"The Triple Crown is made up, it's not a thing": Paul Nicholson urges PDC to act amid ongoing contentious debate

Paul Nicholson has never been one to shy away from big topics in darts, and he didn’t hold back when asked about the ongoing debate over the so-called Triple Crown — a term that's sparked fierce discussion across media and social platforms in recent days.

“The Triple Crown is made up — and I don’t really care who made it up,” Nicholson began. “It’s not a thing.”

Speaking candidly during a segment for Pluto TV, Nicholson argued that the lack of official classification is at the heart of the confusion.

“We’re here with Pluto TV, right? We could be here with another broadcaster, and we could make something up, put it out into the ether of social media and the press and say, ‘this exists’. But as of right now, we don’t have any classification whatsoever.”

For Nicholson, the issue isn’t the name “Triple Crown” itself — it’s that no governing body has ever properly defined what it means. "Do we have a Triple Crown or not? If the PDC say we do, then we do. It’s not up to the broadcasters to make this up.”

And it’s not just the Triple Crown debate that frustrates Nicholson — it’s the wider lack of clarity around what constitutes a “major” in professional darts. He believes this lack of consistency is something that should have been resolved long ago. "It’s to do with majors as well. That’s what I’ve been talking about for the last six months.”

To prove his point, Nicholson throws a rhetorical question back to his interviewer:

“How many majors has Phil Taylor won? You don’t know, do you?”

He compares the situation to golf, where major tallies are set in stone. If you’re a golf fan — and I am too — I can tell you Jack Nicklaus won 18 majors and finished second 19 times. Tiger Woods has won 15. Nick Faldo has won six.”

“Now, how many majors has Roland Scholten won? A lot of people will say one, but is the UK Open a major? This is the problem.”

According to Nicholson, it’s the responsibility of the PDC board — and Chief Executive Matt Porter — to take charge of the classification issue once and for all.

“This is Matt Porter’s job, with his board, to say: ‘Right, we’re going to classify these events as major championships in the PDC.’ I think Matt is more than capable of doing that — I just don’t really know why they haven’t done it already.I’d love to be part of the conversation because everyone’s got their opinion — but take those opinions and burn them. It’s as simple as that.”

Nicholson is clear: the sport needs a definitive list of majors, and if the PDC wants to declare a Triple Crown, then so be it — but it has to come from the top.

“If we have a Triple Crown, then it has to be clearly stated. Whether it's Grand Prix, Matchplay, Worlds… or maybe Premier League, Matchplay, Worlds — whatever it is. My opinion means absolutely nothing. The PDC’s fact-finding and classification is what matters. If they say, ‘These are the majors,’ then we adhere — and everyone else’s opinion doesn’t mean squat.”

So what would Nicholson’s list of majors include? “I would include the UK Open, the World Matchplay, the World Grand Prix, the Grand Slam, and the World Championship. Then you’ve got other premier events like the European Championship and the Players.”

But again, he’s quick to reinforce that what matters is not his view — but an official stance. “That’s my opinion. And that’s the thing — it’s not fact.”

To drive home the point, Nicholson reaches back into history for a metaphor. “A thousand years ago, when Richard the Lionheart was King of England and wanted to send something, what did he do? He put it in a scroll, stamped it with wax, and then you knew it came from Richard the Lionheart. What we need now is the rubber-stamping of this process from the PDC. It’s as simple as that.”

Given the global growth of darts, Nicholson believes it’s now more important than ever to provide clarity. “Is it necessary now because of the sport’s popularity? Absolutely. I’ve been going on about this for years and years, and because of all the opinions floating around on social media — and some of them are so skewed… some of these ‘opinion makers’ — I’ll put them that way; I’m trying to be nice here — they’ve just got to get real.”

He sees historic events like the Matchplay and World Grand Prix as undeniable majors. “The Matchplay has been around since 1994. It’s got to be a major. The World Grand Prix came shortly after that, well before the Premier League, and it’s a ranked event too — so that’s a major.”

Ultimately, Nicholson wants one thing: official confirmation from the sport’s governing body. “I want the PDC to sit down and say: ‘These are our majors.’ Then we can finally tell Phil Taylor, ‘You’ve won this many majors.’ Michael van Gerwen, ‘You’ve won this many majors.’”

“And for people like me who’ve won a big premier event — whether it counts as a major or not — it really doesn’t matter anymore. Just give us a list of who’s won what.”