DARTS World contributor Colin Osborne headed up to the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes in confident mood as as the race for 2024/25 PDC Tour Cards began at the PDC’s UK Qualifying School
Despite a tough first day The Wizard is in fine fettle having played and won numerous grassroots events over the Christmas period, as well as playing the MODUS Super Series last week.
The Wizard reached an MSS Champions Week in 2023 while breaking many records for individual and weekly wins. His run only ended in the Champions Final where he lost 4-2 to recent PDC World Championship Finalist Luke Littler.
“ 2023 was a solid year with some personal highlights, professional progress and some real progress toward my long term goals. I would love to translate that form up to another level…”
Osborne, aka The Wizard, narrowly missed out on another Finals Night last week, on leg difference in Group C, with group winner Darryl Pilgrim and ADC Europe Qualifier Ron Meulenkamp moving through, both are also in action in UK/ European Qualifying School, although it was Chris Landman who claimed the weekly crown.
“ It was a mixed bag last week, and of course I was disappointed to lose out on leg difference, but my form was excellent in patches and I had some good wins over some of the most in form players around…”
The 2007 World Championship Quarter Finalist will hope to return to PDC action in 2024, having won 7 Events on the PDC Pro Tour as well as the 2009 Championship League of Darts, beating Phil Taylor 6-4 in the Final at Crondon Park in Essex.
“ I have worked incredibly hard for six years to completely rebuild my game and enable me to both enjoy playing again and to compete and play darts professionally…
I’m winning things and beating great players again which makes me more and more confident that I can play anywhere. I can’t wait to have another crack at the elite level, which of course is the PDC and the Pro Tour…”
A grand total of 30 PDC Tour Cards are available over the weeklong PDC Q School, with 17 to play for in Wunderland in Kalkar for European Q School whilst 13 cards are available for UK Qualifying School.
Willie Borland is another hoping for success at UK Qualifying School having won the opening MODUS Super Series week in this current series, with everyone remembering the famous sudden death 9 dart leg against former World Youth Champion Bradley Brooks who recently lost his tour card.
Both players will be hunting for 1 of the 13 tour cards available in Milton Keynes, with other hopefuls such as Robert Thornton and John Henderson starting from the first stage, with former BDO World Champion Scott Waites joining in the Final Stage after he lost his tour card last year.
Over 850 players are expected at Q School with the format including 2 stages which gives 8 players the opportunity to advance to the Final Stage each day.
The Final stage begins on Thursday where the 4 tournament winners will secure tour cards as well as the 9 highest ranked players on the Order of Merit.
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC
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