Simon Whitlock

Simon Whitlock (AUS)

Published: Tuesday, 11 November 2008, 12:00PM

Nickname: Wizard of Oz

DOB / Age: 3 March 1969 – 39 years old

Darts Used: 22 gram Puma

Career highlights:

Lakeside World Championship runner-up: 2008
Australia National Championships winner: 2008
Professional   Australian Grand Masters winner: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
Australian Masters winner: 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007
Castle Hill winner: 2005
Central Coast Australian Classic winner: 2008
Coota winner: 2004
Goulburn Open winner: 2007
Japan Open winner: 2006
Mittagong RSL Open winner: 2007
New Zealand Masters winner: 2005
Oak Flats Soundwaves Open winner: 2007
Oceanic Masters winner: 2002
Pacific Masters winner 2004, 2006, 2008
Pine Rivers Open winner: 2007
Russell Stewart Classic winner: 2007
Southern Illawarra winner: 2007
Wagga Classic winner: 2007
Wagga Classic winner: 2007
Wattle Time Memorial Tournament winner: 2004

The Aussie, who walks on to INXS’s New Sensation, cleaned up most titles in his homeland before plying his trade more regularly in the UK

He showed he could mix it with the big boys by reaching the semi-finals of the 2005 BDO World Darts Championship and the International Darts League in 2005 and 2006.

And then earlier this year, he became the first Australian to the reach the BDO World Darts Championship final since Tony David won the tournament in 2002. Whitlock was beaten by number one seed Mark Webster 7-5.