securing a seventh PDC World Championship semi-final. He was eliminated in a 6–4 loss to eventual champion Peter Wright. Anderson earned his first nightly win under the new 2022 Premier League Darts, 2022 Premier League format on night six; he defeated Jonny Clayton, Peter Wright and Michael Smith to win the night in Nottingham. He was forced to withdraw from night nine in Leeds following a positive COVID-19 test. At the end of the league phase, Anderson finished bottom of the table with nine points. Anderson reached his only ranking final of the year at 2022 PDC Players Championship series#Players Championship 5, Players Championship 5 where he lost 8–6 to Damon Heta. He was also the runner-up at the 2022 Nordic Darts Masters, Nordic Darts Masters, losing 11–5 to Dimitri Van den Bergh.


2023

At the 2023 PDC World Darts Championship, 2023 World Championship, Anderson won his opening match 3–1 against Madars Razma. He faced Chris Dobey in the third round and took a 1–0 lead, but Dobey won the next four sets to win the match 4–1 and eliminate Anderson. Anderson ended a three-year ranking title drought by winning 2023 PDC Players Championship series#Players Championship 8, Players Championship 8 in March. He progressed to the final following a 7–3 win against
Gerwyn Price Gerwyn Price (born 7 March 1985) is a Welsh professional darts player and former professional rugby union and rugby league player. He competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world ...
before beating Krzysztof Ratajski 8–5. Later in the year, he won back-to-back Players Championship titles at events 24 and 25 with final victories over Ryan Joyce and Josh Rock. Anderson made his return to the European Tour after a seven-year absence by qualifying for the Dutch Darts Championship. However, he lost in the first round of the event, suffering a surprise 6–2 defeat to Czech qualifier Roman Benecký. He also competed at the Belgian Darts Open where he reached the quarter-finals, losing 6–1 to eventual champion
Michael van Gerwen Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player, who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world number three; he was ranked world number one from 20 ...
. Anderson and Scotland teammate Peter Wright made it to the final of the 2023 PDC World Cup of Darts, World Cup of Darts. The pair whitewashed France 8–0 in the quarter-finals before getting past Germany 8–5 in the semi-finals, but they succumbed to a 10–2 defeat to Wales (Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton) in the final. In televised singles competition, Anderson reached the quarter-finals of the 2023 Grand Slam of Darts, Grand Slam of Darts but narrowly lost 16–14 to Luke Humphries, who went on to win the tournament.


2024

Anderson opened his 2024 PDC World Darts Championship, 2024 World Championship campaign with a 3–0 win over
Simon Whitlock Simon Whitlock (born 3 March 1969) is an Australian professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, having previously competed in British Darts Organisation (BDO) events. Nicknamed "The Wizard", he won th ...
. He then took out Croatia's Boris Krčmar but then lost 4–3 to Brendan Dolan in the fourth round. On the 2024 PDC Pro Tour, 2024 Pro Tour, Anderson won 2024 PDC Players Championship series#Players Championship 2, Players Championship 2, defeating Ryan Searle (darts player), Ryan Searle 8–5 in the final. Anderson made the final again at Players Championship 3, but lost in a rematch against Searle 8–7. He earned his second Players Championship title of the year by beating Connor Scutt 8–4 to win Players Championship 22. On the 2024 PDC Pro Tour#PDC European Tour, European Tour, Anderson won his first European Tour title since the 2014 German Darts Championship by winning the 2024 European Darts Grand Prix in April. He defeated Christian Perez (darts player), Christian Perez 6–3, then
Gerwyn Price Gerwyn Price (born 7 March 1985) is a Welsh professional darts player and former professional rugby union and rugby league player. He competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world ...
6–4, Josh Rock 6–5 in a deciding leg and Rob Cross (darts player), Rob Cross 7–5 to reach the final. Anderson claimed the title with an 8–6 triumph over Ross Smith (darts player), Ross Smith. At the 2024 Grand Slam of Darts, Grand Slam of Darts, Anderson reached the semi-finals and established a 13–9 lead against Luke Littler, before ultimately losing 16–15 to the eventual champion.


2025

At the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship, 2025 World Championship, Anderson suffered a shock 3–0 loss to Jeffrey de Graaf in the second round. This was the first time Anderson lost his opening match at the event. He won his first title of the year at 2025 PDC Players Championship series#Players Championship 7, Players Championship 7 by defeating Adam Lipscombe 8–3 in the final, marking his 30th Players Championship title in total. He retained the 2025 European Darts Grand Prix, European Darts Grand Prix by whitewashing Andrew Gilding 8–0 in the final.


Personal life

Originally from
Musselburgh Musselburgh (; ; ) is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, east of Edinburgh city centre. It had a population of as of . History The name Musselburgh is Old English language, Old English in ...
, East Lothian, Anderson moved to Eyemouth, Berwickshire, after meeting his ex-wife Rosemary. The couple have two children. Having previously worked as a builder, Anderson and his partner Rachel moved south to run the Wellington Arms public house in East Brent, Somerset, Rooksbridge, Somerset, for fellow PDC player Steve Grubb. The couple have a son Tai (born 2014), and in October 2017 welcomed a baby girl. Regulars at the Wellington Arms included former world champions, Trina Gulliver and Mark Webster. After handing over running of the pub in 2016 to a new manager to allow Anderson to fully commit to his darts career, the family have since resided in Burnham on Sea, Somerset. Anderson's father Gordon died in March 2012. Anderson is a supporter of Scottish football club Hibernian F.C., Hibernian. Having initially gone under the moniker 'Dreamboy' earlier in his darts career, Anderson is now known as 'The Flying Scotsman' (after the Flying Scotsman (train), train of the same name), having adopted the nickname after it was passed on to him by Scottish darts legend Jocky Wilson in 2009.


