Who are the ten oldest players with a PDC Tour Card?

Darters must be at least 16 years old to hold a PDC Tour Card, but there is no maximum age limit. Unlike sports such as football and tennis, darters can be active on the professional circuit until (well) over the age of 50.

The PDC has a number of older players who are still active and performing at a high level despite their age. But who are the oldest? Dartsnews.com takes a look.

Date of birth: June 5, 1973

Nickname: The Gentle

Played first major in: 1999

One of the over-50s on the PDC Tour is Mensur Suljovic. Like many other darters to follow in this list, the Austrian made his major debut at the Winmau World Masters. This was in 1999. He also competed in that tournament in 2000, 2001 and 2003.

In between, he competed at Lakeside in 2002, where he lost to Mervyn King in the second round. In 2008, he returned to the darts stage. From 2008 to 2023, he participated in the PDC World Darts Championship 15 times, where Suljovic reached the third round five times.

At the other tournaments, Suljovic had a lot more success. He won the Champions League of Darts in 2017 and was the best at the German Darts Masters in 2018. In addition, 'The Gentle' was in the final of the World Matchplay, European Championship and World Cup of Darts. Furthermore, Suljovic won three Euro Tours and two Players Championship tournaments.

Date of birth: December 22, 1970

Nickname: The Flying Scotsman

Played first major in: 2001

Darts legend Gary Anderson has also been over the age of 50 for several years. The 53-year-old Scot ranks as one of the most successful players in the history of darts. From 2000 to 2009, Anderson was active with the BDO, where he won four majors. In 2009, "The Flying Scotsman" switched to the PDC, where he became one of the leading players of this century.

In 2011, Anderson made it to the final of the World Darts Championship, but lost to Adrian Lewis. His first major title with the PDC came a few months later in the Premier League Darts. His second PDC major title did not come until the Players Championship Finals in 2014. At the subsequent World Darts Championship, Anderson crowned himself world champion after all. A title he was able to successfully defend in 2016.

In total, Anderson also won the Premier League Darts twice (2011 and 2015) and further wrote the UK Open (2018), World Matchplay (2018), Champions League of Darts (2018) and World Cup of Darts (2019) to his name, in addition to the many Pro Tour titles that also figure on his record.

Date of birth: December 7, 1970

Nickname: Goldfinger

Played first major in: 2011

In recent years, more and more young darters are breaking through on the darts circuit, but the now 53-year-old Andrew Gilding proved that you can force a breakthrough even at a later age.

To the surprise of many, 'Goldinger' won the 2023 UK Open by defeating Michael van Gerwen 11-10 in the final. This made Gilding the oldest new major winner in PDC history.

At the time, Gilding had been on the professional circuit for 12 years, as he made his television debut at the UK Open in 2011. Gilding's other notable results include three Players Championship Finals and a Euro Tour final.

Date of birth: August 17, 1970

Nickname: The Diamond

Played first major in: 1997

Ian White's first major breakthrough was in 1997, when he managed to reach the final of the News of the World Championship. In that final, however, "The Diamond" eventually lost to Phil Taylor.

Since 2010, White has been a fixture on the PDC circuit. For years, the 53-year-old Englishman was considered one of the best players on the Pro Tour. Indeed, from 2013 to 2020, White won thirteen Pro Tour tournaments, including three on the Euro Tour.

At the majors, however, White had less success. There, a semifinal place at the Players Championship Finals in 2019 was his highlight. In 2015, White briefly ranked in the top eight of the world rankings, but has since dropped to a position outside the global top-50.

Date of birth: March 10, 1970

Nickname: Snakebite

Played first major in: 1995

Another late bloomer in this list is Peter Wright, who achieved his greatest successes after he passed the age of 40. In 1995, "Snakebite" - not yet adorned with the trademark coloured hair - made his debut at Lakeside, but his big break didn't come until 2014 when he made it to the final of the World Darts Championship.

Wright lost that World final, but did become world champion in 2020 and 2022. In March 2022, at age 51, he also became the new world number one for several months. This made Wright the oldest new number one ever on the PDC Tour.

In addition to the two world titles, Wright's trophy cabinet is filled with quite a few other major titles. The Scot went on to win the World Matchplay, UK Open, European Championship (twice), Players Championship Finals and the Masters. Wright also triumphed twice at the World Cup of Darts.

