# Damon Heta

Damon Heta (born 10 August 1987) is an Australian professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked world number seven. A PDC Tour Card holder since 2020, Heta won his first European Tour title at the 2022 Gibraltar Darts Trophy. He reached his first major semi-final at the 2024 UK Open. Heta has won a total of eight ranking titles in his professional career.
Prior to turning professional in 2020, Heta won his first overall PDC title at the 2019 Brisbane Darts Masters as a regional qualifier. He has since represented Australia in the PDC World Cup of Darts, winning the 2022 edition of the tournament alongside teammate Simon Whitlock.

## Career
### Early career

Before turning professional in 2020, Heta mainly played on the Dartplayers Australia (DPA) Tour. His first big televised exposure in PDC darts was making his World Series debut at the 2014 Sydney Darts Masters as a DPA qualifier, where he was whitewashed 6–0 in the first round by Dave Chisnall. Heta qualified for the 2016 Auckland Darts Masters where he lost in the first round to Michael van Gerwen 6–3.
He qualified for the 2018 Melbourne Darts Masters, where he defeated his childhood friend Kyle Anderson 6–5 in the first round. He lost 10–7 to Gary Anderson in the quarter-finals. Anderson then defeated Heta 6–5 in the first round of the 2018 Brisbane Darts Masters a week later.
Amongst his titles won in Australia are the 2011 Pacific Masters, the 2014 DPA Australian Singles, the 2015 West Coast Classic, and the 2016 DPA Australian Open.

### 2019: Brisbane Darts Master

On 3 August 2019, Heta won the inaugural Australian Darts Open, beating top British Darts Organisation players such as Jim Williams 8–1 in the semi-finals and 2015 BDO World Champion Scott Mitchell 10–9 in the final to take the $15,000 winner's prize.
A week later, at the 2019 Brisbane Darts Masters, Heta reached his first PDC final by beating former major winners James Wade, Gary Anderson and Simon Whitlock, becoming the first Australian player to reach a final on home soil. He won his maiden PDC title by defeating former world champion Rob Cross 8–7 in the final. Heta's win was considered a shock upset as he entered the tournament as a 250/1 betting outsider, having only won two televised matches before claiming his first title. After the victory, Heta discussed a potential move to the United Kingdom to play on the PDC Pro Tour, saying, "Hopefully I'll be able to come over to the UK soon and when I do people better watch out."
Heta beat James Wade once again in the first round of the 2019 Melbourne Darts Masters, but lost 8–3 to Rob Cross in the quarter-finals. He lost 6–1 to Peter Wright in the first round of the 2019 New Zealand Darts Masters.

### 2020: Switch to professional

Heta secured his PDC World Championship debut at the 2020 edition through finishing top of the 2019 DPA Pro Tour Order of Merit. He won his first-round match against José de Sousa 3–0 in sets. This set up a tie with reigning BDO World Champion Glen Durrant in the second round, to whom Heta lost 3–0. Following the tournament, he attended 2020 PDC Q-School to pursue a career on the professional tour. He won a PDC Tour Card by finishing fourth on the UK Q-School Order of Merit.
Heta initially moved to England upon earning his Tour Card and competed in PDC events until he was advised to travel back home to Australia amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. He participated in the newly-established PDC Home Tour from his home in Perth. Despite the time difference involved, with Heta needing to wake up at 3 a.m. to play his opening group match, Heta won his group in the first edition of the Home Tour. He returned to Europe and won his first PDC ranking title in September; winning day two of the PDC Autumn Series in Niedernhausen, beating Joe Cullen 8–4 in the final. He also won Home Tour 3 by defeating Chris Dobey 4–2 in the final. Partnering Simon Whitlock, Heta made his PDC World Cup of Darts debut for Australia as a replacement for Kyle Anderson, with the pair reaching the quarter-finals.
Heta was awarded a place at the Grand Slam of Darts as the highest-ranked player on the PDC Autumn Series Order of Merit who had not already qualified. He finished second in Group F behind James Wade after wins over Jermaine Wattimena and Glen Durrant which saw him advance to the knockout rounds. He reached the quarter-finals before being eliminated in a 16–13 defeat to Wade. He also had a significant run at the Players Championship Finals by reaching a second major quarter-final, where he led Mervyn King 7–2 before eventually losing 10–8.

