Leighton Bennett

Which of the 31 PDC Tour Card winners from Q School will shine in 2024?

By Paul Nicholson

Darts

Sat January 27, 2024 · 10M ago

There were 31 winners of PDC Tour Cards at the recent Qualifying School and Paul Nicholson assesses which of them have the best chance of making a mark in 2024.

UK Q School Winners

Daily winners

Steve Lennon, Robert Grundy, Leighton Bennett, Dom Taylor

Order of Merit winners

Matthew Dennant, William Borland, Josh Richardson James Hurrell, George Killington, Danny Lauby, Rhys Griffin, Brett Claydon, Darren Beveridge, Adam Hunt

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Top five to watch

Steve Lennon

I know it's easy to say Steve Lennon given he'd only just dropped off the tour but his achievement can't be ignored.

He'd have felt heartbroken after the World Championship but he'd also have learned a lot about himself in the last month. He wants to be a top level dart player and he may have become frustrated that success hasn't come as quickly to him as some other people in recent times - and he still hasn't won a PDC title.

Losing a Tour Card can frighten some players to death and I think Lennon was one of those. What we saw from him at Q School was urgency, and that's something that we haven't seen from him in the last few years whilst slowly sliding down the rankings.

This whole experience might just be the reality check he needed to get his game into gear for the next two years and he may well become a bigger threat than he ever has before.

Also, it's not easy to reclaim a Tour Card at Q School - not many players actually do it. In fact only five managed it across both Qualifying Schools this year, so there's no way he'd have gone there expecting to come through it. However, not only did he qualify by winning the first day, he also topped the averages list.

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Dom Taylor

I'm a big fan of Dom Taylor - I think he's got a bit of swagger, he's got superb technique and he's got levels as well. I saw him at the Modus Super Series about six or seven weeks ago and I was so impressed with him, so to see him on tour is no shock to me. In fact, the last words I said to him the last time I saw him was "right, I'll see you on tour next year".

He laughed so I repeated: "I'm not seeing you back here because you're not coming back here." And he just laughed again. I said one more time: "There's no way you're not getting a card" and I left it at that and I drove home.

Dom has produced a lot of good performances in the last six months and he also managed to reach the semi-finals of a Players Championship event last year despite not having a Tour Card. He'll obviously have lots of chances to repeat this kind of run this season and I expect big things from him.

James Hurrell

James Hurrell has had an opportunity over the last year and a half to dip his toe into the water of the PDC as a substitute player in Pro Tour events and perhaps not playing as many WDF tournaments as he did in previous times.

He's always been an excellent dart player and now that he's come through Q School - albeit through the Order of Merit - as one of the more experienced players, he'll be looking to do the same kind of things that Jim Williams is doing now.

Hurrell is of the same sort of standard. - a top international player in the WDF. He's captained his country and he’s someone who thrives under pressure, so I can't see any reason why he won't blossom over the next six months.

If he can get himself into some European tour events and get some big scalps, he's the kind of person who could spring a surprise and maybe win a title in his first year because he's got excellent consistency.

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Danny Lauby

Danny Lauby has been based in the UK for a couple of years now so we know he's fast, he's furious and he's very good. But for some reason he hasn't had a card until now and people were asking why. Maybe it's just taken him a little bit longer to get used to living the UK and figuring out the standard here on a more consistent and regular basis.

He has been winning a lot of local tournaments throughout the UK as well as in the ADC and he’s played a fair bit of Modus Super Series too. He's been going everywhere to play just to get better.

Maybe this is the time where Danny can kick on and be that flag bearing player for the United States alongside Jules van Dongen, who also picked up a Tour Card at European Qualifying School.

The United States has got license to get very excited.

George Killington

A lot of people may be looking at Leighton Bennett as a 'one to watch' but the last player in my list is George Killington.

Over the last two years, George has had so much going on away from the dartboard that has distracted him from being the player he wants to be.

Like Steve Lennon, George lost his card but he was playing some really good stuff towards the end of last season and found a new level which can form the platform to a fresh start on the PDC tour.

He is more experienced and ready than he's ever been and I believe this year he'll make people sit up and think 'hang on a minute, he's better than we thought!'

Those who missed out

Darren Webster had one of the most agonising Q School experiences because his defeat on the final day meant he missed out to Adam Hunt by one leg on legs difference.

