“He was quiet, even shy. And then he stepped on stage and became someone else” – Luke Woodhouse recognises himself in Freddy Mercury

In the latest episode of the Tops & Tales podcast hosted by a PDC referee, Luke Woodhouse joined the show. “Woody” recently reached his highest position in the world rankings and has been a mainstay on the Pro Tour for years. In this conversation, the Englishman spoke candidly about how balance, friendship, and mental calm are playing an increasingly important role in his career.

Away from darts, Woodhouse is passionate about another sport: golf. “I’m a massive golf fan,” he says. “I play as much as I can. For me it’s completely separate from darts.”

He is a member of Beaulieu Pines Golf Club, mainly as a summer member, and often plays with people from the darts world. One name comes up immediately: Daz Rollings, PDC official and regular golf partner. Damon Heta also often joins them. “The great thing about golf is that it completely switches my mind off from darts,” Woodhouse explains. “I put my phone in my bag and don’t look at it for hours. You walk, you talk, you’re outside. Sometimes the golf is almost secondary.”

What stands out is how consciously Woodhouse deals with relaxation. Although he plays with Heta and Rollings, he actually tries to avoid talking about darts. “You don’t talk all the time about form or results,” he says. “Especially with Daz, who works within the PDC, you just want to keep it light. It’s general chat, not work-related.”

The conversation takes an unexpected turn when illness and injuries come up. Ware notes how remarkable it was that hardly any players or officials became ill during the World Championship at Alexandra Palace.

Woodhouse confirms that players sometimes have no choice but to play on. “If you get ill and you don’t turn up for the next round, you don’t get the prize money for that round. So unless you really can’t stand, you carry on.”

He speaks from experience. During a European Tour event in Graz, he was struggling with back problems. “Throwing was fine, but even that little step up to the oche, you could feel it.”

“Sometimes it actually helps,” Woodhouse says. “You’re less obsessed with doing everything perfectly. You’re focused on surviving, on protecting yourself. And because of that, you sometimes actually play better.”

Ware then recalls Simon Whitlock once averaging over 104 while carrying an injury.

One of the most talked-about moments of Woodhouse’s career came at the World Championship, when he played against close friend Damon Heta. Heta hit a nine-darter and Woodhouse celebrated wildly.

“People immediately suggested I was celebrating because of the prize money,” Woodhouse says. “But that wasn’t it at all. I was just so happy for him.”

He points out that Heta had missed a chance at a nine-darter in an earlier match. “Then you see your mate do it on the biggest stage. That’s pure emotion.”

There was also some self-reflection. “Afterwards I did think for a moment: did I take his moment a bit? But everything worked out. It was genuine.”

What often gets forgotten is that Woodhouse went on to win the match anyway, coming back from 3–1 down in sets. He knocked out his friend with no room for sentiment. “On that stage, there are no friends,” he says calmly. “He wants to win, I want to win. That’s it.”

Playing against good friends is almost unavoidable on the Pro Tour. Woodhouse is realistic about that. “You play each other so often that you just get used to it.”

There is little time for chatting, especially at the World Championship. Media duties take up a lot of time, and by the time interviews are finished, the opponent is often already gone. “People don’t always see that,” he explains. “But it’s just part of the job.”

The conversation shifts to music, and Ware and Woodhouse turn out to be very much on the same wavelength. Both are huge Queen fans, with Freddie Mercury as their ultimate hero. “My dad always listened to Queen,” Woodhouse says. “In the car, on cassette tapes. That’s where it started.”

What touches him most is the contrast between Mercury’s stage presence and his personality off it. “He was quiet, even shy. And then he stepped on stage and became someone else. That fascinated me.”

Woodhouse recognises himself in that. “You don’t always have to be extrovert. He showed you can still be great.”

His favourite song? From Mercury’s solo work he names “Barcelona”, and from Queen he picks “Now I’m Here”. “Yeah, I love it. My favourite Queen song is ‘Now I’m Here.’”

Although Ware has seen Queen with Adam Lambert several times, Woodhouse is more hesitant. “I’m a bit of a stick in the mud. For me, Queen is Freddie Mercury, so I don’t watch too much of Queen without Freddie.”

At the same time, he recognises Lambert’s quality. “From what I’ve heard, he’s just being him. He’s not trying to be Freddie. He brings his own twist, he’s not copying what Freddie used to do.”