Australian darts has a new name on the radar after Brody Klinge’s stunning run to the final of the Australian Darts Masters in Wollongong. The 34-year-old defied the odds to reach the title match, where James Wade eventually took him down 8-5 despite Klinge mustering a 104.56 average. Wade, in stunning form, upset the partisan crowd to claim his long-awaited first-ever World Series title.
Klinge was the only challenger to make it through the opening round, reversing his 6-1 first-hurdle loss to Stephen Bunting in 2025 by beating Ross Smith in a brilliant win where Smudger missed two match darts. He then took down world number two Gian van Veen 6-4 in the quarter-finals before completing a 7-4 victory over New Zealand Darts Masters winner Jonny Clayton with the Big Fish.
That confirmed his place in the final, making him the first Oceanic qualifier since Damon Heta in 2019 to feature in a World Series of Darts final. Overall, Klinge averaged 100.27 across his four matches, performances that have caught the eye as he follows in the footsteps of Heta, Corey Cadby and Kyle Anderson as Oceanic representatives to reach a World Series final against the odds.
“It’s been absolutely amazing,” Klinge said. “The crowd have been behind me the whole time and I’ve really enjoyed the whole experience. I cannot believe I got here. It’s been unreal. I don’t really know what to say. Every opportunity that comes my way I’m going to take it. I’m going to keep playing and see what happens.”
Klinge has now confirmed his spot in the World Series of Darts Finals, travelling to the Dutch capital from September 17-20. He may also be making another trip to Europe, with a debut at Ally Pally looking very likely after racking up eight titles on the ADA circuit, putting him in contention for the PDC World Darts Championship via the 2026 ADA rankings.
