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Keegan Brown

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Keegan Brown
Brown in 2019
Personal information
Nickname"The Needle"
Born (1992-11-05) 5 November 1992 (age 32)
Durham, England
Home townNewport, Isle of Wight, England
Darts information
Playing darts since2009
Darts22 Grams Unicorn Keegan Brown Contender
LateralityRight Handed
Walk-on music"Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen
Organisation (see split in darts)
PDC2011–
(Tour Card: 2012–2024)
Current world ranking78 Decrease 1 (24 November 2024)[1]
PDC premier events – best performances
World Ch'shipLast 16: 2018
World MatchplayLast 16: 2015, 2019
World Grand PrixLast 32: 2015, 2019
UK OpenLast 32: 2018, 2019
Grand SlamQuarter Final: 2014
European Ch'shipLast 32: 2019
PC FinalsLast 32: 2015, 2018, 2019
World Series FinalsQuarter Final: 2023
Other tournament wins
PDC World Youth Championship 2014
PDC Youth Tour England 2012, 2014

Players Championships

Players Championship (BAR) 2022
Players Championship (COV) 2015
Other achievements
2014 PDC Young Player of the Year

2015 Breaks into the top 64 on the PDC Order of Merit for the first time

2019 Breaks into the top 32 on the Order of Merit for the first time

Keegan Brown (born 5 November 1992) is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He won the 2014 PDC World Youth Championship.

Career

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Early career

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Brown began playing darts at the age of nine and was playing in men's county league games for the Isle of Wight at the age of 13.[2] He qualified for the 2011 PDC Under-21 World Championship but lost to Michael van Gerwen 2–4 in the last 64.[3]

In January 2012, Brown entered the Professional Darts Corporation's Q-School event in an attempt to earn a two-year tour card. He achieved this by finishing seventh on the Order of Merit after the four days of play, comfortably inside the top 24 who won their places.[4] He mainly concentrated his 2012 season around Youth Tour tournaments, winning the 14th event in September.[5] However, he also posted some impressive results out of the handful of main tour events he did play, most notably in the fifth and sixth Players Championships.[6] In the former he lost to Justin Pipe 2–6 in the last 16, and in the latter he defeated the likes of James Wade, Andy Hamilton and Terry Jenkins, before losing in the semi-finals 1–6 to Dave Chisnall.[7][8]

Brown entered 2013 ranked world number 86.[9] He lost 3–5 to Joey Palfreyman in the second round of the UK Open having beaten Keith Rooney and Shaun Griffiths in prior rounds.[10] Brown played a combination of Challenge Tour and ProTour events during the year with his deepest run on the main tour coming at the ninth Players Championship in October, which was highlighted by a second round 6–1 victory over Phil Taylor, before he was beaten 2–6 in last 16 by Mark Dudbridge.[11][12]

2014

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Brown's tour card expired at the start of 2014 and with him being ranked 102nd in the world, well outside of the top 64 who retain their places, he once again entered Q School.[13][14] Brown lost in the final round on the first day 3–5 to Kyle Anderson, but a further defeat in the last 16 on the third day saw him finish tied second on the Q School Order of Merit to earn a fresh two-year tour card.[15][16] Brown was beaten 3–5 by Austria's Mensur Suljović in the second round of the 2014 UK Open.[17] In the quarter-finals of the seventh Players Championship event, Brown averaged an incredible 112.32 to beat Ben Ward 6–1, sealing his win with a 10-darter. He then defeated Peter Wright 6–5 to make his first PDC final and missed four darts for the title against Robert Thornton in a 5–6 loss.[18]

In May, Brown won the World Youth Championship 6–4 against Rowby-John Rodriguez at the O2 Arena in London as part of the Premier League finals night.[19] The title secured Brown's place in the 2014 Grand Slam of Darts and 2015 World Championship.[2] At the Grand Slam he lost 1–5 to Dave Chisnall in his opening group game, but then averaged 100.60 in eliminating two-time world champion Adrian Lewis 5–1, and defeated Rodriguez 5–3 to reach the last 16.[20] He faced five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld and raced into a 9–3 lead to stand just one leg away from the quarter-finals in his first televised event. However, Brown missed a total of five match darts as Van Barneveld closed the gap to 9–7, before he missed three darts in the next leg to allow Brown in to take out 122 on the bull to seal a 10–7 win.[21] He also started well in the last eight against Dave Chisnall, as he held 8–2 and 12–6 leads. However, Brown could not hold on when his opponent began fighting back as Chisnall levelled at 14–14 and ended Brown's tournament with a 14–16 win.[22][23]

