LONG & KUIVENHOVEN WIN OUTRIGHT AS ALL 2025 TOUR CARD HOLDERS CONFIRMED
Jim Long and Maik Kuivenhoven secured their PDC Tour Cards as outright winners on Sunday, whilst a further 21 cards were secured on points as 2025 Qualifying School came to a close in Milton Keynes and Kalkar.
Alongside Long and the already confirmed winners of Tom Bissell, Justin Hood and Tavis Dudeney, nine more players joined the quartet from the UK Q School Order of Merit in Bradley Brooks, Darryl Pilgrim, Greg Ritchie, Adam Lipscombe, Adam Paxton, Cam Crabtree, Adam Warner, Andy Boulton and Thomas Lovely.
In Germany, 13 cards were distributed to those on the Order of Merit, with Cor Dekker, Per Ljubic, Karel Sedlacek, Oskar Lukasiak, Tytus Kanik, Rusty-Jake Rodriguez, Dominik Gruellich, Stefaan Henderyck, Max Czerwinski, Max Hopp, Leon Weber and Marvin van Velzen joining the outright winners of Kuivenhoven, Viktor Tingstrom, Kai Gotthardt, Dennie Olde Kalter.
Despite a number of returning faces, it means that 20 of the 29 cards distributed have gone to brand new names on the professional circuit.
Long had already secured his Tour Card before the final in Milton Keynes and was facing Wales’ Kelvin O’Keefe – who needed a victory to secure his – but the Canadian was too strong as he claimed a 6-4 win to clinch his Tour Card for the first time.
That victory meant that Lovely – who despite losing in the third round had stayed to watch the final – squeezed through in the final Order of Merit position.
“It was a tough final knowing that I already had it [his Tour Card] and I lost a bit of my drive, but I was glad to get there in the end,” said 56-year-old Long.
“My first two days, I just didn’t hit my doubles and I was distraught about it, but I came down here the last two days and spent a full hour practicing tops, D10 and D5 and they came through for me today.
“I’ve wanted to do Q School since 2020, and I was going to be happy with the ProTour or Challenge Tour but I am very happy with how it turned out.
“The biggest thing I take from this is that me and Matt Campbell will now play at the World Cup together. I have a lot of planning to do for the rest of my year now.”
Lipscombe, who only qualified for the Final Stage of UK Q School after Dave Pallett withdrew, produced a remarkable run to secure his card.
With four points on the board, he sat outside the provisional spaces heading into the final day of action – but strung together an excellent run as he reached the semi-finals before losing out to O’Keefe.
His day started with a narrow 6-5 win over Steve Hine, but he followed this with a convincing 6-2 win against Ieuan Halsall and a 6-3 win over the experienced John Henderson to thwart the Scot from returning to the tour.
A 6-0 thumping win over Crabtree followed to secure his card in the Last 16, and he then backed that up with a 6-5 win over the impressive Brooks – who himself had already confirmed his Tour Card on Day Three to top the Order of Merit.
“I cannot even describe what has gone on this week but I am absolutely buzzing,” said 32-year-old Groundworker Lipscombe.
“I had driven back to Portsmouth and was in my living room when I got the call to come back, it was the golden ticket and I had to take advantage of it.
“After the game against Cam [Crabtree], I walked back to the missus and she was crying saying I had done it.”
In Germany, Dutch star Kuivenhoven secured an immediate return to the professional circuit for the third time in his career after beating Croatia’s Pero Ljubic 6-3 in the final.
All Tour Cards had already been secured heading into the latter stages in Kalkar, with Kuivenhoven’s victory meaning Germany’s Leon Weber snuck through in the final place.
However, Hopp grabbed the headlines on Finals Day in Kalkar as he returned to the tour for the first time since 2022.
The 28-year-old was the biggest name in German darts for a number of years and was the first player from his country to win a PDC title with the World Youth Championship in 2015, followed by the German Darts Open in 2018.
Meanwhile his compatriot Czerwinski – who has not featured on the PDC circuit before – was perhaps the surprise package in Germany as he came through as an Order of Merit qualifier.
The 26-year-old from Dortmund only started playing steel-tip darts seriously in 2022, but produced a great run on the final day to secure enough points.
“It is a huge surprise for me in my first Q School and I didn’t come here with any expectations,” said Czerwinski.
“I can’t really comprehend it yet but I am really happy to play on the ProTour. I am hoping that my level will improve on the circuit as I don’t think I showed my best darts at Q School.”
The first taste of ProTour action comes in February with the opening two Players Championship events of 2025, but before then it is a trip back to Milton Keynes with all Tour Card holders able to qualify for January’s Winmau World Masters.
Click here for match stats & results from UK Qualifying School Final Stage Day Four.
Click here for match stats & results from European Qualifying School Final Stage Day Four.
2025 PDC Qualifying Schools
Sunday January 12
UK Qualifying School
Final Stage Day Four
Last 16
Scott Campbell 6-3 Adam Warner
Jim Long 6-4 Tom Sykes
John Brown 6-5 Callum Goffin
Darryl Pilgrim 6-0 Mike Warburton
Bradley Brooks 6-4 Mervyn King
Adam Lipscombe 6-0 Cam Crabtree
Kai Fan Leung 6-4 Carl Sneyd
Kelvin O’Keefe 6-2 James Beeton
Quarter-Finals
Jim Long 6-3 Scott Campbell
John Brown 6-4 Darryl Pilgrim
Adam Lipscombe 6-5 Bradley Brooks
Kelvin O’Keefe 6-5 Kai Fan Leung
Semi-Finals
Jim Long 6-0 John Brown
Kelvin O’Keefe 6-5 Adam Lipscombe
Final
Jim Long 6-4 Kelvin O’Keefe
European Qualifying School
Final Stage Day Four
Last 16
Daniel Klose 6-4 Mario Robbe
Pero Ljubic 6-1 Dominik Gruellich
Marvin van Velzen 6-3 Darius Labanauskas
Anton Ostlund 6-5 Oskar Lukasiak
Maximilian Czerwinski 6-2 Max Hopp
Jeffrey De Zwaan 6-3 Moritz Hilger
Jamai van den Herik 6-1 Danny van Trijp
Maik Kuivenhoven 6-3 Stefaan Henderyck
Quarter-Finals
Pero Ljubic 6-5 Daniel Klose
Marvin van Velzen 6-5 Anton Ostlund
Maximilian Czerwinski 6-4 Jeffrey de Zwaan
Maik Kuivenhoven 6-2 Jamai van den Herik
Semi-Finals
Pero Ljubic 6-4 Marvin van Velzen
Maik Kuivenhoven 6-2 Maximilian Czerwinski
Final
Maik Kuivenhoven 6-3 Pero Ljubic
UK Qualifying School
New Tour Card Holders
Tom Bissell, Justin Hood, Tavis Dudeney, Jim Long, Bradley Brooks, Darryl Pilgrim, Greg Ritchie, Adam Lipscombe, Adam Paxton, Cam Crabtree, Adam Warner, Andy Boulton, Thomas Lovely.
European Qualifying School
New Tour Card Holders
Viktor Tingstrom, Kai Gotthardt, Dennie Olde Kalter, Maik Kuivenhoven, Cor Dekker, Pero Ljubic, Karel Sedlacek, Oskar Lukasiak, Tytus Kanik, Rusty-Jake Rodriguez, Dominik Gruellich, Stefaan Henderyck, Maximilian Czerwinski, Max Hopp, Leon Weber, Marvin van Velzen.
ENDS