Hypothetically, if he'd stayed at home he would have earned himself a Tour Card but realistically nobody would have done that in his position given how close he was to the cut off point.

I was really surprised Connor Scutt missed out given how well he's played over the past six months and also at the World Championship. He was walking around practice rooms and venues with confidence and really starting to put something together. It just goes to show that no matter how well you're playing going into Q School, there is no guarantee of getting the job done. Then you have to languish somewhat doing other things for the next 12 months.

I am more surprised that Darryl Pilgrim got no points at all. Considering how well he's played in the last 12 months, I am flabbergasted. He averaged nearly 91 over the few games he played and that was well below what we expect from him based on what he was doing in the Modus Super Series and other venues during 2023.

The only bright side for him is that he'll have another year on the Challenge Tour to progress a bit further and also in Portsmouth, where he is a record breaker. However, the fact that he has never had a Tour Card is starting to become a story. He's got the talent so there must be some sort of issue at Q School. His best chance might actually be to come through the Challenge Tour Order of Merit.

European Q School

Daily Winners

Jelle Klaasen, Martijn Dragt, Andy Baetens, Jeffrey De Graaf

Order of Merit

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

Top five to watch

Haupai Puha

Haupai Puha has been itching to get on tour for the last two to four years and now he's finally there we'll find out just how good he can be and I'm sure he'll give Kiwi darts the boost it deserves.

He's not succeeded on the big stage yet but let's see what he's like in floor tournaments against the big boys on a regular basis and see how he kicks on. I'm really interested to see how good he'll become in the next season and although I don't rate him as the best player to come through qualifying school - despite topping the Order of Merit with nine points ahead of Jules van Dongen - I see him as one with the richest potential.

Andy Baetens

Andy Baetens earning a PDC Tour Card means he won't be able to defend his WDF World title this season but this is obviously a much bigger opportunity and imagine the scenes if he can qualify for the first European Tour event of the season in Belgium?

He actually played very well against Luke Humphries there last year before both became world champions so maybe we could get a repeat of that fixture if Baetens hits the ground running and lights up the tour.

I think he's very capable of doing that. He doesn't over think, he's got great technique and a superb support network around him. Belgian darts is booming right now and he's the latest addition to the PDC scene to help it grow even bigger.

Jeffrey de Graaf

Considering how well Jeffrey de Graaf played during the World Championship, I couldn't believe he found himself needing to win on day four to earn himself a Tour Card.

But the fact he got himself out of it tells you everything you need to know about Jeffrey.

The experiences he's gained over the last few months will be invaluable as he now goes to the tour, but he's got to get rid of those bad games that crop up from time to time. His 'good games' have improved but his great games need to become more prevalent.

Jeffrey has been around a long time and has a really solid mindset but this is the time for him to get better, and he needs to put in the work now and realise his rich potential.

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Radek Szaganski

I'm a big admirer of Szaganski. He won a PDC ranking tournament towards the end of last season and although he lost his tour privileges, he bounced straight back at Q School.

He's a lot better than people give him credit for and although I do believe that he's a better floor player than a stage player at the moment - the World Championship experience will help him reach his next level.

If he continues to build momentum and confidence in the floor tournaments, eventually stage form will have to get better.

Benjamin Drue Reus

Everyone started to get excited about Benjamin thanks to his performances for Denmark at last year's World Cup and it's about time his nation produced another player to climb the PDC ranks.

Some thought Vladimir Anderson could be Denmark's big hope over the last two years but he hasn't been able to do it so now the stage is set for Benjamin to make his name.

He's played some great stuff at the Modus Super Series and is very highly thought of back in Denmark whilst his haul of six points across Q School was impressive enough to suggest he's got fight inside him when the pressure is on.

Some players thrive when an entire country is right behind them to become a star and I feel Benjamin has those credentials to shine on the PDC Tour.

Those who missed out

In Europe there were a lot of prominent names that missed out such as Max Hopp but he was obviously hampered by his foot injury and was probably only competing so he was eligible for the Challenge Tour.

Ron Meulenkamp and Danny Jansen - who won a PDC title in the last two years - both missed out while 2022 World Master Wesley Plaisier agonisingly missed out with five points.

Lithuania don't have a Tour Card holder any more after Darius Labanauskas failed to regain one and he finished up on four points alongside Christian Kist, who would have been expected to earn one.