The 1997 Embassy World Professional Darts Championship was held from 4–12 January 1997 at the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green, Surrey. It was won by Les Wallace, who became the second Scotsman to become World Darts Champion after Jocky Wilson won it twice in 1982 and 1989. Wallace defeated Wales' Marshall James 6–3 in the final. Wallace also became the first left-handed player to win either version of the World Darts Championship. It was also the second time in four years that two unseeded players had reached the Embassy final, and remains the most recent occasion that this has occurred.
Seeds
Martin Adams
Roland Scholten
Raymond van Barneveld
Richie Burnett
Steve Beaton
Colin Monk
Ronnie Baxter
Andy Fordham
Prize money
The prize money was £152,400.
Champion: £38,000
Runner-Up: £19,000
Semi-Finalists (2): £8,700
Quarter-Finalists (4): £4,400
Last 16 (8): £3,350
Last 32 (16): £2,100
There was also a 9 Dart Checkout prize of £52,000, along with a High Checkout prize of £1,600.