All the news and results from the final stages of the PDC Qualifying Schools from January 11-14, where players were vying for 31 available Tour Cards.
There were128 players competing in the final stages of UK Qualifying School at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes and another 128 battling it out in the European Q School at the Wunderland in Kalkar from January 11-14, with a total of 31 Tour Cards on offer for players to secure a spot on the PDC circuit.
Originally there was going to be 30 Tour Cards up for grabs but the PDC have recently taken Corey Cadby's away due to not participating in a single Pro Tour event in 2023, thus increasing the quota for Q School.
Of the 128 hopefuls in the UK, 101 came through the first stage (Jan 8-10) while the other 27 were already exempt due to either losing their Tour Card at the end of 2023 or being a standout performer on the 2023 Challenge and Development Tour Orders of Merit. In Germany, 107 came through stage one and 21 further players were exempt for the same reasons.
Every day, the winner of each region's tournament will secure an automatic PDC Tour Card for the next two seasons. In addition to these eight players, another 23 will be awarded on a pro-rata basis to players from the respective UK/European Qualifying School Final Stage Orders of Merit following day four.
Have you ever wondered how much money professional darts player can earn and whether the top stars are really enjoying a millionaire life of luxury? Paul Nicholson joins Sporting Life's Chris Hammer and Dom Newton to lift the lid on the realities of playing for your livelihood and it's not quite as lucrative as you may think.
John Part, Fallon Sherrock, Andy Hamilton, Mark Dudbridge, Leighton Bennett, Willie Borland and Colin Osborne were among the familiar names that came through the first stage (Jan 8-10), where over 850 players battled it out, while newly crowned WDF Champion Andy Baetens came through the European section in Germany alongside Max Hopp, Jelle Klaasen and Jeffrey de Graaf.
Big names who were exempt into the final stage in Milton Keynes included John Henderson, Devon Petersen, Steve Lennon, Richie Burnett, Scott Waites, Scott Mitchell, Ted Evetts and Bradley Brooks while in Germany, the bigger names in the final stage were Christian Kist, Thibault Tricole, Radek Szaganski and Darius Labanauskas.
Steve Lennon and Martijn Dragt became the first players to win PDC Tour Cards at the 2024 Qualifying Schools on Thursday.
Former World Cup of Darts runner-up Lennon was victorious at UK Q School in Milton Keynes as he defeated Leighton Bennett, Shaun Wilkinson, Brett Claydon, Matthew Dennant, George Killington and then Willie Borland in the final.
Dragt took the first card at European Q School in Kalkar, Germany after defeating the likes of Jesus Noguera, Rusty-Jake Rodriguez and Mario Vandenbogaerde before overcoming Chris Landman in an all Dutch final.
There were early exits for Fallon Sherrock and John Part on day one but they have three more days to either clinch a card outright or accrue enough points on the Order of Merit.
Leading pundit and former major winner Paul Nicholson joins host Dom Newton and Sporting Life's darts expert Chris Hammer to discuss the 'darting pyramid', the importance of averages, how to crack Q School and other factors such as choosing sponsors, nicknames and walk-on music.
Jelle Klaasen and Robert Grundy claimed PDC Tour Cards as the 2024 Qualifying Schools continued on Friday.
Former World Championship semi-finalist Klaasen was victorious at European Q School in Kalkar, while Grundy won a Tour Card for the first time at UK Q School in Milton Keynes.
Klaasen, the 2006 Lakeside champion, competed on the PDC circuit for 14 seasons before losing his Tour Card at the end of 2021 but completed his comeback to the professional circuit by defeating Benjamin Drue Reus 6-5 in a thrilling final.
Meanwhile, Grundy, a Challenge Tour event winner in 2023, will compete full-time on the PDC circuit for the first time after coming through the field in Milton Keynes, with his run including a victory over Fallon Sherrock.
With two days to play in Final Stage, Reus and Van Dongen lead the way on the European Q School Order of Merit, while William Borland and Matthew Dennant lead the way in the UK.
Andy Baetens and Leighton Bennett became the latest players to secure Tour Cards as the Final Stage of the 2024 PDC Qualifying Schools continued in Milton Keynes and Kalkar on Saturday.
The penultimate day of Final Stage action saw Baetens produce a series of superb displays in Kalkar to secure his place on the professional circuit, capping off a memorable few weeks for the Belgian.
The newly crowned WDF Champion averaged 96 across his seven matches, to join Dutch duo Martijn Dragt and Jelle Klaasen in securing automatic Tour Cards via European Qualifying School.
Meanwhile, at UK Qualifying School, Bennett came through a 124-player field at the Marshall Arena to join Ireland’s Steve Lennon and newcomer Robert Grundy in claiming automatic Tour Cards.
The 18-year-old recovered from a sluggish start to overcome Thomas Cromwell in the Day Three decider, reeling off four consecutive legs from 3-2 down to celebrate a landmark victory.
Dom Taylor and Jeffrey De Graaf secured their PDC Tour Cards outright on the final day of 2024 PDC Qualifying Schools, with the 23 Order of Merit winners across the UK and Europe also confirmed.
With ten Order of Merit cards available at UK Q School in Milton Keynes, Matthew Dennant, William Borland, Josh Richardson, James Hurrell, George Killington, Danny Lauby, Rhys Griffin, Brett Claydon, Darren Beveridge and Adam Hunt joined Taylor in securing their spots on the professional circuit.
Meanwhile in Kalkar, Germany, Haupai Puha, Jules van Dongen, Radek Szaganski, Chris Landman, Patrick Geeraets, Jitse van der Wal, Paul Krohne, Benjamin Reus, Mario Vandenbogaerde, Lukas Wenig, Thibault Tricole, Michele Turetta and Tim Wolters won their PDC Tour Card alongside De Graaf.
Daily Winners
Order of Merit
Daily Winners
Order of Merit
Qualifiers from the first stage
Players Exempt
Qualifiers from first stage
Players Exempt