Phil Taylor Reveals Darts Star Missed Multi-Million Fortune After Rejecting PDC
Phil Taylor believes a darts star could have become a multi-millionaire had he joined the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).
In 1993, Taylor was among 16 players who broke away from the British Darts Organisation (BDO) to form the World Darts Council (WDC), later named the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).
The BDO subsequently banned all 16 players from competing in their events, with the WDC launching a lawsuit in response over alleged loss of earnings.
A settlement was reached and a judge agreed in favour of the WDC stars.
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Taylor, Eric Bristow and Dennis Priestley left the BDO, but Raymond van Barneveld and John Part stayed put before eventually making the move over to the PDC.
Gary Anderson, Stephen Bunting and Simon Whitlock also made the switch.
But Martin Adams opted against joining the PDC from the BDO.
Adams won six major BDO titles during his decorated career, including three World Championships in 2007, 2010 and 2011.
'Wolfie' was a mainstay on the BDO circuit until 2020, having made his debut in 1988. He now competes in the World Darts Federation (WDF).
He did, however, accept invitations from the PDC to play in the World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and World Matchplay events, reaching the semi-finals of the latter in 2001.
Taylor played Adams at the World Senior's Champion of Champions tournament in 2023.
Speaking ahead of their match, 'The Power' bemoaned the 69-year-old's decision to not join the PDC, claiming he could have earned 'millions' and improved his game.
"He's a player I thought, 'You should have come over [to the PDC]'," said Taylor.
"He sticks by what he believes in. But when I look at Martin now, I think, 'You could have been a multi, multi-millionaire'. He might be one, I don't know.
"But he had the talent to get up there and be in the top three in the world.
"Could he have made a splash on the PDC? I don't think he would. I know he would have done. It would have improved Martin and his game.
"He was a good practicer. If you look at his style, I think he probably has one of the nicest styles in darts. He's a good finisher, a good scorer. Very good under pressure."
Adams revealed why he never joined the PDC, explaining that he didn't want to give up his captaincy of the England national darts team.
"I was captain of England, and I didn't want to give that up," he told Wayne Mardle on the Club 501 YouTube channel.
"To get to that position, over the years you've had loads and loads of help from all the different officials. They do their jobs for nothing, and I wasn't going to walk away from them. I wasn't going to let them down.
"I was still captain of England, I was still part of the BDO. Why change?"
Topics: Darts
Nasir Jabbar