### 2021–2022: World Cup champion

Heta made his second world championship appearance at the 2021 PDC World Championship, entering the first round as the highest-ranked non-seed on the Pro Tour Order of Merit. However, he suffered a surprise 3–2 defeat to American qualifier Danny Baggish, missing six match darts in the process. At the 2022 World Championship, Heta was the 31st seed and received a bye to the second round. He reached the third round of the competition for the first time after a 3–1 win over Luke Woodhouse. He took a 2–0 lead against 2020 champion Peter Wright, but was eliminated from the tournament after losing the next four sets in a 4–2 defeat.
Heta was a quarter-finalist at the 2022 UK Open, losing 10–5 to eventual champion Danny Noppert. He won 2022 Players Championship 5 by defeating Dimitri Van den Bergh 7–4 in the semi-finals and Gary Anderson 8–6 in the final.
In June that year, Heta, in conjunction with Simon Whitlock, reached the final of the 2022 PDC World Cup of Darts after wins over Lithuania, Sweden, Belgium and England. They defeated Wales (Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton) 3–1 in the final to claim the title for Australia for the first time and become the fifth nation to win the event, ten years after the Australian team of Whitlock and Paul Nicholson lost the 2012 final to England. The duo dedicated their victory to compatriot and former professional player Kyle Anderson who died in August 2021, with Heta proclaiming, "This was for Kyle, and for Australia in general."
In October, Heta won the 2022 Gibraltar Darts Trophy on the PDC European Tour, securing his maiden European Tour title. He defeated Michael van Gerwen in the semi-finals and Peter Wright in the final, with both matches going to a deciding leg where Heta won 7–6 and 8–7. He won his second Players Championship title of the year at the 26th event, beating Dirk van Duijvenbode 8–4 in the final to claim his second PDC title in the space of six days.

### 2023

Heta entered the second round of the 2023 World Championship as 20th seed and won his opening match, whitewashing two-time world champion Adrian Lewis 3–0. However, he faced a whitewash from Joe Cullen in the third round, losing 4–0 and exiting the tournament.
In their defence of the World Cup of Darts, Heta and Australia teammate Simon Whitlock reached the quarter-finals but were beaten by Belgium (Dimitri Van den Bergh and Kim Huybrechts) in a deciding leg. At the World Matchplay, Heta earned his first win at the event in his 10–5 victory over Josh Rock in the first round. He followed that with a dominant 11–1 win against Brendan Dolan to advance to the quarter-finals, where he was defeated 16–13 by Luke Humphries. Heta qualified for the Grand Slam of Darts through the Tour Card Holder Qualifier. He progressed to the knockout rounds by finishing second in Group H with 5–4 wins over Ricardo Pietreczko and Beau Greaves respectively and a 5–2 loss to Nathan Aspinall. In the second round, he produced a surprise 10–7 victory over Michael van Gerwen. He was eliminated by Rob Cross 16–6 in the quarter-finals. He reached another major quarter-final at the Players Championship Finals, where he lost 10–6 to Ryan Joyce.
Heta was a three-time ranking finalist in 2023. In the lead-up to the World Cup of Darts, he won Players Championship 14 by defeating Luke Woodhouse 8–2 in the final. The next month, in the lead-up to the World Matchplay, he claimed his second title of the year by beating Ryan Joyce 8–4 in the final of Players Championship 16. He reached a third final in October but missed out on the Players Championship 28 title in an 8–6 loss to Ross Smith. He was also runner-up at the New South Wales Darts Masters, but failed to capture a second World Series title as he lost 8–1 to Rob Cross.

