Stowe Buntz claimed his ninth career CDC title and fourth of the 2025 season on Saturday night, defeating Alex Spellman 7–3 in the final of the CDC Showdown in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois.

In a grueling evening under the “win-by-two clear legs” format, Buntz was dominant – dropping only 10 legs in the event and never being pushed to extra time. After dispatching Joey Lynaugh 6-2 in the quarterfinals and dominating Leonard Gates 7-1 in the semifinals, he delivered a commanding performance in the final to halt Spellman’s bid for a Saturday sweep.

Spellman had lifted the Cosmo Darts Championship title earlier in the day but couldn’t replicate the magic in the nightcap. His path to the final included a 6-1 quarterfinal win over Kiley Edmunds and a hard-fought 7-5 victory over top-seeded Adam Sevada in the semifinals. Spellman and Sevada also shared top honors in the 180 count, each firing in nine maximums.

The breakout performance of the night came from Jason Wilbur, who reached his first CDC quarterfinal after a 6-3 win over sixth seed Gary Mawson in the last 16. Wilbur was the only unseeded player to make the last eight, as ranked players proved too difficult to overcome elsewhere.

Jacob Taylor led the field in average at 88.91 over 24 legs, but ran into a tough extra-leg battle against Lynaugh, who sent the Canadian packing 7–5 in the round of 16.

With another title added to an already stellar season, Buntz continues to narrow the gap between he and Adam Sevada at the top of the 2025 standings with both vying for the top U.S. spot in race to the PaddyPower World Darts Championship.

The 2025 Championship Darts Circuit resumes Sunday with the Boomerang Tours Fiesta, and will conclude with a three-event stretch in Indianapolis, September 19–21 where the field for the Continental Cup will be confirmed, along with three automatic berths at the Alexandra Palace in December.

QUARTERFINALS
Adam Sevada (1) 6-4 Jason Brandon (8)
Kiley Edmunds (13) 1-6 Alex Spellman (5)
Stowe Buntz (2) 6-2 Joey Lynaugh (10)
Leonard Gates (3) 6-1 Jason Wilbur

SEMIFINALS
Adam Sevada 5-7 Alex Spellman
Stowe Buntz 7-1 Leonard Gates

FINAL
Alex Spellman 3-7 Stowe Buntz

Stowe Buntz capped off the Indianapolis weekend with another statement win, defeating Adam Sevada 7–6 in a thrilling final to capture the DJD Duel title and his eighth career CDC Tour victory.

The top seed was in dominant form throughout the day, dropping only two total legs in defeats of Trevor Buboltz and PDC Tour Card holder, Danny Lauby, to reach the quarterfinals. There, a whitewash 6-0 win over Jacob Taylor and a 7-4 semifinal triumph over David Cameron set up his third finals clash of the season with Sevada. This time, the Neon Nightmare was able to successfully parry multiple charges from The Reaper, holding his nerve after two multi-leg leads were erased and holding throw in the decider to hoist the trophy.

Sevada’s path saw him dispatch Scott Estle and Patrick Guariglia in quick fashion to reach the quarterfinals where he was unbothered by yesterday’s finalist, Jason Brandon, sweeping him aside 6-1. He then survived a last-leg decider against second-seeded Leonard Gates in the semis to return to the finals stage where Buntz exacted his revenge for their last two meetings.

Buntz’s 92.14 average over 43 legs led the field by a wide margin, with Cameron’s 87.58 the next closest. Sevada led the event in 180s, landing 12, two more than Gates.

The Tour’s elite rose to the occasion on Sunday, with all four semifinal spots claimed by the top four seeds. Friday’s champion, Darryl Christie, was the only unseeded player to reach the last eight, falling to Gates 6-4 in the quarterfinals.

With momentum firmly on his side, Buntz now sets his sights on Chicago, where the 2025 Championship Darts Circuit resumes August 23-24 with Events 11 through 13.