Neil Duff (born 22 July 1972) is a Northern Irish professional darts player who competes in World Darts Federation (WDF) events. He is a former WDF World Champion, having won the 2022 World Championship. He was previously ranked number one in the WDF World Rankings.
Duff started playing darts when he was almost 30 years old and did not turn professional until he approached 50.[2]
Duff reached the quarter-finals of the 2019 World Masters but lost to eventual champion John O'Shea.[3][4]
In April 2022, Duff won the inaugural WDF World Darts Championship.[5] He defeated Justin Thompson and Nick Fullwell before a quarter-final comeback win against Jim McEwan, where Duff recovered from 3–0 down to beat McEwan 4–3. He beat Richard Veenstra 5–2 in the semi-finals to reach the final, where he defeated Thibault Tricole 6–5 and became the first Northern Irish world darts champion, as well as the first player to win at the Lakeside on debut since Christian Kist at the 2012 BDO World Championship.[6] He won the title on his daughter Hayley's eighteenth birthday.[7] Duff's win was celebrated at an event in his home town Ballyclare that was organised by the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council.[8]
At the 2023 WDF World Championship, Duff began his title defence with a 3–1 win over Moreno Blom.[9] In the next round, he went 2–1 down against Martyn Turner but won the match 3–2 to progress to the quarter-finals.[10] Duff's title defence was ended by Chris Landman who defeated Duff 4–3.[11] Despite the exit, Duff was ranked number one in the WDF World Rankings after the tournament after players won PDC Tour Cards at 2024 Q-School, leading to their removal from the WDF rankings.[12]
At the 2024 WDF World Championship, Duff reached the quarter-finals. He went 3–0 down to Jason Brandon but won the next three sets to level the match at 3–3. However, Brandon won the last set to beat Duff 4–3.[13]
| Legend |
|---|
| World Championship (1–0) |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score[N 1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 2022 | World Championship |  Thibault Tricole
|
6–5 (s) |
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