Professional Darts Corporation Triple Crown
{{Short description|Darts' three most prestigious tournaments}}
The Triple Crown refers to winning the three most prestigious tournaments in the Professional Darts Corporation: the World Championship, the World Matchplay and the Premier League.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/darts/45000782|title=Anderson seals thrilling Matchplay win|work=BBC Sport |date=29 July 2018 }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.skysports.com/darts/news/31667/9912814/world-matchplay-gary-anderson-is-chasing-a-triple-crown|title=World Matchplay: What if Gary Anderson wins the triple crown?|website=Sky Sports}} Players who win all three tournaments over the course of their career are said to have won the PDC Triple Crown.
Four professional players have won a career PDC Triple Crown: Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson and Luke Humphries.{{Cite web|url=https://dartsnews.com/news/anderson-becomes-third-player-to-complete-darting-triple-crown-with-world-matchplay-win|title=Anderson becomes third player to complete darting triple crown with World Matchplay win|date=July 30, 2018|website=Dartsnews.com}} Taylor has won the most Triple Crown titles, with 36,{{Cite web|url=https://mastercaller.com/players/phil-taylor/won-titles|title=Mastercaller|website=mastercaller.com}} while van Gerwen has won 13{{Cite web|url=https://mastercaller.com/players/michael-van-gerwen/won-titles|title=Mastercaller|website=mastercaller.com}}, Anderson has 5 and Humphries 3.{{Cite web|url=https://mastercaller.com/players/gary-anderson/won-titles|title=Mastercaller|website=mastercaller.com}} Only Taylor has won all three Triple Crown events in a single season, accomplishing this feat twice (in 2006 and 2010).
History
In 1994, the World Championship was held for the first time, with Dennis Priestley winning the first PDC Triple Crown event,{{cite web | url=https://www.balls.ie/other-sports/why-is-there-two-darts-world-championships-354404-354404#:~:text=Denis%20Priestley%20won%20the%20first,in%20the%201991%20Embassy%20Final | title=The Story of How There Came to be Two World Darts Championships | date=24 December 2021 }} the only such win of his career. Larry Butler became the first winner of the World Matchplay that same year,{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXcGuLJprUw|title=1994 World Matchplay Final | Larry Butler v Dennis Priestley|date=July 2015 |via=www.youtube.com}} and this was also the only Triple Crown event he won.
In 2005, the first Premier League was held, with 7 players taking part. The event was won by Phil Taylor, who became the first player to win a career PDC Triple Crown in the process.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pdc.tv/news/2005-888com-premier-league-darts-results|title=2005 888.com Premier League Darts Results|website=PDC}}
Career Triple Crown winners
Four players have completed a career Triple Crown: Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson and Luke Humphries. Only Taylor has won all three Triple Crown events in the same year, a feat he achieved twice, in 2006 and 2010. After winning the World Championship in 2017, van Gerwen held all 3 Triple Crown titles simultaneously (having won both the Premier League and the Matchplay in 2016).
| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
!Player !Total !World !World !Premier !Winning !Career Triple Crown !Single year |
| align="left" | {{flagicon|ENG}} {{sortname|Phil|Taylor|Phil Taylor (darts player)}}
|36 |14 |16 |6 |style="padding-left:15px; padding-right:15px" | 1995–2017 |align="left" | 2005 Premier League |align="left" data-sort-value="2;2010" | 2 (2006, 2010) |
| align="left" | {{flagicon|NED}} {{sortname|Michael|van Gerwen}} {{dagger}}
|13 |3 |3 |7 |2013–2023 |align="left" | 2015 World Matchplay | |
| align="left" | {{flagicon|SCO}} {{sortname|Gary|Anderson|Gary Anderson (darts player)}} {{dagger}}
|5 |2 |1 |2 |2011–2018 |align="left" | 2018 World Matchplay | |
| align="left" | {{flagicon|ENG}} {{sortname|Luke|Humphries}} {{dagger}}
|3 |1 |1 |1 |2024–2025 |align="left" | 2025 Premier League | |
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%;"
!colspan=2 | Legend |
| {{dagger}}
|The names of active players are marked in bold. |
Other tournament winners
=One win away from Triple Crown=
James Wade has won the Premier League and World Matchplay once each, meaning he needs to win the World Championship to complete the Triple Crown.{{Cite web|url=https://mastercaller.com/players/james-wade/won-titles|title=Mastercaller|website=mastercaller.com}} Peter Wright is yet to win the Premier League, but does have two World Championship titles and a World Matchplay title to his name. With three Triple Crown competition wins, he has the highest number of Triple Crown titles of any player who has not completed the set.{{Cite web|url=https://mastercaller.com/players/peter-wright/won-titles|title=Mastercaller|website=mastercaller.com}} Rob Cross also needs to win the Premier League to complete the Triple Crown having won the World Championship in 2018 and World Matchplay in 2019.{{Cite web|url=https://mastercaller.com/players/rob-cross/won-titles|title=Mastercaller|website=mastercaller.com}} Raymond van Barneveld has won the Premier League and World Championship once each, and needs to win a Matchplay to complete the set.{{Cite web|url=https://mastercaller.com/players/raymond-van-barneveld/won-titles|title=Mastercaller|website=mastercaller.com}} Luke Littler has also won the Premier League and World Championship once each and he needs to win a Matchplay to claim the Triple Crown.{{Cite web|url=https://mastercaller.com/players/luke-littler/won-titles|title=Mastercaller|website=mastercaller.com}}
Wright, van Barneveld and Cross have all reached the final of their respective missing Triple Crown tournaments, whereas James Wade is a four-time World Championship semi-finalist.