2015

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Brown was drawn to face John Part in the first round of the 2015 World Championship, with the match going into a final set after Brown had led 2–0. He took it without reply to win 3–2 and advance to the second round.[24] There, five of the six sets against Adrian Lewis went to deciding legs, with Lewis getting the better of Brown in a 4–2 win.[25] He entered the top 64 on the Order of Merit for the first time afterwards, as the world number 52.[26] Brown was named the PDC's Young Player of the Year at the annual awards dinner.[27] He lost 2–9 to Nathan Derry in the third round of the UK Open.[28] Brown reached the final of the eighth Players Championship and took out a pair of 130 finishes as he averaged 111.72 in defeating Lewis 6–3 to claim his first professional title.[29]

Brown made his debut in the World Matchplay and he started very well to be 5–1 ahead of Robert Thornton and went on to win 10–7.[30] He relinquished an 8–5 advantage over Dave Chisnall in the second round as he was beaten 11–13.[31] Brown also qualified for the World Grand Prix for the first time and lost 1–2 in sets to Michael van Gerwen in the opening round.[32] He needed a win over James Wade in his final group game at the Grand Slam to advance to the second round but lost 2–5, and from 4–4 in the first round of the Players Championship Finals he lost 4–6 to Michael van Gerwen, having missed deciding darts in both of the last two games.[33][34]

2016

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Brown could only win two legs in the first round of the 2016 World Championship during a 0–3 defeat to Peter Wright.[35] He could not win enough matches to qualify for the UK Open. His only quarter-final on the Pro Tour in 2016 was at the fifth Players Championship and he lost 3–6 to Michael van Gerwen.[36] Brown was defeated 3−4 by Aden Kirk in the final of the 11th Development Tour event.[37] He qualified for the Players Championship Finals and lost 5–6 to Ian White in the first round, missing three match darts in the process.[38] Brown could not play in his third successive World Championship as he was knocked out in the fourth round of the qualifier 4–5 by Mark Frost.[39]

2018

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Brown made it through to the last 16 of the 2018 PDC World Darts Championship, defeating James Wade on route, where he faced Phil Taylor. Brown stated he intended on ending Taylor's career in the match.[40] Taylor won the match comprehensively, 0–4.

2019

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Brown during the 2019 European Darts Matchplay

Brown lost 4–3 to James Wade in the third round of the 2019 PDC World Darts Championship despite leading 3–1 in sets. Brown's first major of 2019 was the UK Open, where he entered at the last 96 because of his ranking. He defeated Nathan Derry 6–5, before beating William O'Connor 10–4 to move into the last 32. In a tight game all the way, Keegan was eventually defeated 8–10 by Steve Beaton.

In Players Championship 8 in March, Brown saw off Dave Chisnall, Christian Kist, Benito van de Pas, Cristo Reyes and Andy Boulton, before he was defeated 6–7 by Raymond van Barneveld in his first semi-final since September 2018.

Brown qualified for the German Darts Championship by defeating Peter Hudson 6–1 and Bradley Brooks 6–5 in the UK Qualifier. In the first round, he opened up a 5–2 lead against Madars Razma, but was pegged back to 5–5. However, Brown pinned a 116 checkout in the decider to set up a tie with world number 1 Michael van Gerwen. Brown, then world number 36, produced the performance of a lifetime to defy a 108 average from van Gerwen, and defeat him 6–4 with 100% on doubles. Keegan defeated James Wilson 6–0 in the last 16 with a 98 average, before defeating Gerwyn Price 6–5 in a thriller to qualify for his first Euro Tour semi-final; his opponent was fellow unseeded player, Ricky Evans. This game was one step too far for Brown as he lost 3–7, but his run to the semi-finals caused him to make the top 32 in the PDC Order of Merit for the first time.

2020

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At the 2020 PDC World Darts Championship, Brown lost 3–2 to Seigo Asada in the second round.

2021

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At the 2021 PDC World Darts Championship, Brown lost 3–1 to Dave Chisnall in the second round.

In November, Brown returned to County Darts to join Essex after an 11-year absence. He made his Essex debut away at Cheshire on 29 November, where he lost 4-3 to Stuart Kellett. On 12 December, he earned his first victory in an Essex County shirt, beating Aaron Turner of Hampshire with a 4–0 win, recording a 29.91 average.

