After a brilliant weekend in Newfoundland, 63-year-old Gary Mawson has booked a spot in the 2027 PDC World Darts Championship, having won the CDC Continental Cup.
‘The Mauler’ kicked off the weekend with a 5-0 demolition of Larry Butler, averaging 97.60, before also seeing off Brayden Hall and Scott Estle in comfortably to reach the Semi-Finals. He squeezes past David Cameron in a deciding leg, before doing the same in the final against Kevin Luke, having missed nine match darts from 8-5 up.
This is a story that fans watch darts for.
Mawson made his debut in a PDC Premier Event in the 1995 World Matchplay, where he lost to Phil Taylor. He then went to the Circus Tavern for the 1996 World Championships. He appeared in every Matchplay between 1995-2000, as well as six World Championships, coming in from 1996-2000, as well as 2008 and 2011, with the most memorable wins coming against Eric Bristow and John Lowe in the 90’s.
He also appeared at the World Grand Prix in 1998 and 1999, where he picked up a win against Bob Anderson. He competed in the first three Grand Slam’s in 2007-2009, where he beat John Part, Terry Jenkins, and Kirk Shepherd, as well as the 2007 Las Vegas Desert Classic, where he beat Alan Tabern.
His biggest result, however, came in his UK Open debut in 2008, where he beat the likes of Darren Johnson, Mark Dudbridge, Wayne Jones, and a Raymond van Barneveld who was looking for a third consecutive title in Minehead, before succumbing to James Wade in the Final, still only the second time a player from USA has reached a PDC Premier Event Final.
However, he hasn’t qualified for a single big stage event since that 2011 World Championship, until this year, 15 years later. He returned to the stage at the 2026 US Darts Masters, after showing the first signs of his form returning, before falling short against Jonny Clayton.
But now he has booked his spot at Alexandra Palace, and we will see him make his World Championship return in December.
What a story!
