The world champion Phil Taylor has proven that the skill of playing darts has no limits. Read along to learn all about Phil Taylor’s success, and feel free to use the navigation bar below to jump to a relevant section in the blog post.
Phil Taylor’s Early Life – The Rise of a Champion
Before Phil Douglas Taylor became a world champion in darts, he was living with his family in the small town of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, leaving school at just 16 years of age. He spent most of his early years making ceramic toilet roll handles, earning just £52 a week.
He always had an interest in sports, specifically the game of darts. He loved playing it casually, and eventually, he was able to move to a house in Burslem that was very close to the Crafty Cockney pub, owned by Eric Bristow.
He was gifted a set of darts for his birthday in 1986 by his wife Yvonne, and that’s when he started taking this hobby of his seriously. Eventually, he started playing the game at Bristow’s pub, and everyone saw he was way ahead of his opponents. Bristow saw potential in Phil and would later become his mentor.
Eric started sponsoring Taylor and loaned him £10,000 to help kick-start his career as a professional darts player. This loan also helped Phil Taylor support his family. He then stopped working in the ceramic industry and spawned the start of an immensely successful professional career in darts, beginning in 1987.
Phil got his iconic nickname ‘The Power’ and ended up dominating the game, winning 85 titles and records in 16 World Championships. As he is now retired, people can’t bet on him on the best darts betting sites in the UK anymore, but he will truly be remembered as a champion.
The Beginning of Phil’s Success
Phil’s initial career years had a rough start, but he was able to pull through. Taylor and Bristow travelled to Las Vegas in 1987, and this marked the beginning of Phil Taylor’s darts career.
Phil was beaten in the first round in the North American Open, showing that he needed some time to earn recognition. But his first career title didn’t take too long. He won the Canadian Open in 1988, where he defeated the then-world champion Bob Anderson in the final.
Moving on to his next event, the British Open and the semi-final of the Winmau World Masters in 1989, Taylor would earn his first World Champion qualification. His participation in the Open events gave him a head start, but his win in 1990, as a 125-1 unseeded outsider, made him stand out.
From there, Taylor would win several more events up until 1993, when he became the landlord at the Cricketers Army in Newcastle-under-Lyme. From 1994 onwards, Phil Taylor’s darts career would move to the PDC and BDO World Championships, which we’ll discuss next in the blog post.
BDO and PDC – Phil Taylor’s Professional Ascent
The only available professional darts body at the time of Phil’s career start was the BDO World Championship. This was the time when Taylor beat his mentor Eric Bristow in 1990. We mentioned the Open Tournaments that followed, and we’ll delve into the following events of Phil Taylor’s darts career.
Up until 1993, the rising star Phil played in competitions organised by the BDO, along with other founding players of the then-called WDC in the well-documented split in professional darts. Then, in 1994, Phil lost the final to Priestley in the PDC, marking the first and last loss for Taylor in the darts’ premier competition.
From 2004 up until 2006, Phil Taylor’s world titles only grew in numbers, but this was the time when he met his real challenger, Raymond van Barneveld. However, this did not stop Phil, as he gave a stunning performance, beating him in 2007.
2008 was the year Taylor failed to claim the PDC World Championship, and then in 2009, he was able to regain it. The list below will give you a timeline of some of the Phil Taylor darts wins in the BDO and PDC:
BDO Major Finals:
- 1990 – Winner – World Darts Championship vs. Eric Bristow
- 1990 – Winner – Winmau World Masters vs. Jocky Wilson
- 1992 – Winner – World Darts Championship vs. Mike Gregory
- 2006 – Winner – World Darts Trophy vs. Martin Adams
PDC Major Finals:
- 1995 – Winner – World Darts Championship vs. Dennis Priestley
- 1997 – Winner – World Darts Championship vs. Dennis Priestley
- 2000 – Winner – World Matchplay vs. Alan Warriner-Little
- 2005 – Winner – Las Vegas Desert Classic vs. Wayne Mardle
- 2008 – Winner – World Matchplay vs. James Wade
- 2012 – Winner – Premier League vs. Simon Whitlock
- 2016 – Winner – World Matchplay vs. Michael Van Gerwen
- 2018 – Runner-up – PDC World Darts Championship vs. Rob Cross
These are just some of the Phil Taylor darts wins. As you can see from the data above, the darts champion was very active throughout his time and has proven to be worthy of the Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor nickname.
Phil Taylor’s World Titles, Achievements and Winnings
In total, Phil has won over 85 tournaments and many awards. The champion truly proved he’s the best. In total, Phil Taylor’s career earnings sum up to £7.1 million, which is a staggering amount.
It’s hard to pick which win is the one that stands out the most, but we can surely say that Phil is arguably the best darts player of all time. Nevertheless, as seen in the markets and advertisements of the best betting sites for UK players, other legendary players also deserve recognition.
Phil has aired on national British television multiple times, having over 10 televised appearances. By the end of his career in 2018, he had won matches against the world’s most skilled rivals – Dennis Priestley, John Part, Raymond Van Barneveld, and many more.
Phil Taylor’s Net Worth and Current Life
Phil Taylor’s net worth totals up to over £8,000,000. This has been accumulated throughout his very active darts career. For the time period of 1995 to 2002, Phil won eight consecutive World Championships and many more afterwards. The table below will give you insight into his progress.
| PDC Player of the Year | 2006, 2008-2012 |
| PDC Fans’ Player of the Year | 2007-2011 |
| Best PDC Pro Tour Player/Floor Player | 2008, 2009 |
| PDPA Players’ Player of the Year | 2008, 2009 |
| Best Televised Performance of the Year: | 2016 |
| PDC Hall of Fame | 2011 |
| BBC Sports Personality of the Year (Runner-up) | 2010 |
It goes without saying that Phil succeeded in cementing himself in darts’ history. In our opinion, his accumulated net worth is entirely deserved. After the 2018 World Championship, Taylor announced his retirement.
In 2022, he made a comeback and participated in the 2022 World Series Darts Championship, but he lost in the quarter-finals. We don’t know if we will ever see him again play professional darts, but any appearance of him in the future will surely be inspiring to all people who love the game of darts.
Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor – The Retirement of a King
It’s time to give you our thoughts on Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor, the ultimate world darts champion. Starting as a regular English worker, Taylor climbed up the ranks with pure skill and talent. He will most definitely be remembered as the greatest darts player of all time, and with good reason.
To say he nailed the darts game would be an understatement. Winning over 85 tournaments and setting several World Championship records, he deserves his iconic nickname. Even though Phil retired, we will never forget his immeasurable success. The darts industry moves forward, awaiting its next rising star.
Frequently Asked Questions
In the section below, you’ll find quick answers to the segments discussed in the blog. We covered a lot, and the most common inquiries are below – you can click on the links that will take you to the relevant section of the blog post.