Larry Butler (darts player)
Encyclopedia
Larry Butler is an American darts player, who was the winner of the 1994 PDC World Matchplay Darts Championship
. This success made him the first, and so far only American player to have won a major darts tournament in Europe.
He also had some success in his home country, winning the 1993, 1994, 1995 New York Open, the 1994 Darts America Championship, the 1991, 1992, 1993 World Bullshooter Championship and the 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995 Cincinnati Spring Fling Open.
Butler made his World Championship debut in 1992, losing to Dennis Priestley
in the first round. Many top British players formed their own organisation (separate to the governing body, the British Darts Organisation
) during 1993-94 to organise their own tournaments and their own World Championships (see split in darts
). Several North American players were invited to join them in tournaments and Butler appeared at the first WDC (now Professional Darts Corporation
, PDC) World Championship in 1994. He failed to qualify from the group stages, but produced a notable victory over three-time former world champion, John Lowe
. Lowe was the last world champion before the split just twelve months earlier.
Few would have predicted that Butler would take the World Matchplay in Blackpool
later in 1994. He beat Steve Raw, Jerry Umberger, Jocky Wilson
and Shayne Burgess
to reach the final where he beat the World Champion Priestley by 16 legs to 12 to take the £10,000 top prize.
Butler also competed at the 1995, 1996 and 1997 WDC World Championships where he beat former world champions Keith Deller
and Eric Bristow
plus world number one Rod Harrington
but only managed to qualify past the group stages in 1997 when he lost to Jamie Harvey
in the quarter-finals.
Despite his excellent results, including victories over several world champions, Butler ceased competing regularly on the circuit after the 1997 World Championships. Most major tournaments were staged in the United Kingdom
and few North American players were able to make an impact on the game which such travelling difficulties.
After an absence of ten years, Butler began competing again on the PDC North American circuit which began to expand during 2007. He also won the USA Dart Classic, a World Darts Federation
tournament.
Butler then made his first televised appearance in over ten years after qualifying for the 2008 Las Vegas Desert Classic
as one of four North American qualifiers. He lost in the first round 6-4 to Alan Tabern
.
In April 2009 Butler traveled to Europe to compete in a series of PDC Players Championships and in UK Blue Square Open qualifiers. He advanced to the money round in 13 out of 16 events he entered. His best finish was a quarter final appearance in the West Midlands regional final on April 1, 2009.
At the 2009 PDC Players Championship in Las Vegas Butler hit a 9 dart finish but lost 6-2 in his second round match against Jan van der Rassel
The tournament was considered a "warm-up" event for the 2009 Las Vegas Desert Classic
.
In June 2009 Butler partnered with Canadian Champion Bob Sinnaeve
. Bob too came out of retirement to once again start to travel and compete. Bob and Larry enjoyed great success at their first outing together in Boston winning the Cricket Doubles and finishing 2nd in the 501 doubles at the North American Open. They won the Cricket doubles at the Windy City open in Chicago with Butler taking 2nd place in the 501 Singles. In Atlanta, at the Peachtree Open, Butler captured the crown in both the Pro Singles and the 501 Singles. He also won the Blind draw and the open doubles 501 and finished 2nd in the Cricket Doubles. Larry and Bob finished up 2009 at the Buckeye Open in Columbus Ohio by winning the 501 doubles.
2010 has started successfully for Butler. He has traveled to Philadelphia to play in the Ray Chesnae Open and finished 3rd in the Pro singles and 2nd in both the cricket doubles and mixed triples. On to Huntsville AL where they won both the 501 doubles and the Mixed triples. Butler finished 2nd in the singles event. In Syracuse NY they swept the singles events with Butler winning both the Pro Shoot and the Cricket Singles and Sinnaeve taking the title in the 501 singles. They also won the mixed triples and finished 2nd in the cricket doubles.
The St. Paddy's Day tourney in Indianapolis proved another successful weekend for Butler. He picked up top honors in the 501 Doubles and the Cricket Singles. He was also the finalist in the Mixed Doubles, 501 singles and the Cricket Doubles.
