Phil Taylor

Philip Douglas Taylor, born on August 13, 1960, is a retired English darts player widely regarded as the greatest in the sport's history. Known by his moniker, "The Power," Taylor's remarkable career spanned over twenty years, during which he achieved an astounding total of 214 professional tournament victories, including a record 85 major titles and 16 World Championships.

Taylor's dominance was particularly evident in the World Championship where he clinched an unprecedented eight consecutive titles from 1995 to 2002 and reached 21 finals throughout his career, a feat unmatched in the sport. He held the world number one ranking for a cumulative thirteen years, including an impressive eight-year streak from 2006 to 2013. His record of 70 PDC Pro Tour wins stood until surpassed by Michael van Gerwen in February 2019. Taylor also set the standard for excellence in high-scoring with 11 televised nine-dart finishes, alongside a total of 22 across his career, becoming the first player to achieve two nine-dart finishes in a single match.

Initially competing under the British Darts Organisation (BDO) until 1993, Taylor was instrumental in the establishment of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) alongside other leading players. He was honored with the PDC Player of the Year award six times and was a two-time nominee for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, finishing as the runner-up in 2010—making him the first darts player to achieve such recognition. In 2011, he was inducted into the PDC Hall of Fame. Taylor concluded his illustrious playing career following the 2018 World Championship.