The son of Australian darts icon Simon Whitlock appears to be well on his own path to greatness after almost achieving the unthinkable on the Modus Super Series
It seems the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree after Simon Whitlock’s son almost pulled off two televised nine-darters in a single evening.
Having only made his Modus Super Series debut earlier in 2024, Mason Whitlock looks deserving of his regular role after almost writing history. But the Australian icon’s progeny was left with his head in his hands after coming within a whisker of such a unique darts feat.
Whitlock Jr joined the Group B line-up in this week’s Modus Super Series slate as a late replacement for Shane Hayward. However, he looked fully deserving of his place on the televised schedule after landing his first nine-darter against David Wawrzewski.
The 20-year-old landed two maximums before taking out treble 15 and double 18 – which is also his dad’s favoured nine-dart route – to crush his first clean sweep and take a 2-1 lead over Wawrzewski. However, it wasn’t enough to avoid a 4-3 defeat against the Englishman, who ended Thursday’s action sat on top of Group B in Week 3.
Whitlock later went up against Bram van Dijk and nearly sealed victory in the most satisfying manner after chasing an identical nine-dart finish. However, his attempt at double 18 landed just short of its mark and left the youngster with an 18 clearance.
Van Dijk stormed back from having 210 left on the board to briefly pull level, but Whitlock ultimately triumphed 4-3 to collect his second win of the day. And the beaming newcomer cut a gleeful figure when speaking at the end of a special evening.
“Honestly, I feel great. I kind of just blacked out after I hit [his nine-darter], I didn’t even realise I hit it,” said the prospect. “But I think it was the worst thing for that match at the time. My hands were shaking, my legs went weak. Honestly, I was so nervous after that.”
When asked about mimicking father Simon’s nine-darter pathway – which he used to beat Andy Hamilton in the 2012 Premier League semi-final – Mason confessed: “I think it’s the best way. [On] 81 I’ll go 15s as well. I just love double 18. . .I think 45’s easier to hit than 57, because all you have to do is stay straight.”
Whitlock – who purportedly uses his dad’s old darts for competition – went on to say he “had a feeling” he or one of his opponents was going to hit a nine-darter on Thursday. The fortune-teller may have missed out on his second by the slimmest of margins, but viewers at home were nonetheless in awe of his display.
“I know he’s only come in as a last minute replacement but Modus Super Series how do you guys decide whether someone’s good for Group A, B or C?” asked one fan. Another supporter praised: “So close, unreal effort.”
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