=Won at least 1 Triple Crown Title=
As of 21 July 2024, six players have won the World Championship and neither of the other two Triple Crown events: Adrian Lewis (2011 and 2012), John Part (2003 and 2008), Dennis Priestley (1994), Gerwyn Price (2021) and Michael Smith (2023).{{Cite web|url=https://www.dartsdatabase.co.uk/TournamentDetails.aspx?TournKey=11|title=PDC World Championship Roll Of Honour|website=www.dartsdatabase.co.uk}} Rod Harrington has won two Triple Crown titles, both at the World Matchplay (1998 and 1999).{{Cite web|url=https://www.dartsdatabase.co.uk/TournamentDetails.aspx?TournKey=13|title=World Matchplay Roll Of Honour|website=www.dartsdatabase.co.uk}}
Larry Butler (1994), Peter Evison (1996), Colin Lloyd (2005), Dimitri Van den Bergh (2020) and Nathan Aspinall (2023) have each won one Triple Crown title, the World Matchplay. Glen Durrant (2020), and Jonny Clayton (2021) won their only Triple Crown title, to date, in the Premier League.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sportshistori.com/2018/01/premier-league-darts-past-finals-winners.html|title=Premier League Darts Winners List, Clayton 2021 debut year champion – Sports history|website=www.sportshistori.com}}
A list of every winner of at least 1 Triple Crown event is shown below:
| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
!Player !Total !World Championship !World Matchplay !Premier League !Winning span | ||||
| align="left" class="tripleFull" | {{flagicon|ENG}} {{sortname|Phil|Taylor|Phil Taylor (darts player)}}
|36 | 14 | 16 | 6 | 1995–2017 |
| align="left" class="tripleFull" | {{flagicon|NED}} {{sortname|Michael|van Gerwen}}
|13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 2013–2023 |
| align="left" class="tripleFull"| {{flagicon|SCO}} {{sortname|Gary|Anderson|Gary Anderson (darts player)}}
|5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2011–2018 |
| align="left" class="tripleDouble"| {{flagicon|SCO}} {{sortname|Peter|Wright|Peter Wright (darts player)}}
|3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2020–2022 |
| align="left" class="tripleFull"| {{flagicon|ENG}} {{sortname|Luke|Humphries}}
|3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2024–2025 |
| align="left"| {{flagicon|CAN}} {{sortname|John|Part}}
|2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2003–2008 |
| align="left"| {{flagicon|ENG}} {{sortname|Adrian|Lewis}}
|2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2011–2012 |
| align="left" class="tripleDouble"| {{flagicon|ENG}} {{sortname|Rob|Cross|Rob Cross (darts player)}}
|2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2018–2019 |
| align="left" class="tripleDouble"| {{flagicon|NED}} {{sortname|Raymond|van Barneveld}}
|2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2007–2014 |
| align="left" class="tripleDouble"| {{flagicon|ENG}} {{sortname|Luke|Littler}}
|2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2024–2025 |
| align="left"| {{flagicon|ENG}} {{sortname|Rod|Harrington}}
|2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1998–1999 |
| align="left" class="tripleDouble"| {{flagicon|ENG}} {{sortname|James|Wade}}
|2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2007–2009 |
| align="left"| {{flagicon|ENG}} {{sortname|Dennis|Priestley}}
|1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1994 |
| align="left"| {{flagicon|WAL}} {{sortname|Gerwyn|Price}}
|1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2021 |
| align="left"| {{flagicon|ENG}} {{sortname|Michael|Smith|Michael Smith (darts player)}}
|1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2023 |
| align="left"| {{flagicon|USA}} {{sortname|Larry|Butler|Larry Butler (darts player)}}
|1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1994 |
| align="left"| {{flagicon|ENG}} {{sortname|Peter|Evison}}
|1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1996 |
| align="left"| {{flagicon|ENG}} {{sortname|Colin|Lloyd}}
|1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2005 |
| align="left"| {{flagicon|BEL}} {{sortname|Dimitri|Van den Bergh}}
|1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2020 |
| align="left"| {{flagicon|ENG}} {{sortname|Nathan|Aspinall}}
|1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2023 |
| align="left"| {{flagicon|ENG}} {{sortname|Glen|Durrant}}
|1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2020 |
| align="left"| {{flagicon|WAL}} {{sortname|Jonny|Clayton}}
|1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2021 |
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%;"
! colspan="2" | Legend |
| align="center" class="tripleFullCell"|
|Player, marked in bold, won all three Triple Crown tournaments. |
| align="center" class="tripleDoubleCell"|
|Player won two of the three Triple Crown tournaments. |