Who will be PDC World Darts Champion 2022?

Yes, the William Hill World Darts Championship starts in just a few day’s time with the first game to be played on December the 15th and the newly crowned champion found in the first few days of 2022. Will that be a repeat with Gerwyn Price as World Darts Champion for another year? In this article, we give you who we think will win one of the most hotly contested PDC World Darts Championships in many, many years.

I mean after all, I could easily name over a dozen current PDC professional players who have a realistic shot at calling themselves the PDC World Darts Champion 2022 come January the 3rd. This has become one of the widest World Championships on record. I mean heck, if you put a cheeky bet on Ryan Searle to be the next world champ at 50:1, no-one would scoff!!

So why, in my opinion are the odds stacked so much against the current world champion, Gerwyn Price doing it again this time round and becoming a back-to-back World Champion?

Firstly, in the history of the PDC World Championships which dates back to 1994, it has only been done by three players, being a “back-to-back” World Champion. Of course, Phil Tylor did it on multiple occasions, but just three people have managed the feat. Phil “The Power” Taylor himself, Adrian Lewis and Gary Anderson. If you looked further and into the BDO World Champion’s list prior to 1994, going back to 1978, there’s only one other player to have achieved the feat. The Crafty Cockney himself, Eric Bristow.

So that in itself doesn’t mean Gerwyn can’t join that list does it? Of course not, but it’s a mammoth task if he is to achieve it!

Secondly, Gerwyn Price has been hampered somewhat in his game in recent months. Whether it’s the unusual and unfair booing by the crowds which will be back this year. Remember Gerwyn won last year’s crown in front of an empty stadium. Or maybe it’s that other players no longer fear playing Gerwyn Price, a bit like many pro’s playing MVG nowadays. I mean on their day, most pro’s have the confidence to beat anyone.

Price has made just two of the last six “major” darts tournaments finals in the second half of this year and has won just one of those two finals by winning the Grand Slam of Darts late last month 16-8 over Peter Wright. Many, including commentator Wayne Mardle have suggested the format favoured Price as Wright had played both his semi and final all on the same day. But the following week at the final major of the year at the 2021 Players Championship Finals, Gerwyn didn’t even make the quarter finals! Am I just making excuses as to why Gerwyn Price won’t win the World Champs? Of course, it wouldn’t be a believable article now would it!!

Thirdly, the draw. Mainly the fact is that Gerwyn is in the same section as his good friend, compatriot and World Cup of Darts teammate, Johnny Clayton. To become World Champ, he must beat Jonny at the quarter final stage (presuming they both make it). In two of the last three times they have met in a major, Jonny has won. Jonny won 5-1 in the final of the World Grand Prix back in early October and 10-9 in the quarter final of the World Series of Darts Finals later that same month. But Price did win their latest encounter 16-12 in the quarters of the Grand Slam of Darts in late November. Even if Gerwyn Price manages to play his best, he still has the likes of Kim Huybrechts (who is currently on top of his game), Dirk van Duijvenbode and Michael Smith to get past, and that’s just to get to the quarter finals where it will just get harder.

Lastly, Gerwyn Price won the World Championship title just under twelve months ago by hitting tops 13 times in a row to win a leg. He also averaged as high as 136 in one set, all of this in the final. It’s tough for any human to repeat those darts again this year!

So, my view is we will have a new World Champion come the 3rd of January, but who will it be?

If you’d asked me just a few weeks back, I would have put Jonny Clayton at the top of that list of favourites. The main reason being that he does not fear playing Gerwyn Price at all. He’s been playing the best darts of his career over the last 12-18 months and has won two of the last six major’s…need I go on? But Jonny’s game in just the last few weeks has seen him struggle. I mean that from his very, very high standards. Since winning the World Series of Darts Finals in late October, Jonny has lost in the quarters of the Grand Slam of Darts and in the semis of the Player’s Championship Finals in late November.

So, in 2022, I believe we will have a repeat World Champion. But it won’t be a repeat from last year, but from the year before. I reckon Peter Wright will be World Champion again in early 2022. He has made half of the last six PDC major tournament final’s and won two of them, the last just two weeks ago and he is currently playing some of his best darts of his career. Provided he puts the Grinch suit and getup away this year, Peter will become the 2022 William Hill World Darts Champion.

p.s. that’s just my opinion

Straight Arrows everyone.