The newly crowned WDF World Champion, Jimmy van Schie is finally heading to pastures new – somewhere he felt he was always destined for – the PDC.
Yes, he is the reigning Lakeside champion. Yes, he could stroll back to Lakeside and defend the title. And yes, he is walking away from all of it without blinking – because the real dream has finally cracked the door open.
Some decisions in darts are agonising. Others arrive with the clarity of a straight dart, middle of the wire, no wobble. For Jimmy van Schie, this one barely required a second glance. Alexandra Palace is calling as the Dutchman explained in a recent interview with Sportnieuws:
“I’d rather be at Ally Pally – that’s my dream,” Van Schie said, cutting clean through any suggestion of regret. The words aren’t dramatic. They don’t need to be. They’re simply honest.
This is a player who has already squeezed everything there is to squeeze out of the WDF pathway. World Masters winner. Lakeside champion. World number one. The full set, completed and boxed. But the route he always wanted was never going to stop there. The problem was getting through the PDC door.
Previous attempts hurt. Near misses. Final hurdles. Missed chances to reach the World Championship when it was almost within touching distance. Q-School had been unforgiving. Until, suddenly, it wasn’t.
At Q-School 2026, Van Schie didn’t scrape through. He didn’t cling on. He stacked points relentlessly across the week, to the point where the Tour Card was secured before the last day had even finished. Job done early. Stress evaporated.
“I’ve deserved it,” he said afterwards – not arrogance, just release. Because that release was years in the making.
“All those horrible moments and feelings have disappeared in one go now,” he admitted. “From the moment I won the World Masters in November, a massive weight fell off my shoulders. I showed emotion then too, something I normally never do. I thought: ‘See, I really can play darts.’”
That moment rewired everything. The anger. The frustration. The pressure that had been quietly stacking itself tournament by tournament.
“I used to be so angry when I lost, but then I started thinking. There are 63 other losers at a big tournament like that as well. That helped me. Winning this Tour Card gives me so much confidence.”
Confidence that now carries him into a new reality – full-time PDC professional, guaranteed access, no scrambling for invites, no side doors. Add in increased prize money from 2026 and the timing suddenly looks immaculate.
“That’s obviously fantastic, and great timing that I can now also start earning good money.”
The targets, for now, are grounded. Euro Tour qualification. Floor wins. Learning the grind.
“I want to qualify for a Euro Tour for the first time and win as many rounds as possible at floor tournaments. I’m not putting too much pressure on myself, I have two years to perform.”
But the long game? That’s already written.
“Reaching the World Championship at Ally Pally this year? That’s realistic. In recent years I’ve already shown a few times that I was very close.”
Which brings us back to Lakeside. The title he won. The crown he won’t defend.
“You can’t finish better than that, I’ve kind of completed the WDF,” he said. “Of course it’s a shame that I can’t defend my world title at Lakeside, but I’d rather be at Ally Pally – that’s my dream.”
One chapter closed at its absolute peak. Another about to begin under the brightest lights darts has to offer.
—–ENDS—–
Images: WDF / Chris Sargent
