Professional darts player Danny Baggish was fighting back tears after 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. The Guam-born arrowsmith has been back with a bang, topping Group A at MSS in Portsmouth. A 4-1 win against Canada's Jeff Smith saw him move to 11 victories and four losses from 15 group matches, accumulating 22 points. He has the same number of points as second-place Dawson Murschell but a better leg difference, finishing at the top of his group.
After hitting the winning double against Smith, Baggish celebrated by showing a picture of his late son to the camera, visibly holding back tears. Post-match, he was asked about the moving moment in the studio and struggled to find words, dedicating the win to his son. Wiping away tears, he said: 'So much. I'm sorry.'
Regaining his composure, Baggish admitted he has been fighting his 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, having featured at the World Championship on three occasions. His most recent appearance at Alexandra Palace came at the 2023 tournament, where he lost in the second round to Mervyn King.
Now, Baggish will feature in the final on the Modus Super Series this weekend.
