Taylor and De Graaf Secure Final Day Tour Cards

A tense final day of Q-School 2024 saw Dom Taylor and Jeffrey De Graaf secure their PDC Tour Cards outright on with 23 additional Order of Merit winners across the UK and Europe also confirmed.

The ten Order of Merit cards from UK Q School in Milton Keynes went to: Matthew Dennant, William Borland, Josh Richardson, James Hurrell, George Killington, Danny Lauby, Rhys Griffin, Brett Claydon, Darren Beveridge and Adam Hunt joined Taylor in securing their spots on the professional circuit.

Meanwhile in Kalkar, Germany; Haupai Puha, Jules van Dongen, Radek Szaganski, Chris Landman, Patrick Geeraets, Jitse van der Wal, Paul Krohne, Benjamin Reus, Mario Vandenbogaerde, Lukas Wenig, Thibault Tricole, Michele Turetta and Tim Wolters won their PDC Tour Card alongside De Graaf.

Taylor was already on five points in the OOM tandings and was in a strong position heading into the final day.

Nevertheless, he made sure of his qualification as he ripped through the field, beating Greg Ritchie, Thomas Lovely, Patrick Lynskey and Alan Norris to reach the quarter-finals.

There he saw off Tom Lonsdale 6-1, before beating Dennant 6-4 to reach the final.

A showdown with Joshua Richardson awaited and with both having already secured their Tour Card via the Order of Merit – Taylor ran out a 6-1 winner for glory on the day.

Richardson had ended the hopes of the likes of Ted Evetts on his way to the final, and in the semi-final he saw off Adam Hunt 6-5, with those five legs being just enough for Hunt to cling on to the final Order of Merit place and return to the tour.

It is a first time on the professional circuit for Richardson, following in the footsteps of his father James who has previously held a Tour Card on three occasions.

The run to the Last 16 for USA’s Lauby means he becomes the second American Tour Card holder, with Van Dongen also securing an immediate return to the circuit at European Q School.

But there was heartbreak for their compatriot Alex Spellman, who needed a huge run on the final day, as he lost in the quarter-finals to Dennant, who himself secured a return to the professional ranks for the second time in his career.

First Round exits for Hurrell and Griffin weren’t consequential as they had all but done enough to secure their Tour Cards in the three days previous.

Borland – famed for hitting a nine-darter in the 2021/22 World Darts Championship – secured his return to the circuit with a run to the last 16.

De Graaf’s monumental run in Kalkar saw him secure his card outright as he saw off Dutchman Jitse van der Wal 6-5 in a tense final.

Van der Wal had already secured his Tour Card in the Order of Merit, whereas De Graaf needed the victory for his – which in turn meant Damien Mol missed out on an Order of Merit place.

In reaching the final, Sweden’s De Graaf put in steady performances throughout to see off Felix Schiertz, Jeroen Mioch, Wenig, Alexander Masek and Tricole.

However, the run to the semi-finals for Tricole means more French success for the second consecutive year as he joins his World Cup partner Jacques Labre on the professional circuit.

History was made in Kalkar, as Turetta became the first Italian PDC Tour Card holder as he reached the semi-finals to move onto the six points needed in the Order of Merit.

Despite not playing today, Puha also become the first New Zealander to win a PDC Tour Card as he topped the standings on nine points.

Reus also became just the third Danish player in history to grace the professional ranks, with Vladimir Anderson and Per Laursen having previously held Tour Cards.

Szaganski and Vandenbogaerde both secured immediate returns to the circuit, but there are new faces in Dutchmen Geeraets and Landman, and Germany’s Krohne, Wenig and Wolters.

2024 PDC Qualifying Schools Final Stage
UK Q School Final Stage Day Four
Last 16
Adam Hunt 6-1 Justin Smith
Llew Bevan 6-5 William Borland
Ted Evetts 6-3 James Wilson
Joshua Richardson 6-3 Darren Beveridge
Matthew Dennant 6-5 Danny Lauby
Alex Spellman 6-0 James Beeton
Tom Lonsdale 6-3 Jamie Atkins
Dom Taylor 6-4 Alan Norris

Quarter-Finals
Adam Hunt 6-0 Llew Bevan
Joshua Richardson 6-4 Ted Evetts
Matthew Dennant 6-4 Alex Spellman
Dom Taylor 6-1 Tom Lonsdale

Semi-Finals
Joshua Richardson 6-5 Adam Hunt
Dom Taylor 6-4 Matthew Dennant

Final
Dom Taylor 6-1 Joshua Richardson

European Q School Final Stage Day Four
Last 16
Michele Turetta 6-5 Patrick Tringler
Paul Krohne 6-1 Patrick Bulen
Jitse van der Wal 6-2 Tytus Kanik
John Michael 6-4 Chris Landman
Tim Wolters 6-5 Miroslaw Grudziecki
Thibault Tricole 6-4 Pal Szekely
Jeffrey De Graaf 6-4 Lukas Wenig
Alexander Masek 6-5 Dominik Gruellich

Quarter-Finals
Michele Turetta 6-4 Paul Krohne
Jitse van der Wal 6-3 John Michael
Thibault Tricole 6-0 Tim Wolters
Jeffrey De Graaf 6-4 Alexander Masek

Semi-Finals
Jitse van der Wal 6-2 Michele Turetta
Jeffrey De Graaf 6-0 Thibault Tricole

Final
Jeffrey De Graaf 6-5 Jitse van der Wal

—–ENDS—-

Images: PDC

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