• Darts
    •  September 19, 2017

    180: Darts’ Highest Ever Earners

    September 19, 2017
    Alexander Ford
    Alexander Ford
    Contributor
    Alexander Ford
    Alexander Ford
    Contributor

    What is considered a pub game by many of us, the tungsten throwing game of darts has somehow turned into a lucrative – and luxurious – way of living for some of the world’s best arrow flingers.

    It has been argued whether throwing a small metal arrow at a board from approximately 8 feet away is a sport, for years – and that’s an argument that has been attempted to settle before – however, these 10 men won’t care what you think.

    The following have managed to rake in at least £1million each during their careers in prize money, which is defiantly more than most of us could make in our own lifetimes from our employment.

    Starting from tenth, heading to the number one spot, the amount of dollar – well pounds in our case – these ‘sports’ stars have earned themselves will make us want to head to the local pub and see if we can try and throw some tungsten whilst we have a pint in the other hand.

    10. Dave Chisnall – £1,381,165

    ‘Chizzy’ is still only 36, and is considered a fairly young talent to the game; he joined the PDC in 2011 and has been runner-up in four of their major events, although he dominated the BDO circuit before switching.

    9. Mervyn King – £1,439,358

    ‘The King’ as he is known on stage has represented both professional darts organisations, having been crowned the world’s No.1 with the BDO; he hasn’t quite conquered the realm of the PDC just yet.

    8. Simon Whitlock – £1,594,749

    Everyone’s favourite Aussie, ‘The Wizard’ from a land down under has entertained crowds with his large checkout combinations. He really is magical when it comes to finishing a leg.

    7. Peter Wright – £1,828,138

    ‘Snakebite’ has started to become a venomous opponent as he has become deadly at the oche, having made his way to the world’s current No.3 spot; he is also known for his exuberant hairstyles and colour choices.

    6. James Wade – £2,670,143

    Nicknamed ‘The Machine’, the left-hander has won many of the PDC’s elite tournaments, seeing him become ranked as high as second in the world by the organisation.

    5. Adrian Lewis – £2,746,634

    Adrian Lewis, once a protege of Phil Taylor, is known as ‘Jackpot’ and it is not difficult to see why. However, he was given the nickname as he won at an American event but was unable to claim the prize money ($72,000) under U.S. gaming laws – how unfortunate!

    4. Gary Anderson – £3,051,272

    The ‘Flying Scotsman’ has definitely flown through the rankings since he joined the PDC, having climbed up the rankings faster than anyone could have managed. He has won the World Championships on two occasions – 2015 and 2016, which would have increased his prize money ten-fold.

    3. Raymond van Barneveld – £3,119,128

    Everybody’s favourite player – arguably – ‘Barney’ is widely known as one of the world’s most successful stars of the sport. He has made a final appearance in almost all of the major competitions, however, he would normally go on to meet nemesis Phil Taylor in most of those.

    2. Michael van Gerwen – £5,049,917

    ‘Mighty Mike’ has dominated world darts for the past couple of years and is expected to do so for a long time ahead. He is the second most successful player in the PDC’s history, and being only 28, he still has a lot of time left to reign supreme.

    1. Phil Taylor – £7,419,816

    A name synonymous with the arrows is ‘The Power’, and it is no surprise to find him at the top of the earnings. He has started to slow down in recent years, however, you can guarantee there is still fire in the belly to go on and earn some more quid.

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