The US Darts Masters returns on Saturday where Michael van Gerwen will look to defend his crown after defeating Canadian, Jeff Smith, in last year’s final.
The last few years have seen a host of American stars make a name for themselves on the PDC stage, and here we look at the greatest darting exports from North America.
Honourable Mention – Paul Lim
The legend goes by the ‘Singapore Slinger’ nowadays, but Lim has previously represented the United States in international competition.
The 70-year-old has won four gold-ranked events for the US between 1980 and 1986 and has a host of individual titles across many states.
His greatest feat came in 1990 when he became the first person to hit a nine-dart leg in the World Championship at age 35 – an achievement he nearly repeated against Gary Anderson 28 years later.
Lim is still going strong on the oche, and he will once again grace the PDC stage as he is set to play in the World Cup at the end of June.
5. Leonard Gates
The charismatic American is a late bloomer in darts and didn’t introduce himself on the big stage until after 50.
Gates has a catalogue of amateur tournaments to his name and has appeared in both codes of the World Championship since 2022, but it’s the World Seniors where he’s really made his name.
The Texas native captured three televised World Seniors titles in 2023 including the World Championship, and shocked Phil Taylor in the Champion of Champions en route to glory.
4. Jeff Smith
Like most on this list, the Canadian has picked up a host of amateur titles across the continent but Smith’s impact has been felt across the water in both the BDO and PDC.
In 2016, he was runner-up in the BDO World Championship to Scott Waites and reached the semi-final the previous year.
He has twice earned a PDC Tour Card and has been a regular on the big stage.
Last year, he had an incredible run to the final of the US Darts Masters where he beat Peter Wright, Nathan Aspinall and Luke Humphries.
‘The Silencer’ announced a break from darts after failing to qualify for the PDC World Championship in 2024 but at 48 years old, don’t be surprised if we’ve not heard the last of him.
3. Steve Brown
Most may not have heard of Steve Brown, but the American was a pioneer in PDC Darts.
He competed in the inaugural PDC World Championship after the controversial split from the BDO, finishing third after losing to Phil Taylor in the final four.
Brown also reach the quarter-final of the World Matchplay in 2000 and battled many PDC stars such as John Part and Rod Harrington across the United States.
Brown contributed to the growth of darts across the continent and if you talk to American darts fans, many will tell you about the impact of ‘Brownie’.
2. Larry Butler
No list about American darts would be complete without Larry Butler.
‘The Eagle’ had a significant impact in the early PDC World Championships where he took out former champions such as Keith Deller and John Lowe, as well as World Number One Rod Harrington.
His crowning moment though came in 1994 when Butler became the only American winner of a PDC Major – lifting the inaugural World Matchplay.
He beat then-World Champion Dennis Priestley in the final to lift the trophy and cement his place in the annals of darting history.
1. John Part
Was there ever any doubt who would take the number one spot?
John Part’s accolades are nearly endless.
The Canadian has lifted the World Championship three times in his career and defeated the seemingly invincible Phil Taylor in 2003’s epic final.
He was the first person to lift the iconic trophy on the Alexandra Palace stage in 2008 and has an incredible 22 PDC titles to his name.
When it comes to North American darts, nobody comes close to ‘Darth Maple’ and he was rightly inducted into the PDC’s 2017 Hall of Fame.
We may not have seen the last of the former World Number One on the oche.
Part entered Q-School in 2024 and made it to the final stage.
Though he failed to secure a tour card, the hunger for success is still there – could we see him roll back the years one more time?