Simon Whitlock quarter-finals. He then beat Brian Woods to reach the final, where he lost to the number one seed Mark Webster 7–5. He was the first Australian to reach the final since Tony David won the tournament in 2002. Whitlock entered the 2009 BDO World Darts Championship as the number 12 seed and reached the second round by beating Mark Barilli, but lost to Darryl Fitton. After many weeks of speculation, Whitlock returned to the PDC on 19 March 2009. He began playing in the AGP circuit where he won eight tournaments. He qualified for the Las Vegas Desert Classic but
1996 BDO World Darts Championship 1996 BDO World Darts Championship The 1996 Embassy World Professional Darts Championship was held from 1–7 January 1996 at the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green, Surrey and was won by the number six seed Steve Beaton. Beaton, who suffered a first round loss in the previous two World Championships as the number one seed, defeated Co Stompé, 1994 champion John Part, and future champions Martin Adams and Andy Fordham before beating defending champion Richie Burnett 6-3 in sets in the final. The prize money was £145,200. There was also a 9 Dart Checkout prize of £52,000, along with a