It’s crunch time in Milton Keynes and Kalkar, where dreams are either realised or ripped up, and every dart suddenly feels twice as heavy. Golden tickets are on the table, the PDC Pro Tour is within touching distance, and for those still standing, there’s no hiding place.By the end of play on Saturday, five players had done enough to secure their futures.
One of them didn’t even need to win his final match. And when you hear his name, you’ll understand why. Here are the five who survived another bruising, nerve shredding day at Q School.
JIMMY VAN SCHIE
Reigning WDF World Champion. Current Masters holder. Serial winner. Van Schie is not arriving at the PDC quietly or politely – he’s kicking the door in with a trophy cabinet already groaning. The Dutchman didn’t technically clinch his Tour Card via an automatic spot this afternoon in Kalkar, but by the time he stepped up for his semi-final, the job was already done.
Safety net deployed. Pressure off. Destination confirmed. Beyond his WDF dominance, Van Schie has become a familiar face in Portsmouth, regularly hoovering up MODUS Super Series titles in the Live Lounge. He’s also no stranger to the Pro Tour, with a quarter final run in Hildesheim last summer proving he belongs. A debutant, yes – but only on paper.
MATTHIAS EHLERS
One half of Germany’s successful double act, and a man who won his Tour Card the hard way. A last leg decider against Belgium’s Lennart Faes, the kind of moment where your arm either locks or becomes legendary. Ehlers held his nerve and cashed in.The 44-year-old hasn’t exactly been front and centre on the darts radar in recent years, drifting quietly between 2018 and 2024. Last season saw him reappear on the Challenge Tour with modest results, but now the reset button has been firmly pressed. Staying on tour beyond 2027 will require serious graft – but first, he gets his shot.
YORIK HOFKENS
Youth. Talent. Bottle. Hofkens ticks all three boxes. Just 18 years old, he’ll be among the youngest on the Pro Tour when it begins, and he earned it by staring down a champion and not blinking.Beating Van Schie in Kalkar, knowing full well the Dutchman was already safely through, still took serious nerve. Pressure doesn’t care about context.
Hofkens handled it like someone far older.An unknown to many, but not to those on the Development Tour, where he reached a semi-final last May. February will be brutal. The learning curve will be steep. But this kid has something.
SHANE MCGUIRK
Another WDF World Champion swapping one stage for a much bigger one. McGuirk has been a fixture on the amateur scene for years and now finally gets the chance to prove himself week after week against the elite.He’s tasted the Pro Tour before, without breaking through the third round, but there’s pedigree here. A Development Tour title in 2019 and a Lakeside crown say this isn’t blind optimism.
Known as The Arrow, the 30-year-old from County Monaghan now gets the platform his game deserves.
TOM SYKES
The Yorkshireman completes the quintet, and his story says plenty about the depth of talent lurking beneath the surface. At 33, Sykes finally breaks through, stepping into a world he’s flirted with but never fully entered.He’s already had Pro Tour runs, including a last 32 appearance last April, alongside MODUS Super Series success and a recent quarter final at the WDF British Classic. Now comes the real test – turning opportunity into permanence.
Five players safe from the final day’s jeopardy. Five new faces ready to embark on the PDC Pro Tour for the very first time. One day left. And for everyone else, Q School’s cruellest chapter is still to come.
—–Ends—–
Images: MODUS