### 2024: First major semi-final

At the 2024 World Championship, Heta ensured his first appearance in the last 16 of the event following a 4–3 win over Berry van Peer in the third round. He was defeated 4–1 by Scott Williams.
Heta reached the semi-finals of a major event for the first time at the UK Open. He achieved wins over Simon Whitlock 10–8, Nathan Aspinall 10–9 and Gian van Veen 10–8 en route to the quarter-finals. He was drawn against 2024 World Championship runner-up Luke Littler. Their quarter-final match – noted for its high standard of play – saw Heta almost squander 8–4 and 9–6 leads as Littler fought back but Heta hit double 16 to win 10–8. He was drawn to play Dimitri Van den Bergh in the semi-finals, to whom he lost 11–6.
Heta won another two ranking titles during the year. He claimed his first title in February at Players Championship 4 with an 8–4 win over Chris Dobey in the final. He then won his second title in August by defeating Ryan Searle 8–3 in the final of Players Championship 18. Heta was also runner-up at the New Zealand Darts Masters, losing 8–2 to Luke Humphries in the final.

### 2025: World Championship nine-darter

At the 2025 World Championship, Heta lost the opening set of his second-round match against practice partner Connor Scutt but won the next three for a 3–1 victory, including an errant dart at double 12 which saw him miss out on a nine-dart finish. He then achieved the nine-darter in his third-round match with Luke Woodhouse, a contest Heta ultimately lost 4–3. Despite the defeat, Heta received a £60,000 bonus from tournament sponsor Paddy Power for hitting the nine-darter; he bought a Rolex watch upon the money entering his bank account.
Despite being ranked world number eight at the culmination of the 2025 World Championship, Heta was not selected for the 2025 Premier League. He admitted that he did not expect to be in the lineup but expressed his gratitude to those who had faith in him. In February, he reached the quarter-finals of the World Masters by dramatically beating Gerwyn Price 4–3 in sets, missing six match darts and surviving one match dart from Price before eventually securing the victory. He was eliminated after a 4–1 loss to Luke Humphries.

## Personal life

Heta worked as a roofer in Perth before moving to England with his wife Meaghan. They shared a house with fellow professional player Dimitri Van den Bergh in Leicester.
In 2023, Heta grew a moustache in support of Movember.

## World Championship results
### PDC

* 2020: Second round (lost to Glen Durrant 0–3)
* 2021: First round (lost to Danny Baggish 2–3)
* 2022: Third round (lost to Peter Wright 2–4)
* 2023: Third round (lost to Joe Cullen 0–4)
* 2024: Fourth round (lost to Scott Williams 1–4)
* 2025: Third round (lost to Luke Woodhouse 3–4)

## Career finals
### PDC World Series finals: 3 (1 title)

| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
| Winner | 1. | 2019 | Brisbane Darts Masters | Rob Cross | 8–7 (l) |
| Runner-up | 1. | 2023 | New South Wales Darts Masters | Rob Cross | 1–8 (l) |
| Runner-up | 2. | 2024 | New Zealand Darts Masters | Luke Humphries | 2–8 (l) |

### PDC team finals: 1 (1 title)

| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Country | Teammate | Opponents in the final | Score |
| Winner | 1. | 2022 | World Cup of Darts | Australia | Simon Whitlock | Wales – Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton | 3–1 (m) |
* 1 2 (l) = score in legs, (s) = score in sets, (m) = score in matches.