2022

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Brown won his first Players Championship title in seven years, defeating Nathan Aspinall 8–7 in the final of Players Championship 23.[41]

He appeared on Eggheads with Glen Durrant on 1 November 2022.[42]

2023

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At the 2023 PDC World Darts Championship, Brown lost 3–2 in the first round to Florian Hempel. This defeat meant he dropped out of the world's top 64 and lost his Tour Card but regained it at 2023 Q-School.[43]

Brown qualified for the 2023 World Series of Darts Finals through the Tour Card Holder qualifier. He defeated Simon Whitlock in the first round before a surprise victory over defending champion Gerwyn Price, where Brown produced a 164 checkout to win the match 6–4.[44] He was eliminated by Nathan Aspinall in the quarter-finals.

Personal life

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Brown is named after the footballer Kevin Keegan.[45] He works as a medical lab assistant in blood services on the Isle of Wight.[21] Brown increased his number of shifts at work in 2020 in order to help the National Health Service during the COVID-19 pandemic.[46][47]

Brown has previously opened up about his battles with anxiety and depression.[48]

World Championship results

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PDC

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Performance timeline

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Tournament 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
PDC Ranked televised events
PDC World Championship DNP 2R 1R DNQ 3R 3R 2R 2R DNQ 1R 1R
UK Open DNQ 2R 2R 3R DNQ 1R 4R 5R 4R 4R 3R 2R 2R
World Matchplay DNP 2R DNQ 1R 2R 1R DNQ
World Grand Prix DNP 1R DNQ 1R DNQ
European Championship DNQ 1R DNQ
Grand Slam of Darts DNP QF 1R DNQ 1R DNQ
Players Championship Finals DNP 1R 1R 1R 2R 2R 1R DNQ 1R DNQ
PDC Non-ranked televised events
World Series of Darts Finals Not held 2R DNQ 1R DNQ QF DNQ
PDC World Youth Championship 1R DNP 1R W 1R 2R Did not participate
Year-end ranking NR NR 109 66 35 44 48 37 30 35 57 66 94

PDC European Tour

Season 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
2012 Did not participate
2013 UKM
DNP 		EDT
DNQ 		EDO
DNP 		ADO
DNP 		GDT
DNP 		GDC
DNP 		GDM
DNP 		DDM
DNP
2014 GDC
DNQ 		DDM
DNQ 		GDM
DNQ 		ADO
DNQ 		GDT
DNQ 		EDO
1R 		EDG
DNQ 		EDT
DNQ
2015 GDC
DNQ 		GDT
DNQ 		GDM
2R 		DDM
DNQ 		IDO
DNQ 		EDO
WD 		EDT
DNQ 		EDM
DNQ 		EDG
DNQ
2016 DDM
DNQ 		GDM
DNQ 		GDT
DNQ 		EDM
DNQ 		ADO
DNQ 		EDO
DNQ 		IDO
DNQ 		EDT
2R 		EDG
DNQ 		GDC
DNQ
2017 GDC
DNQ 		GDM
DNQ 		GDO
DNQ 		EDG
2R 		GDT
DNQ 		EDM
DNQ 		ADO
DNQ 		EDO
DNQ 		DDM
DNQ 		GDG
2R 		IDO
2R 		EDT
3R
2018 EDO
DNQ 		GDG
QF 		GDO
1R 		ADO
DNQ 		EDG
DNQ 		DDM
DNQ 		GDT
DNQ 		DDO
DNQ 		EDM
1R 		GDC
DNQ 		DDC
DNQ 		IDO
DNQ 		EDT
1R
2019 EDO
DNQ 		GDC
SF 		GDG
2R 		GDO
DNQ 		ADO
3R 		EDG
3R 		DDM
1R 		DDO
DNQ 		CDO
SF 		ADC
3R 		EDM
2R 		IDO
DNQ 		GDT
1R
2020 BDC
DNQ 		GDC
DNQ 		EDG
DNQ 		IDO
DNQ
2021 HDT
1R 		GDT
DNQ
2022 IDO
DNQ 		GDC
DNQ 		GDG
QF 		ADO
DNQ 		EDO
DNQ 		CDO
DNQ 		EDG
DNQ 		DDC
DNQ 		EDM
DNQ 		HDT
DNQ 		GDO
DNQ 		BDO
DNQ 		GDT
1R
2023 BSD
QF 		EDO
DNQ 		IDO
1R 		GDG
DNQ 		ADO
DNQ 		DDC
DNQ 		BDO
DNQ 		CDO
DNQ 		EDG
2R 		EDM
DNQ 		GDO
DNQ 		HDT
DNQ 		GDC
DNQ
Performance Table Legend
W Won the tournament F Finalist SF Semifinalist QF Quarterfinalist #R
RR
L# 		Lost in # round
Round-robin
Last # stage 		DQ Disqualified
DNQ Did not qualify DNP Did not participate WD Withdrew NH Tournament not held NYF Not yet founded