In early April Butler traveled northeast to New Hampshire for the $20,000 White Mountain Shootout. He started the weekend there with a semi final finish in the Pro Shoot. He went on to win the men's doubles and the mixed triples with Sinnaeve. Butler captured the Cricket Singles title and finished the weekend with another semi final finish in the 3rd singles.
Cleveland was up next. Butler finished 3rd in the pro shoot and took top honors in the cricket singles.
Butler then reached the semi-final of the North American Darts Championship, defeating the likes of John Kuczynski
, Bill Davis
and Paul Lim
before losing to Darin Young
.
Larry traveled to Upper Michigan to attend the Little River Darts Tourney and then on to Nashville. He added a 1st a 2nd a T4 and a T16 to his resume before heading east to Stamford CT for the USA Darts Classic.
In a field of over 200 players he captured the title in both the 501 and Cricket singles events. It was here in CT that Larry decided to rejoin the American Darts Organization and pursue a shot at the World Masters title. Winning the 501 singles got him an automatic invite to the Masters.
Larry followed up that performance with a win at the Windy City Open 501 Singles and then Swept both singles titles in Colorado. 2010 came to an end with a win at the ADO cricket qualifier and an automatic Invite on merit to the World Cup in Ireland in 2011.
2011
Larry started off with renewed vigor and some very concrete goals for 2011. He had already secured a spot on the World Cup team and several invites to the World Masters.
He traveled to Philadelphia for the Rae Chesnay $25,600 tournament. He captured the 501 Singles title and felt well prepared to head to Las Vegas for the ADO Cricket Championship and tournament.
Butler arrived in Las Vegas and went on to win the National Cricket Championship and the 501 Singles. He was runner up in the Cricket Singles event there. Also captured the 501 Doubles title.
February so far has brought a title in the 501 singles championship in Syracuse!
1994 World Matchplay Darts
The 1994 World Matchplay was a darts tournament held in the Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool. This was the first World Matchplay tournament to be held at Winter Gardens, and was sponsored by Malaysian automaker Proton. The tournament was won by Larry Butler.-Results:Players must...
. This success made him the first, and so far only American player to have won a major darts tournament in Europe.
He also had some success in his home country, winning the 1993, 1994, 1995 New York Open, the 1994 Darts America Championship, the 1991, 1992, 1993 World Bullshooter Championship and the 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995 Cincinnati Spring Fling Open.
Butler made his World Championship debut in 1992, losing to Dennis Priestley
Dennis Priestley
Dennis Priestley is an English professional darts player. He has won two world championships, and was the first player to win both the BDO and WDC world championships, in 1991 and 1994 respectively...
in the first round. Many top British players formed their own organisation (separate to the governing body, the British Darts Organisation
British Darts Organisation
The British Darts Organisation, or the BDO for short, is a darts organisation founded on 7 January 1973 by Olly Croft, OBE. The BDO is a founder member of the World Darts Federation which was formed in 1976....
) during 1993-94 to organise their own tournaments and their own World Championships (see split in darts
Split in darts
The split in darts refers to an acrimonious dispute between top professional darts players and the game's governing body which began in 1992 and resulted in the formation of a new organisation to arrange tournaments - including a second version of the World Professional Darts Championship...
). Several North American players were invited to join them in tournaments and Butler appeared at the first WDC (now Professional Darts Corporation
Professional Darts Corporation
The Professional Darts Corporation is a professional darts organization, established in the United Kingdom during 1992, when a group of leading professional players split from the British Darts Organisation to form what was initially called the World Darts Council...
, PDC) World Championship in 1994. He failed to qualify from the group stages, but produced a notable victory over three-time former world champion, John Lowe
John Lowe
John Lowe is an English darts player who was one of the best-known men in darts during the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in the United Kingdom. Lowe is one of only five players to have won the World Championship 3 times.-Biography:Lowe won the World Championship title in three different decades -...