## Performance timeline

| Tournament | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
| PDC Ranked televised events |||||||||
| World Championship | DNQ | DNQ | 2R | 1R | 3R | 3R | 4R | 3R |
| World Masters | DNP | DNP | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 1R | QF | QF |
| UK Open | DNP | DNP | 1R | 3R | QF | 4R | SF | 6R |
| World Matchplay | DNP | DNP | DNQ | 1R | 1R | QF | 1R | |
| World Grand Prix | DNP | DNP | DNQ | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | |
| European Championship | DNP | DNP | DNQ | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | |
| Grand Slam | DNP | DNP | QF | DNQ | RR | QF | DNQ | |
| Players Championship Finals | DNP | DNP | QF | 3R | 1R | QF | 3R | |
| PDC Non-ranked televised events |||||||||
| World Cup | DNP | DNP | QF | QF | W | QF | 2R | |
| World Series Finals | 2R | 2R | 2R | DNQ | 2R | 1R | 2R | |
| Career statistics |||||||||
| Season-end ranking | – | – | 52 | 29 | 16 | 11 | 8 | |
PDC European Tour
| Season | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 2020 | BDC 2R | GDC DNQ | EDG 1R | IDO DNQ |
| 2021 | HDT 3R | GDT 3R |
| 2022 | IDO 3R | GDC 2R | GDG SF | ADO 2R | EDO 2R | CDO 2R | EDG SF | DDC 3R | EDM QF | HDT 2R | GDO 3R | BDO 2R | GDT W |
| 2023 | BSD 3R | EDO QF | IDO QF | GDG SF | ADO 3R | DDC SF | BDO 3R | CDO SF | EDG SF | EDM 2R | GDO 2R | HDT QF | GDC QF |
| 2024 | BDO 3R | GDG 2R | IDO 3R | EDG QF | ADO 2R | BSD 3R | DDC 2R | EDO SF | GDC QF | FDT 2R | HDT 2R | SDT 2R | CDO 3R |
PDC Players Championships
| Season | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 |
| 2020 | BAR 2R | BAR 1R | WIG 1R | WIG 1R | WIG 3R | WIG 1R | BAR 1R | BAR 2R | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | NIE 1R | NIE W | NIE QF | NIE 3R | NIE 1R | COV QF | COV 3R | COV F | COV QF | COV 1R | - |
| 2021 | BOL 4R | BOL 2R | BOL 2R | BOL F | MIL 4R | MIL 2R | MIL 3R | MIL 4R | NIE 3R | NIE 1R | NIE QF | NIE 3R | MIL 1R | MIL 3R | MIL 4R | MIL 1R | COV 4R | COV 3R | COV 1R | COV 1R | BAR F | BAR 4R | BAR 1R | BAR 1R | BAR 1R | BAR 2R | BAR QF | BAR 1R | BAR SF | BAR 4R | - |
| 2022 | BAR 2R | BAR SF | WIG F | WIG 1R | BAR W | BAR 3R | NIE 4R | NIE 4R | BAR 2R | BAR SF | BAR 1R | BAR SF | BAR 3R | WIG SF | WIG QF | NIE 4R | NIE 4R | BAR 3R | BAR 3R | BAR 4R | BAR SF | DNP | DNP | DNP | BAR SF | BAR W | BAR 1R | BAR SF | BAR 4R | BAR 3R | - |
| 2023 | BAR 3R | BAR 1R | BAR 1R | BAR 3R | BAR 2R | BAR 1R | HIL 3R | HIL 3R | WIG 2R | WIG QF | LEI 3R | LEI SF | HIL SF | HIL W | LEI 4R | LEI W | HIL 2R | HIL 2R | BAR 2R | BAR 3R | BAR 1R | BAR SF | BAR 3R | BAR QF | BAR 1R | BAR 2R | BAR 3R | BAR F | BAR SF | BAR SF | - |
| 2024 | WIG 1R | WIG 2R | LEI 4R | LEI W | HIL 3R | HIL 4R | LEI 4R | LEI 2R | HIL 3R | HIL 1R | HIL 4R | HIL 2R | MIL 1R | MIL QF | MIL SF | MIL 3R | MIL 2R | MIL W | MIL 2R | WIG 4R | WIG QF | MIL 3R | MIL QF | WIG 2R | WIG 4R | WIG 4R | WIG QF | WIG 1R | LEI QF | LEI QF | - |
| 2025 | WIG 4R | WIG 4R | ROS 3R | ROS 2R | LEI QF | LEI QF | HIL 3R | HIL | LEI | LEI | LEI | LEI | ROS | ROS | HIL | HIL | LEI | LEI | LEI | HIL | HIL | MIL | MIL | MIL | HIL | HIL | LEI | LEI | LEI | WIG | WIG | WIG | WIG | WIG |
Performance Table Legend :
| W | Won the tournament | F | Finalist | SF | Semifinalist | QF | Quarterfinalist | #R RR Prel. | Lost in # round Round-robin Preliminary round | DQ | Disqualified |
| DNQ | Did not qualify | DNP | Did not participate | WD | Withdrew | NH | Tournament not held | #R RR Prel. | Lost in # round Round-robin Preliminary round | NYF | Not yet founded |

## Nine-dart finishes

Damon Heta's televised nine-dart finishes :
| Date | Opponent | Tournament | Method | Prize |
| 27 December 2024 | Luke Woodhouse | PDC World Championship | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | £60,000 |