Date of birth: March 3, 1969

Nickname: The Wizard

Played first major in: 2003

Simon Whitlock ranks as the most successful Australian dart player ever. 'The Wizard' has played a major role in the growing popularity of the sport of darts in Australia and the rest of the Oceanic continent with his tremendous track record.

The Australian reached the last sixteen on his debut at the 2003 PDC World Darts Championship, but then played at Lakeside from 2005 through 2009. At Frimley Green in 2008, "The Wizard" would reach the final, but lost to Mark Webster.

In 2009, Whitlock successfully returned to the PDC. In 2010 he was again in the World Championship final, but then Phil Taylor proved too strong. At the European Championship in 2012 Whitlock finally won his first major title with the PDC. As a team, Whitlock also had success. After losing the World Cup final in 2012 with Paul Nicholson, he did strike success a decade later by winning the Nations Tournament together with Damon Heta. The two Australians won in the final over Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton.

Date of birth: April 20, 1967

Nickname: Barney

Played first major in: 1990

From the standard-bearer of Australian darts, we come to Dutch darts pioneer Raymond van Barneveld. Van Barneveld has won five world championships, four with the British Darts Organization (BDO) and one with the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). His fifth title in 2007 came after a historic comeback in the final against Phil Taylor and is considered one of the most epic moments in the history of the sport.

The five-time world champion's trophy cabinet is further well-stocked with numerous other awards. He won the World Masters twice, the World Darts Trophy twice, was the best three times at the International Darts League, won the Zuiderduin Masters four times, captured three Dutch Open titles and, after his move to the PDC, also won the UK Open twice and the Desert Classic, Grand Slam of Darts and Premier League Darts once.

As a Dutchman, Van Barneveld helped the sport gain popularity outside the United Kingdom. His successes contributed to the growth of darts around the world, especially in the Netherlands and other European countries. Raymond van Barneveld enjoyed immense popularity among fans around the world. Everywhere the Dutchman goes, he can count on the support of the well-known "Barney Army.

Date of birth: March 15, 1966

Nickname: The King

Played first major in: 1994

Another player who has been on the darts circuit for decades is Mervyn King. He made his major debut in 1994 at the World Masters. In the early years of his career, King became one of the best players at the BDO. He won almost all majors there, but a world title is missing from his record. In 2002 and 2004 King was close to the Lakeside title, but Tony David (2002) and Andy Fordham (2004) proved too strong in his two World Championship finals.

In 2007, King decided to make the move to the PDC. There, King made it to seven major finals, but all were lost. His biggest chance at a major title was at the Masters in 2014. King was ahead 9-2 and 10-6 against James Wade, but eventually lost 10-11.

Outside the view of the television cameras, King had some more success in the PDC. He won the European Darts Grand Prix in 2014. He also won six Players Championship tournaments and a UK Open Qualifier. From 1997 through 2022, King was consistently in the top-32 of the world rankings after each season (1997 through 2006 with the BDO and from 2007 through 2022 with the PDC). This has since changed, as King has currently dropped to 63rd place on the PDC Order of Merit.

Date of birth: July 20, 1965

Nickname: The Rebel

Played first major in: 2005

The elder of the two Huybrechts brothers can be called a real late bloomer. Ronny Huybrechts played his first major tournament at the World Masters in 2005.

Huybrechts qualified for two Euro Tour tournaments in 2012 and captured a Tour Card at the Q-School in 2013. That same year, "The Rebel" caused a huge sensation by beating Phil Taylor at the European Darts Championship. Also, together with brother Kim Huybrechts, he reached the final at the World Cup of Darts in 2013.

Huybrechts never won a PDC title, but he did reach the final of a Players Championship tournament twice. The Antwerp native lost his Tour Card in early 2020, but regained it in 2023. However, his second Tour Card period is a lot less successful than the previous one.

Date of birth: April 5, 1964

Nickname: The Bronzed Adonis

Played first major in: 1984

Steve Beaton has been active on the darts circuit for four decades. 'The Bronzed Adonis' made his debut at the 1984 BDO World Masters, although he then had to wait eight more years before the Englishman got to make his debut at Lakeside.

At Lakeside, Beaton achieved his greatest success in 1996 by taking the BDO world title. In 2001, he made the move to the PDC. At the PDC, his biggest achievement was a final place at the European Championship and winning the German Darts Masters in 2013.

From 1992 through 2024, Beaton has participated in the World Darts Championship (BDO and then PDC) 33 times in a row. There will be a maximum of one more participation, as Beaton has indicated he will surrender his Tour Card after 2024.