In the Philippines, Alexis Toylo clawed his way back into the winner’s circle at the latest PDC Asian Tour quartet over the weekend – and in true London bus fashion (or in this case, Singaporean buses), after waiting since January, two came along at once.
It was Toylo’s first title since event one way back in January, and just to remind everyone he still had it, he promptly bagged another. The man nicknamed Cool Cat certainly got the cream in an all-Filipino final, edging John Marco Lumilang 5-3 to double up for the season.
It could have been three wins for the 33-year-old had Japan’s Motomu Sakai not played party pooper in Pro Tour 18, nipping in with a 5-3 victory to deny Toylo a Saturday sweep. No hat-trick ball for Alexis just yet – or whatever they hand out on the Asian Tour for three wins in a season. A commemorative dart? A gently sarcastic handshake?
Either way, he wasn’t going to be denied for long. Toylo returned on Sunday morning in style, brushing aside fellow Filipino Christian Perez 5-1 to resume business as usual.
Then came the turn of another Pinoy to get in on the action. Step forward Paolo Nebrida – a name familiar to most darting regulars across Asia, and if not, then the man he beat in the final should ring a few bells: the ageless Paul Lim. The Singapore slinger ran deep on home soil, before losing 5-4 to Nebrida in what was surely the most graceful battle of the weekend. Let’s be honest – Lim will still be throwing tungsten when he hits 100, and probably still hitting nine darters.
With just one weekend remaining on the 2025 Asian Tour – a finale set for early August in Manila – the Filipino contingent will be licking their lips at the prospect of finishing strong on their own turf.
Lourence Ilagan remains top of the Order of Merit, clinging on by just under $1,000 USD. But Toylo’s resurgence has given his Alexandra Palace hopes a serious shot in the arm. With $2,000 per title still up for grabs, another double in his backyard could see Cool Cat purring all the way to London. It’s all to play for.
PDC Asian Order of Merit
1. Lourence Ilagan ($12,750)
2. Man Lok Leung ($11,950)
3. Paul Lim ($10,050)
4. Ryusei Azemoto ($9,200)
5. Motomu Sakai ($8,950)
6. Alexis Toylo ($8,900)
7. Tomoya Goto ($8,550)
8. Paolo Nebrida ($7,000)
9. Keita Ono ($6,200)
10. Haruki Muramatsu ($5,600)
——ENDS——
Images: PDC
