Chris Dobey continued his terrific ProTour form with a dominant 8-4 victory over Jelle Klaasen in Monday’s Players Championship 3 final.
Following wins for Rob Cross and Gerwyn Price in last week’s double-header, Dobey became the latest BetMGM Premier League star to triumph on the ProTour in 2025.
The former Masters champion was runner-up to Price in Event Two last Tuesday, but he returned to winning ways with victory over a resurgent Klaasen at the Autotron in Rosmalen.
Dobey made a magnificent start to Monday’s showpiece, producing legs of 11 and 13 darts to seize the early initiative, before Klaasen found his range to reduce the arrears to 4-3.
However, after the Dutchman wired tops for a 113 finish to restore parity, Dobey followed up a crucial hold in leg eight with a 110 checkout to establish clear daylight at 6-3.
Klaasen preserved his slender hopes with a 112 finish in leg 11, although Dobey thwarted any hopes of a fightback by following up his second maximum with a clinical 80 kill on tops to wrap up victory.
“This was massive for me,” insisted Dobey, who claimed a hat-trick of titles last year to finish top of the 2024 Players Championship Order of Merit.
“I probably should have won the final against Gezzy last week, but I came back today, battled hard and it’s another point proven.”
Dobey had opened his bid with comfortable wins over Dylan Slevin and Rob Owen, before kicking into gear with a 107.36 average in a ruthless whitewash victory against Owen Bates.
After overturning a 4-3 deficit to sink Wessel Nijman in the last 16, he then produced the performance of the day in his quarter-final demolition of Krzysztof Ratajski, averaging 113.54 to close out a 6-1 success.
This set up an all-Bedlington affair against Callan Rydz in the last four, and after landing skin-saving 127 and 120 finishes, Dobey fired in a nerveless 13-darter to deny his local rival in a decider.
“I was crying out for this form on the ProTour a couple of years ago,” admitted Dobey, who moves into the world’s top eight after securing his sixth Players Championship crown.
“If I can take this form on to the big stage, then who knows? I could be winning these major titles!
“You have to take your opportunities and make it count. I just love playing darts and I want to keep winning titles now.”
Dobey’s victory moves him top of the embryonic Players Championship Order of Merit heading into Tuesday’s play, although Klaasen’s remarkable run to the final was arguably the story of the day.
The former Lakeside Champion – who regained his PDC Tour Card last January – won six consecutive games on home soil to reach his first ProTour final since 2017.
Klaasen overcame Ryan Joyce, Kevin Burness and Tytus Kanik to progress to the last 16, where he recovered from 5-2 down to defeat Grand Slam semi-finalist Mickey Mansell.
The Dutchman then ran out a 6-4 winner against world number four Rob Cross in the quarter-finals, before putting in his performance of the day to edge out Nick Kenny in the semi-finals.
Fresh from a breakthrough run on the TV stage at the World Championship, Kenny maintained his strong start to 2025 with a run to his first Players Championship semi-final since 2020, where he was joined by Rydz.
The 26-year-old Bedlington ace backed up an early win over Greg Ritchie by dumping out four TV title winners in the shape of Ross Smith, Jose de Sousa, James Wade and Gerwyn Price.
Rydz landed ton-plus averages against Smith and 2021 World Champion Price, who was eyeing back-to-back Players Championship titles.
Welsh ace Price averaged 112 in a sensational third-round victory over Peter Wright, although his hopes were quashed in the last eight along with Players Championship One winner Cross.
European Championship runner-up Jermaine Wattimena and Poland’s number one Krzysztof Ratajski completed the quarter-final line-up, courtesy of fourth round victories against Ryan Searle and Jonny Clayton respectively.
World number one Luke Humphries and World Champion Luke Littler were amongst the Tour Card Holders who opted not to compete in the double-header in Rosmalen, with two-time World Champion Gary Anderson also not in attendance.
Michael van Gerwen’s first ProTour appearance of 2025 ended in a shock 6-4 defeat to Michael Flynn in round one, while Bahrain Darts Masters winner Stephen Bunting crashed out at the same stage against Patrick Geeraets.
The 2025 PDC ProTour season continues with Players Championship 4 on Tuesday, with coverage set to be broadcast live through PDCTV and bookmakers’ websites worldwide.
Click here for full Players Championship Three results.
Click here match stats through DartConnect.
2025 Players Championship 3
Monday February 17
Autotron, Rosmalen
Last 16
Nick Kenny 6-1 Martin Lukeman
Jermaine Wattimena 6-5 Ryan Searle
Jelle Klaasen 6-5 Mickey Mansell
Rob Cross 6-3 Ricardo Pietreczko
Gerwyn Price 6-4 Justin Hood
Callan Rydz 6-1 James Wade
Chris Dobey 6-4 Wessel Nijman
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-3 Jonny Clayton
Quarter-Finals
Nick Kenny 6-5 Jermaine Wattimena
Jelle Klaasen 6-4 Rob Cross
Callan Rydz 6-5 Gerwyn Price
Chris Dobey 6-1 Krzysztof Ratajski
Semi-Finals
Jelle Klaasen 7-5 Nick Kenny
Chris Dobey 7-6 Callan Rydz
Final
Chris Dobey 8-4 Jelle Klaasen
——-ENDS——
Images: PDC Europe