. Lowe was the last world champion before the split just twelve months earlier.
Few would have predicted that Butler would take the World Matchplay in Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
later in 1994. He beat Steve Raw, Jerry Umberger, Jocky Wilson
Jocky Wilson
John Thomas Wilson known as "Jocky" Wilson, is a former Scottish darts champion. He retired from the game in 1995.Wilson was twice World professional Darts Champion in 1982 and 1989...
and Shayne Burgess
Shayne Burgess
Shayne Burgess is an English darts player who is one of the few examples of players that has switched from the British Darts Organisation to the Professional Darts Corporation and back - he announced his intention to return to the BDO in early 2007, but remains a competitor in the PDC...
to reach the final where he beat the World Champion Priestley by 16 legs to 12 to take the £10,000 top prize.
Butler also competed at the 1995, 1996 and 1997 WDC World Championships where he beat former world champions Keith Deller
Keith Deller
Keith Deller is an English darts player, who won the Embassy World Professional Darts Championship in 1983. He was the first qualifier ever to win the championship and remains one of the youngest champions in history...
and Eric Bristow
Eric Bristow
Eric Bristow MBE is a British darts player, whose skill at the game in the 1980s helped turn it into a worldwide spectator sport.- Early career :...
plus world number one Rod Harrington
Rod Harrington
Rod Harrington is a former English darts player. He used the nickname The Prince of Style for his matches, often wearing a suit and waistcoast for his games...
but only managed to qualify past the group stages in 1997 when he lost to Jamie Harvey
Jamie Harvey
Jamie Harvey is a Scottish darts player who plays in the British Darts Organization . He currently resides in Barrhead. Harvey uses the nickname Bravedart for his matches - a play on the lead character from the film Braveheart...
in the quarter-finals.
Despite his excellent results, including victories over several world champions, Butler ceased competing regularly on the circuit after the 1997 World Championships. Most major tournaments were staged in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and few North American players were able to make an impact on the game which such travelling difficulties.
After an absence of ten years, Butler began competing again on the PDC North American circuit which began to expand during 2007. He also won the USA Dart Classic, a World Darts Federation
World Darts Federation
The World Darts Federation Is a sport governing body and tournament organiser for the game of darts. It was formed in 1976, by representatives of fifteen nations. Membership is open to the official National organizing body for Darts in all nations...
tournament.
Butler then made his first televised appearance in over ten years after qualifying for the 2008 Las Vegas Desert Classic
2008 Las Vegas Desert Classic
The 2008 Las Vegas Desert Classic was the seventh installment of the Las Vegas Desert Classic, a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. It was held in the evenings between June 30 and July 6....
as one of four North American qualifiers. He lost in the first round 6-4 to Alan Tabern
Alan Tabern
Alan Tabern is an English darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation, where he is also known as "The Saint" and "Tabby"...
.
In April 2009 Butler traveled to Europe to compete in a series of PDC Players Championships and in UK Blue Square Open qualifiers. He advanced to the money round in 13 out of 16 events he entered. His best finish was a quarter final appearance in the West Midlands regional final on April 1, 2009.
At the 2009 PDC Players Championship in Las Vegas Butler hit a 9 dart finish but lost 6-2 in his second round match against Jan van der Rassel
Jan van der Rassel
Jan van der Rassel is a Dutch darts player who competes in British Darts Organisation events. He uses the nickname The Project for his matches. His former nickname was Tweety Pie....
The tournament was considered a "warm-up" event for the 2009 Las Vegas Desert Classic
2009 Las Vegas Desert Classic
The 2009 Las Vegas Desert Classic was the eighth and final installment of the Las Vegas Desert Classic, a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation...
.
In June 2009 Butler partnered with Canadian Champion Bob Sinnaeve
Bob Sinnaeve
Robert "Bob" Sinnaeve is a Canadian darts player who won his national title five times.-Early career:Sinnaeve took up darts in 1973 as an alternative to bowling, as he felt the darts circuit would give him more time to spend with his wife, Judy...
