Kevin Painter - The Artist who turned World Championship heartbreak into major glory

In this feature, we regularly look back in the day with a particular darts player. Today, we are doing so with Kevin Painter. He grew into one of the most recognisable players in the history of professional darts. Nicknamed ‘The Artist', he won just one PDC major during his career, but his name is forever etched into darts history. Above all, his legendary World Championship final against Phil Taylor in 2004 made Painter immortal. It was a match that grew into one of the most memorable contests ever played on television.

Kevin Painter was born on July 12, 1967, and started playing darts around the age of 17. He spent his early years within the BDO, gradually working his way up. In 1994, he made his World Championship debut. There, he lost 3-2 to Kevin Kenny in the first round.

A year later, Painter managed to go one round further, but Martin Adams proved too strong, winning 3-0. Nevertheless, 1995 was an important year. He won the inaugural edition of the England Open, showing that he had the level required to play an important role in international darts.

In 1997, another milestone followed when Painter won the prestigious British Open. He was also progressing further at the BDO World Championship. In 2000, he reached the quarter-finals of the World Championship for the first time. There, he lost 5-2 to Ted Hankey, who would eventually go on to win the world title.

Around the turn of the millennium, Painter began pushing his limits more and more. He won the Swedish Open and, in the meantime, also took his first steps on the PDC circuit. At the 2000 World Grand Prix, he immediately reached the second round. There, Phil Taylor was waiting for him, with Taylor eventually winning 3-2.

Painter's definitive move to the PDC came in 2001. And it was there that the story of Painter and Taylor began to enter a particularly interesting chapter. During the 2001 World Grand Prix, Painter pulled off a huge upset. In the first round, he eliminated Taylor. This was remarkable for several reasons. Taylor had never previously lost at the World Grand Prix and had also not lost a televised match for two years. Painter therefore became the first player to defeat Taylor in the first round of a televised tournament.

Although Painter eventually went out in the quarter-finals against Dennis Smith, he had certainly made his mark.

Painter made an excellent start to his PDC career. In 2003, he reached the semi-finals of the PDC World Championship, where John Part proved too strong, winning 6-4. A year later, however, Painter would experience the biggest moment of his career.

As the number ten seed, he began the 2004 World Championship. He defeated Paul Williams, beat Ronnie Baxter, eliminated Mark Dudbridge and then made short work of former world champion Bob Anderson.

In the final, Phil Taylor stood in his way once again. What followed became a classic. Painter even took a 4-1 lead in sets and appeared to be heading towards one of the biggest upsets in the history of the PDC World Championship. Taylor fought his way back. The match eventually finished 6-6 in sets and 5-5 in legs in the deciding set. A sudden-death leg was required to determine the world champion. Painter had his chances. He had opportunities to finish the match earlier, but Taylor remained standing. In the decisive leg, ‘The Power’ eventually prevailed.

Taylor was world champion, while Painter was the tragic loser. Yet it was precisely that defeat that made him world famous. The final was watched by around 820,000 television viewers at the time and is still regarded as one of the greatest matches in darts history.

The relationship between Painter and Taylor would never again be completely relaxed. The rivalry between the two Englishmen grew into one of the best-known feuds in darts.

A year after the World Championship final, they faced each other again in the quarter-finals of the World Championship. The painter regularly tried to use the bullseye for his finishes but failed to hit it several times.

Taylor eventually won the final leg by deliberately leaving 50 and then hitting the bullseye. Painter saw this as a provocation. A heated argument between the two players followed.

Things went wrong again in 2008. During the Holland Masters, Painter clashed with Adrian Lewis, who was Taylor's protégé at the time. The argument escalated to such an extent that both players were removed from the tournament.

Painter was eventually fined £200 and suspended for three months, with two months suspended. Lewis received a higher fine and a longer suspension.

After his 2004 World Championship final, Painter experienced mixed years. His ranking dropped and, in 2007, he appeared to be gradually disappearing from the spotlight. Sky Sports analyst and friend Rod Harrington even warned that Painter risked disappearing into obscurity.

That, however, proved to be a wrong assessment. Painter bounced back and made a strong impression at the inaugural Grand Slam of Darts in 2007. As a wildcard, he reached the quarter-finals.

A year later, another impressive World Championship followed. Painter defeated Raymond van Barneveld in the last 16. According to Painter himself, it was the biggest victory of his career. He lost to John Part again in the semi-finals, but his reputation as a dangerous player on the big stage had been definitively restored.

In 2009 and 2010, Painter also continued to make deep runs regularly. Among other achievements, he reached the semi-finals of the UK Open in 2009 and reached the quarter-finals of both the World Grand Prix and Grand Slam of Darts.

During the 2010 World Matchplay, he wrote another remarkable chapter. Against Colin Lloyd, he was 8-2 down, but Painter fought back to win 11-9. He then defeated Mark Walsh 14-12 and finally reached the quarter-finals of the prestigious tournament.

Kevin Painter was a fixture near the top for many years.

The major prize Painter had been waiting for for years finally arrived in December 2011. At the Players Championship Finals, the 44-year-old Englishman was in excellent form. He defeated Colin Osborne, Gary Anderson, Mervyn King and Scott Rand to reach the final.

Against Rand, Painter had also fought back spectacularly. He was 9-6 behind and survived two match darts. In the final, Mark Webster awaited. Painter did not let the opportunity slip away. With a 13-9 victory, he finally won his first and ultimately only PDC major.

It was a special moment for a player who had been known for years as the man who narrowly missed out on the biggest prizes. His victory also returned him to the world's top ten.

The success earned him a wildcard for the 2012 Premier League. There, he defeated Gary Anderson, Simon Whitlock, Andy Hamilton and Adrian Lewis, among others. Nevertheless, Painter ultimately finished seventh in the eight-player competition.

After his major victory, Painter remained active at the highest level for many years, but his best years were now behind him. He continued to compete in major tournaments regularly and faced Phil Taylor at the World Championship in 2016. In 2017, he met Taylor again at the World Championship.

In 2018, Painter was no longer able to qualify for other majors. A year later, he lost his PDC Tour Card and continued his career on the Challenge Tour. After Q-School in 2021, Painter decided to definitively bring his professional career to an end. After a career of around 25 years, ‘The Artist’ announced his retirement.

But the blood was not where it should be. In the years that followed, Painter continued to play tournaments, although no longer among the professionals. Painter still appeared in the MODUS Super Series and also took part in various senior tour tournaments on several occasions.

However, he never reached his old level again. Painter was also increasingly hampered by dartitis. Nevertheless, he refuses to put his darts away for good and continues to pick and choose his tournaments even today.

Although Painter never collected the number of major titles that some of his contemporaries managed to win, his legacy remains a special one.

His name is inseparably linked to one of the most thrilling World Championship finals ever. He was the man who inflicted a historic defeat on Phil Taylor in 2001, the player who came close to dethroning Taylor in 2004 and, ultimately, the man who finally claimed his long-awaited major in 2011.

Kevin Painter may not have been the most successful player of his generation, but he was certainly one of the most memorable. His character, distinctive playing style and, above all, his enduring rivalry with Taylor turned him into a cult figure.

‘The Artist’ did not paint a career filled with major titles, but his most important works undoubtedly belong among the classics of professional darts.