Neil Duff (born 22 July 1972) is a Northern Irish 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
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) events. He is a former
WDF World Champion, having won the
2022 World Championship. He was previously ranked number one in the
WDF World Rankings.
Career
Duff started playing darts when he was almost 30 years old and did not turn professional until he approached 50.
Duff reached the quarter-finals of the
2019 World Masters but lost to eventual champion
John O'Shea
John Francis O'Shea (; born 30 April 1981) is an Irish professional football coach and former player who is currently assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland men's national team. He was known for his versatility in playing several defensi ...
.
In April 2022, Duff won the inaugural
WDF World Darts Championship. He defeated
Justin Thompson and Nick Fullwell before a quarter-final comeback win against Jim McEwan, where Duff recovered from 3–0 down to beat McEwan 4–3. He beat
Richard Veenstra 5–2 in the semi-finals to reach the final, where he defeated
Thibault Tricole 6–5 and became the first Northern Irish world darts champion, as well as the first player to win at the
Lakeside on debut since
Christian Kist
Christian Kist (born 21 April 1986) is a Dutch professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. In 2012, he won the BDO World Darts Championship, defeating Tony O'Shea in the final.
Career BDO
Kist reached ...
at the
2012 BDO World Championship. He won the title on his daughter Hayley's eighteenth birthday. Duff's win was celebrated at an event in his home town
Ballyclare
Ballyclare () is a small town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 10,850 according to the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, and is located within the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council area. It is part of, and ...
that was organised by the
Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council
Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council is a local authority that was established on 1 April 2015. It replaces Antrim Borough Council and Newtownabbey Borough Council. A statutory transition committee was established in 2013 to prepare for the m ...
.
At the
2023 WDF World Championship, Duff began his title defence with a 3–1 win over
Moreno Blom. In the next round, he went 2–1 down against Martyn Turner but won the match 3–2 to progress to the quarter-finals. Duff's title defence was ended by
Chris Landman who defeated Duff 4–3. Despite the exit, Duff was ranked number one in the WDF World Rankings after the tournament after players won
PDC Tour Cards at
2024 Q-School, leading to their removal from the WDF rankings.
At the
2024 WDF World Championship, Duff reached the quarter-finals. He went 3–0 down to
Jason Brandon but won the next three sets to level the match at 3–3. However, Brandon won the last set to beat Duff 4–3.
Personal life
Duff worked as a
joiner
Joinery is a part of woodworking that involves joining pieces of wood, engineered lumber, or synthetic substitutes (such as laminate), to produce more complex items. Some woodworking joints employ mechanical fasteners, bindings, or adhesives, ...
before becoming a full-time professional darts player.
World Championship results
WDF
* 2022: Winner (beat
Thibault Tricole 6–5) (sets)
* 2023: Quarter-finals (lost to
Chris Landman 3–4)
* 2024: Quarter-finals (lost to
Jason Brandon 3–4)
WSDT
* 2023: Quarter-finals (lost to
Robert Thornton 1–3)
* 2024: Second round (lost to
Paul Hogan
Paul Hogan (born 8 October 1939) is an Australian actor and comedian. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his performance as ...
0–3)
* 2025: Second round (lost to
Graham Usher 1–3)
Career finals
WDF major finals: (1 title)
References
External links
*
*
Neil Duff - WDF
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duff, Neil
Living people
1972 births
Darts players from Northern Ireland
British Darts Organisation players
WDF world darts champions