Darts star holds back tears over son’s death on emotional return after four years away

A professional darts player was holding back the tears following a win at the Modus Super Series as he held a picture up of his late son

Darts star Danny Baggish was fighting back the tears after paying an emotional tribute to his late son following his debut win on the Modus Super Series (MSS). The American, 42, lost his son to cancer in late 2025 when the child was just 19 months old.

This week, Baggish made his return to the sport after four years away. It’s safe to say the Guam-born arrowsmith has been back with a bang, as he topped Group A at MSS in Portsmouth.

A 4-1 win against Canada’s Jeff Smith saw him move on to 11 victories and four losses from his 15 group matches, accumulating 22 points in the process. He has accumulated the same number of points as second-place Dawson Murschell, but has a better leg difference and therefore finishes at the top of his group.

READ MORE: Beau Greaves breaks down in tears after historic PDC win as she says ‘I can’t believe it’READ MORE: Darts favourite Wayne Mardle finds new love 15 months on from wife’s tragic death

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! All the best sports news and much more on our dedicated Facebook page

And after hitting the winning double against Smith, Baggish celebrated by showing a picture of his late son to the camera and he was seen holding back the tears.

Post-match, Baggish was asked about the moving moment in the studio and he struggled to get his words to explain how it felt as he dedicated the win to his late son.

Wiping away the tears as he opened up on the significance of his win to him, Baggish said: “So much. I’m sorry.”

After regathering his composure, Baggish admitted he has been fighting his own emotions to return to the oche, following his most recent appearance in December 2022.

He said: “It meant a lot, but I felt it when I got to three legs. I felt the emotions take over a little bit so I had to take a deep breath back there. I think last night was the first night I started thinking about back home and stuff. So for a good hour, I was a wreck last night.

“You have to keep it in, you have a job to do. You’ve got to do what you came here to do and you hold it in until there’s a time to release that. I have always been an emotional player, but this is different. The moment I hit that double tops, it was a lot of relief and thoughts, appreciation and love came out.”

The Modus Super Series features 12 non-PDC Tour Card players and Baggish is among the most experienced in the event, having featured at the World Championship on three previous occasions. His most recent appearance at Alexandra Palace came at the 2023 tournament, when he lost in the second round to Mervyn King.

Now, Baggish will feature in the final on the Modus Super Series this weekend.