Rob Szabo

Rob Szabo (born 29 October 1965)[1] is a former professional darts player from New Zealand.

Rob Szabo
Personal information
Full nameRobert Szabo
NicknameThe Hurricane
Born (1965-10-29) 29 October 1965
New Zealand
Home townWellington
Darts information
Playing darts since1988
Darts24 Gram Shot Signature
LateralityRight-handed
Walk-on musicThunderstruck by AC/DC
Organisation (see split in darts)
BDO2002-2013
PDC2013–2017
PDC premier events – best performances
World Ch'shipLast 64: 2014, 2016
Other tournament wins
DPNZ Capital Open 2013
DPNZ Tararua Open 2015
Harrows Australian GP 2016
New Zealand National Championship 2010
PDC World New Zealand Qualifying Event 2013, 2015

Career

Szabo claimed the 2010 New Zealand National Championship by beating Koha Kokiri 4–0 in the final.[2]

He qualified for the 2014 PDC World Darts Championship after winning the New Zealand National Championship in July 2013.[3] After beating England's Ian Moss 4–3 in the preliminary round he led Phil Taylor 1–0 in sets and 1–0 in legs before losing 3–1 in sets, in the first round. His performance received high praise from numerous darts pundits including Wayne Mardle, and from Taylor himself.[4] In June, Szabo made his debut in the World Cup of Darts as he represented New Zealand with Craig Caldwell and they lost 5–3 to Spain in the first round.[5] Szabo was defeated 6–1 by John Weber in the final of the Warilla Bowls Club Open and Weber was also the winner when the pair met in the final of the Oceanic Masters, this time triumphing 8–2.[6][7]

Szabo won the 2015 DPNZ Tararua Open by beating Mark McGrath 7–5.[8] He played with Warren Parry in the 2015 World Cup and they secured New Zealand's first win in the event since 2010 by knocking out Canada 5–4.[9] They faced Northern Ireland in the second round with Szabo losing 4–1 to Brendan Dolan and Parry losing 4–0 to Michael Mansell to exit the tournament.[10] He won the New Zealand qualifier for the 2016 World Championship by defeating Craig Caldwell 9–3.[11] He overcame Michael Rasztovits 2–0 in the preliminary round, before losing 3–0 to Jamie Caven in the first round.[12] His attempt to return to Alexandra Palace for the 2017 World Championship was ended in the final of the New Zealand Qualifying Event 7–3 by Parry.[13] Szabo lost in the final of the DWA Grand Prix to Corey Cadby, but won the Harrows Australian GP by thrashing Damon Heta 6–0.[14][15] At the 2017 World Cup, Szabo and Cody Harris were eliminated 5–2 by Belgium in the opening round.[16]

World Championship results

PDC

Personal life

Szabo is a semi-pro darts player and earns a full-time living as a builder for Wellington construction company LT McGuiness.

References
  1. "Rob Szabo". www.pumadarts.com/. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
  2. "2010 New Zealand National Championships Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  3. "Szabo wins New Zealand championship". www.pdc.tv/. 15 July 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
  4. Quilliam, Rebecca; Reed, Chris (14 December 2013). "Wellington builder stuns the world of darts". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
  5. "bwin World Cup of Darts First Round". PDC. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  6. "2014 Warilla Bowls Club Open Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  7. "Weber Wins 2014 Oceanic Masters". PDC. Archived from the original on 25 November 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  8. "2015 DPNZ Tararua Open Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  9. "bwin World Cup of Darts Day Two". PDC. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  10. "bwin World Cup of Darts Second Round". PDC. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  11. "2015 PDC World New Zealand Qualifying Event Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  12. "Rob Szabo's world champs bid ends within a day". Radio Sport. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  13. "Parry Secures World Championship Return". PDC. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  14. "2016 DWA Grand Prix Player Prize Money". Darts Database. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  15. "2016 Harrows Australian GP Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  16. "2017 PDC World Cup of Darts Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
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