References

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  1. ^ "PDC Order of Merit". PDPA. 24 November 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Keegan Brown claims world youth champion darts crown". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  3. ^ "2011 PDC Under 21 World Championship Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  4. ^ "PDC Qualifying Tour: The Final Qualifying Tour Order of Merit". County Darts. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  5. ^ "2012 PDC Youth Tour England Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  6. ^ "Keegan Brown 2012". Darts Database. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  7. ^ "2012 PDPA Players Championship Crawley Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  8. ^ "2012 PDPA Players Championship Crawley Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  9. ^ "Order of Merit on 1 January 2013". PDC. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  10. ^ "Speedy Services UK Open - Thursday". PDC. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  11. ^ "Keegan Brown 2013". Darts Database. Archived from the original on 21 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  12. ^ "First Blood To Lewis In Dublin". PDC. Archived from the original on 7 October 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  13. ^ "Order of Merit on 2 January 2014". PDC. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  14. ^ "2014 PDC Tour Card Qualifying School Entry List". Darts Database. Archived from the original on 12 January 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  15. ^ "2014 PDC Tour Card Qualifying School Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  16. ^ "2014 PDC Qualifying School Day Four". PDC. Archived from the original on 19 January 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  17. ^ "Coral UK Open - Friday Afternoon". PDC. 7 March 2014.
  18. ^ "Thornton Denies Brown In Wigan". PDC. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  19. ^ "Brown & Rodriguez Reach Youth Decider". PDC. 5 April 2014. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  20. ^ "2014 Grand Slam of Darts Results". Darts Database. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  21. ^ a b "SINGHA Beer Grand Slam - Wednesday". PDC. Archived from the original on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  22. ^ "SINGHA Beer Grand Slam - Friday". PDC. Archived from the original on 16 November 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  23. ^ "Grand Slam of Darts: Kim Huybrechts hits nine-darter to beat Michael van Gerwen in Wolverhampton". Sky Sports. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  24. ^ "William Hill World Championship Day One". PDC. Archived from the original on 18 December 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  25. ^ "William Hill World Championship Day Eight". PDC. Archived from the original on 29 December 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  26. ^ "Order of Merit on 5 January 2015". PDC. Archived from the original on 8 January 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  27. ^ "2015 PDC Awards - Anderson's Quartet!". PDC. Archived from the original on 23 January 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  28. ^ "Coral UK Open Third Round". PDC. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  29. ^ "Brilliant Brown Claims Maiden ProTour Win". PDC. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  30. ^ "BetVictor World Matchplay Day Three". PDC. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  31. ^ "BetVictor World Matchplay Day Five". PDC. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  32. ^ "Michael van Gerwen beats Keegan Brown at World Grand Prix". Sky Sports. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  33. ^ "2015 Grand Slam Of Darts Results". Darts Database. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  34. ^ "Cash Converters PCF - Day One". PDC. Archived from the original on 2 December 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  35. ^ "William Hill World Championship Day One". PDC. Archived from the original on 19 December 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  36. ^ "White's Whitewash Seals Barnsley Win". PDC. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  37. ^ "2016 PDC Development Tour England Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  38. ^ "Cash Converters PCF Day One". PDC. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  39. ^ "World Championship PDPA Qualifier". PDC. Archived from the original on 28 November 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  40. ^ "World Darts Championship: Phil Taylor reveals secret to beating Keegan Brown". 28 December 2017.
  41. ^ "Darts results: Keegan Brown wins Players Championship 23 in Barnsley". Sporting Life. 4 August 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  42. ^ "Series 24, Episode 17". Eggheads. 1 November 2022. Channel 5.
  43. ^ Phillips, Josh (15 January 2023). "Brown & Huybrechts headline Tour Card winners as 2023 Q Schools conclude". PDC. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  44. ^ Toogood, Darren (16 September 2023). "BROWN KNOCKS OUT DEFENDING CHAMPION GERWYN PRICE WITH 6-4 VICTORY IN AMSTERDAM". Island Echo. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  45. ^ Jacob, Gary (25 December 2014). "Keegan Brown aiming to get under skin of Adrian Lewis". The Times. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  46. ^ Keogh, Frank (24 April 2020). "Keegan Brown: Former world youth champion ditches darts to double hours for NHS". BBC. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  47. ^ Murphy, Matt (27 March 2020). "Darts player Keegan Brown on helping the NHS during coronavirus crisis". Sky Sports News. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  48. ^ Gorton, Josh (23 December 2017). "Darts player Keegan Brown reveals depression battle". Sky Sports News. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
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