. Bob too came out of retirement to once again start to travel and compete. Bob and Larry enjoyed great success at their first outing together in Boston winning the Cricket Doubles and finishing 2nd in the 501 doubles at the North American Open. They won the Cricket doubles at the Windy City open in Chicago with Butler taking 2nd place in the 501 Singles. In Atlanta, at the Peachtree Open, Butler captured the crown in both the Pro Singles and the 501 Singles. He also won the Blind draw and the open doubles 501 and finished 2nd in the Cricket Doubles. Larry and Bob finished up 2009 at the Buckeye Open in Columbus Ohio by winning the 501 doubles.
2010 has started successfully for Butler. He has traveled to Philadelphia to play in the Ray Chesnae Open and finished 3rd in the Pro singles and 2nd in both the cricket doubles and mixed triples. On to Huntsville AL where they won both the 501 doubles and the Mixed triples. Butler finished 2nd in the singles event. In Syracuse NY they swept the singles events with Butler winning both the Pro Shoot and the Cricket Singles and Sinnaeve taking the title in the 501 singles. They also won the mixed triples and finished 2nd in the cricket doubles.
The St. Paddy's Day tourney in Indianapolis proved another successful weekend for Butler. He picked up top honors in the 501 Doubles and the Cricket Singles. He was also the finalist in the Mixed Doubles, 501 singles and the Cricket Doubles.
In early April Butler traveled northeast to New Hampshire for the $20,000 White Mountain Shootout. He started the weekend there with a semi final finish in the Pro Shoot. He went on to win the men's doubles and the mixed triples with Sinnaeve. Butler captured the Cricket Singles title and finished the weekend with another semi final finish in the 3rd singles.
Cleveland was up next. Butler finished 3rd in the pro shoot and took top honors in the cricket singles.
Butler then reached the semi-final of the North American Darts Championship, defeating the likes of John Kuczynski
John Kuczynski
John Kuczynski is an American darts player. He doesn't play the game professionally - his main career is as a self-employed sanitation engineer...
, Bill Davis
Bill Davis (darts player)
Bill Davis is an American darts player who plays for the Professional Darts Corporation.Davis made his televised debut in the States, taking part in the World Series of Darts in 2006, losing in the first round to Denis Ovens in a tight game...
and Paul Lim
Paul Lim
Paul Lim Leong Hwa known simply as Paul Lim is a professional darts player who will be best remembered for being the first player to hit a perfect nine-dart finish during the Embassy World Professional Darts Championship in 1990...
before losing to Darin Young
Darin Young
Darin Young is an American darts player who plays for the Professional Darts Corporation. He uses the nickname Big Daddy....
.
Larry traveled to Upper Michigan to attend the Little River Darts Tourney and then on to Nashville. He added a 1st a 2nd a T4 and a T16 to his resume before heading east to Stamford CT for the USA Darts Classic.
In a field of over 200 players he captured the title in both the 501 and Cricket singles events. It was here in CT that Larry decided to rejoin the American Darts Organization and pursue a shot at the World Masters title. Winning the 501 singles got him an automatic invite to the Masters.
Larry followed up that performance with a win at the Windy City Open 501 Singles and then Swept both singles titles in Colorado. 2010 came to an end with a win at the ADO cricket qualifier and an automatic Invite on merit to the World Cup in Ireland in 2011.
2011
Larry started off with renewed vigor and some very concrete goals for 2011. He had already secured a spot on the World Cup team and several invites to the World Masters.
He traveled to Philadelphia for the Rae Chesnay $25,600 tournament. He captured the 501 Singles title and felt well prepared to head to Las Vegas for the ADO Cricket Championship and tournament.
Butler arrived in Las Vegas and went on to win the National Cricket Championship and the 501 Singles. He was runner up in the Cricket Singles event there. Also captured the 501 Doubles title.
February so far has brought a title in the 501 singles championship in Syracuse!