Chris Dobey’s nine floor titles in three years have not reached TV

Chris Dobey, the 36-year-old world number 16, has won nine PDC floor titles from 13 finals across 2024-2026 but holds only one televised title, the 2023 Masters. His latest came at Players Championship 32 in Den Bosch on Thursday 29 October, where he beat Tommy Morris 8-4.

That win was his third ranking title of 2026, after Players Championship 3 and 9. Dartsnews.com rates him the fifth-best player on the floor by prize money, yet his best televised result in the last three years is a World Championship semi-final.

The Grand Slam of Darts is his next major assignment, and he has ranking money to defend at the World Championship. The gap between his floor and television records is therefore the main question of his closing weeks of the season.

Chris Dobey ranking titles: nine wins from 13 floor finals

Dobey’s 2026 floor record includes a 68% win rate and a first-nine average of 108.27. Each chris dobey darts ranking title in the period has rested on a steady scoring level.

His Players Championship averages were 98.11 in 2024, 97.98 in 2025 and 98.99 in 2026, a range of 1.01 points. Players Championship events account for 38.1% of his prize money, and his win percentage in them is 7.9% higher than across the whole year.

The finals have rarely been close. The analysis describes Bunting beaten 8-1 at Players Championship 3, world number 38 Justin Hood beaten 8-4 at Players Championship 9, and world number 90 Morris beaten 8-4 in Den Bosch. Dartsnews.com notes that top players such as Luke Littler rarely enter these events, so Dobey is often among the strongest players in the field.

Dobeyachieved tournament average of 103.15 across seven matches in Den Bosch, including 111.12 in a 6-1 quarter-final win over Krzysztof Ratajski. The title was worth £15,000, and our report on Dobey’s Players Championship 32 win in Den Bosch covers the day in full.

Why Chris Dobey is not winning on TV: the stage figures

The Dartsnews.com figures show the drop clearly. His televised average, excluding the Premier League, has been between 3.8 and 5.8 points below his Players Championship average in each of the last three years.

Year	Players Championship W-L	Players Championship average	TV W-L (excl. Premier League)	TV average
2024	71-24	98.11	8-8	94.29
2025	67-21	97.98	13-10	93.65
2026	89-28	98.99	2-6	93.15

The European Tour is the obvious bridge between the two settings, and Dobey has not won one in his career. He has won 12 and lost 14 matches on it in 2026, after winning 10 and losing 13 in 2025.

His scoring there was not the problem in 2025, when his 99.08 average was the highest of any event that year. Dartsnews.com points to composure instead, noting that he has lost five matches in decisive legs in 2026. It contrasts him with Ross Smith, who won two televised titles after two European Tour wins this year.

The Premier League is offered as a second factor. Dobey finished seventh on his 2023 debut, and he told BBC Radio Newcastle in January 2025, “The first time I did it, I loved it, and I felt like I belonged there.” The analysis argues that the distance between belonging and performing may help explain his television results.

The same analysis accepts that stage nerves alone are too simple an explanation, given the 2023 Masters win and strong major results around it. Dave.sport’s earlier assessment of his televised form reached a similar view, noting that opponents, finishing and the timing of missed chances all matter.

Chris Dobey floor wins breakthrough: scoring and a new barrel

Recent scoring data supports the case for a breakthrough. The PDC form guide published on 3 November recorded 90 maximums across Dobey’s previous 200 legs, five fewer than Littler, and placed him second for leg-winning efficiency in its latest sample.

That sample came after four consecutive first-round defeats in televised tournaments. It suggests his scoring has not been the weak point, which fits the floor figures above.

Dobey has linked the Den Bosch win to an equipment change. “I’ve changed darts to a brand-new barrel, a brand-new, different set this week,” he told the PDC in his post-match interview. He added that he took them out of the wrapper at home the day before he travelled.

He also pointed to his finishing. “I’m just delighted to get another win after recent performances on TV,” he said in the same interview. “I’ve had a few struggles, but the doubles were brilliant today.”

One title does not show that the new barrel has solved his television problems. It does show that Dobey can sustain a high average over seven matches, which is the standard he has not reached on stage this year.

What next for Chris Dobey: Leicester, the Grand Slam and the World Championship

Dobey named the Grand Slam of Darts as his next target and said he was relieved not to need the qualifier. “It’s all practice, getting ready for the Grand Slam,” he told the PDC. “It’s going to be a tough one now with the change of format, but I’m knuckling down.”

The World Championship carries the larger ranking consequence. “I know what I’ve got to defend at the World Championship, so I’m looking to dig deep and hopefully get up them rankings again,” he said. His 2025 semi-final run earned £100,000, the second-largest prize of his career, so a weaker result would cost him places on the darts rankings.

His place at the Players Championship Finals was already secured before Den Bosch. Before the major events, he plays the Leicester double-header of Players Championship 33 and 34, and he said afterwards he intends to carry the Den Bosch confidence into it.

Dave.sport’s Players Championship 34 draw report has the latest from Leicester, and the PDC majors page tracks the televised events that follow.

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