Devon Petersen has darts in his blood. Growing up in 1980s Cape Town, Devon discovered the game through his dad – who’s been playing for more than 50 years. More into football as a kid, his passion for darts grew from FOMO of his family’s darts fraternity. Watching his dart heroes play on VHS tapes lit Devon’s fire to beat all the odds.
Devon grew up in apartheid South Africa. His family was moved to Mitchells Plain – considered a coloured area of Cape Town in the 70s. His grandfathers and uncles established their own darts club, and a true darts fraternity was born, with the Petersen family at its heart. Despite being more into football, a young Devon found darts was a great way to be part of the action, especially with his two older brothers.
His big breakthrough came at the 2011 PDC World Darts Championship and in the months afterwards, he won a Tour Card. His career took a stumble a year later due to an arm injury, resulting in him handing his tour card back, although he did play in World Cup and World Championship.
Petersen re-gained his Tour Card at the 2015 Q-School, and months later, he reached his first major Quarter-Final at the prestigious UK Open.
2020 was a breakthrough year, which saw Petersen create history when he became the first player from Africa to win a ranked title, when he beat Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton to win the German Darts Championship. That win saw him earn the right to compete in the World Grand Prix and at the Grand Slam of Darts for the first time
He then ended the year in the PDC top 32 for the first time after reaching the last 16 of the World Champs for the second time in his career. Overall, to date, he has competed at nine World Cups and nine World Championships.
Away from the Oche, Petersen continues to invest time in growing darts in Africa, which has included setting up special academies. He also stages a Last Man Standing tournament with the winner earning the right to represent South Africa at the World Cup of Darts.
If he has any spare time, he works at Sky Sports UK as a pundit and commentator.
Darts has opened the world to Devon, who’s seen many countries and made a global tribe of lifelong friends. Since 2011, Devon has regularly played his idols on the PDC stage – the fear in their eyes spurring him on. He’s now feeling a second flame, burning brighter and stronger, his passion for darts re-ignited.