World Championship results


BDO

* 2002: First round (lost to Stefan Nagy 0–3) * 2003: Semi-finals (lost to Ritchie Davies 2–5) * 2004: First round (lost to Tony O'Shea 0–3) * 2005: First round (lost to
Raymond van Barneveld Raymond van Barneveld (born 20 April 1967) is a Dutch professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he was ranked world number one from January 2008 to June 2008. Nicknamed "Barney", he is a five-t ...
0–3) * 2006: Second round (lost to
Raymond van Barneveld Raymond van Barneveld (born 20 April 1967) is a Dutch professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he was ranked world number one from January 2008 to June 2008. Nicknamed "Barney", he is a five-t ...
1–4) * 2007: First round (lost to Albertino Essers 1–3) * 2008: First round (lost to Fabian Roosenbrand 2–3) * 2009: Quarter-finals (lost to Tony O'Shea 3–5)


PDC

* 2010: Second round (lost to Ronnie Baxter 0–4) * 2011: Runner-up (lost to Adrian Lewis 5–7) * 2012: Quarter-finals (lost to
Simon Whitlock Simon Whitlock (born 3 March 1969) is an Australian professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, having previously competed in British Darts Organisation (BDO) events. Nicknamed "The Wizard", he won th ...
1–5) * 2013: Third round (lost to
Raymond van Barneveld Raymond van Barneveld (born 20 April 1967) is a Dutch professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he was ranked world number one from January 2008 to June 2008. Nicknamed "Barney", he is a five-t ...
0–4) * 2014: Third round (lost to
Michael van Gerwen Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player, who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world number three; he was ranked world number one from 20 ...
3–4) * 2015: Winner (beat Phil Taylor 7–6) * 2016: Winner (beat Adrian Lewis 7–5) * 2017: Runner-up (lost to
Michael van Gerwen Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player, who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world number three; he was ranked world number one from 20 ...
3–7) * 2018: Quarter-finals (lost to Phil Taylor 3–5) * 2019: Semi-finals (lost to
Michael van Gerwen Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player, who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world number three; he was ranked world number one from 20 ...
1–6) * 2020: Fourth round (lost to Nathan Aspinall 2–4) * 2021: Runner-up (lost to
Gerwyn Price Gerwyn Price (born 7 March 1985) is a Welsh professional darts player and former professional rugby union and rugby league player. He competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world ...
3–7) * 2022: Semi-finals (lost to Peter Wright 4–6) * 2023: Third round (lost to Chris Dobey 1–4) * 2024: Fourth round (lost to Brendan Dolan 3–4) * 2025: Second round (lost to Jeffrey de Graaf 0–3)


Career finals


BDO major finals: 4 (4 titles)


PDC major finals: 21 (8 titles)


PDC world series finals: 7 (6 titles)


PDC team finals: 4 (1 title)


Performance timeline


BDO


PDC

PDC European Tour PDC Players Championships


WDF Majors


Nine-dart finishes


Awards


PDC Awards

Anderson has received eight awards at the annual PDC Awards Dinner. , - , align="center", 2012 , , rowspan=5, Gary Anderson, , PDC Best 2011 PDC Pro Tour, Pro Tour Player , , , - , rowspan=4, align="center", 2015 , , PDC Player of the Year, , , - , PDPA Players' Player of the Year , , , - , PDC Fans' Player of the Year , , , - , 2011 PDC Pro Tour, Pro Tour Player of the Year, , , - , rowspan=3 align="center", 2016 , , Gary Anderson &
Michael van Gerwen Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player, who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where is currently ranked PDC Order of Merit, world number three; he was ranked world number one from 20 ...
, , PDC Player of the Year, , , - , , Gary Anderson, , PDC Fans' Player of the Year , , , - , 2015 PDC World Darts Championship, World Championship Semi-final, , Televised Performance of the Year, , , - , align="center", 2016 , , rowspan=3, Gary Anderson, , PDC Player of the Year, , , - , rowspan=3 align="center", 2019 , , PDC Player of the Year, , , - , , PDC Fans' Player of the Year , , , - , , 2018 World Matchplay, World Matchplay Quarter-final, , Televised Performance of the Year , , , -


Notes


References


External links


Gary Anderson profile
Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).
Gary Anderson profile
Unicorn Darts. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Gary 1970 births Sportspeople from the Scottish Borders Living people Scottish darts players Professional Darts Corporation current tour card holders British Darts Organisation players People from Eyemouth PDC world darts champions World Series of Darts winners UK Open champions World Matchplay (darts) champions Players Championship Finals champions Premier League Darts champions Champions League of Darts champions Darts players who have thrown televised nine-dart games PDC World Cup of Darts Scottish championship team