Buntz Denies Spellman a Daily Double in Chicago

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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