Phil's winning record is second to none, and his 16 World Championship wins stands at the highest ever recorded in the history of darts. Amazingly, to receive his haul of 16 World Championship titles, Phil won an unprecedented eight titles in a row. His legacy in the game was illustrated by 214-lifetime professional tournament wins, which also featured 85 Major titles.
Phil was PDC Player of the Year six times in the mid-noughties and 2010s. His achievements were such that his efforts have been recognised outside the world of darts. He was twice nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year on the back of incredible seasons in 2006 and 2010, finishing as runner-up in 2010. It was in the 2010 season that Phil became the first player in the history of darts to have secured two nine-dart finishes in one game, and that was in an environment where pressure was heaped on; the 2010 Premier League Darts final.
Showcasing intense mental toughness, resilience and attention to detail to prove himself in the world's elite, Phil has constantly strived to be the best, despite the overwhelming pressure associated with major tournaments.
In the years leading up to his retirement, Phil won the 2015 Sydney Masters, the 2016 Champions League and the 2017 World Matchplay. He provided one final show of class ahead of his planned retirement in 2018, reaching the final of the competition where he eventually lost out to Rob Cross, ending his career in a highly respectable fourth in the PDC Order of Merit.
But it is the defining moments of class, quality and showmanship that made Phil one of the most likeable, impressive and most beloved talents in the international darts scape. It is the stories of his incredible experiences in darts, as well as the details of how he practiced, played and ultimately won so prolifically throughout his career that has made him one of the finest darts speakers and after dinner speakers around today.
