PDC Q School: Jeffrey De Graaf and Dom Taylor secure Tour Cards on final day

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.

With Taylor already on five points in the standings, he was in a strong position heading into the final day.

Nevertheless, he made sure of his qualification as he ripped through the field, beating Greg Ritchie, Thomas Lovely, Patrick Lynskey and Alan Norris to reach the quarter-finals.

There he saw off Tom Lonsdale 6-1, before beating Dennant 6-4 to reach the final.

A showdown with Joshua Richardson awaited and with both having already secured their Tour Card via the Order of Merit - Taylor ran out a 6-1 winner for glory on the day.

Richardson had ended the hopes of the likes of Ted Evetts on his way to the final, and in the semi-final he saw off Adam Hunt 6-5, with those five legs being just enough for Hunt to cling on to the final Order of Merit place and return to the tour.

It is a first time on the professional circuit for Richardson, following in the footsteps of his father James who has previously held a Tour Card on three occasions.

The run to the Last 16 for USA's Lauby means he becomes the second American Tour Card holder, with Van Dongen also securing an immediate return to the circuit at European Q School.

But there was heartbreak for their compatriot Alex Spellman, who needed a huge run on the final day, as he lost in the quarter-finals to Dennant, who himself secured a return to the professional ranks for the second time in his career.

First Round exits for Hurrell and Griffin weren’t consequential as they had all but done enough to secure their Tour Cards in the three days previous.

Borland - famed for hitting a nine-darter in the 2021/22 World Darts Championship - secured his return to the circuit with a run to the last 16.

De Graaf’s monumental run in Kalkar saw him secure his card outright as he saw off Dutchman Jitse van der Wal 6-5 in a tense final.

Van der Wal had already secured his Tour Card in the Order of Merit, whereas De Graaf needed the victory for his - which in turn meant Damien Mol missed out on an Order of Merit place.

In reaching the final, Sweden’s De Graaf put in steady performances throughout to see off Felix Schiertz, Jeroen Mioch, Wenig, Alexander Masek and Tricole.

However, the run to the semi-finals for Tricole means more French success for the second consecutive year as he joins his World Cup partner Jacques Labre on the professional circuit.

History was made in Kalkar, as Turetta became the first Italian PDC Tour Card holder as he reached the semi-finals to move onto the six points needed in the Order of Merit.

Despite not playing today, Puha also become the first New Zealander to win a PDC Tour Card as he topped the standings on nine points.

Reus also became just the third Danish player in history to grace the professional ranks, with Vladimir Anderson and Per Laursen having previously held Tour Cards.

Szaganski and Vandenbogaerde both secured immediate returns to the circuit, but there are new faces in Dutchmen Geeraets and Landman, and Germany’s Krohne, Wenig and Wolters.

2024 PDC Qualifying Schools Final Stage

 

UK Q School Final Stage Day Four

Last 16

Adam Hunt 6-1 Justin Smith

Llew Bevan 6-5 William Borland

Ted Evetts 6-3 James Wilson

Joshua Richardson 6-3 Darren Beveridge

Matthew Dennant 6-5 Danny Lauby

Alex Spellman 6-0 James Beeton

Tom Lonsdale 6-3 Jamie Atkins

Dom Taylor 6-4 Alan Norris

 

Quarter-Finals

Adam Hunt 6-0 Llew Bevan

Joshua Richardson 6-4 Ted Evetts

Matthew Dennant 6-4 Alex Spellman

Dom Taylor 6-1 Tom Lonsdale

 

Semi-Finals

Joshua Richardson 6-5 Adam Hunt

Dom Taylor 6-4 Matthew Dennant

 

Final

Dom Taylor 6-1 Joshua Richardson

 

European Q School Final Stage Day Four

Last 16

Michele Turetta 6-5 Patrick Tringler

Paul Krohne 6-1 Patrick Bulen

Jitse van der Wal 6-2 Tytus Kanik

John Michael 6-4 Chris Landman

Tim Wolters 6-5 Miroslaw Grudziecki

Thibault Tricole 6-4 Pal Szekely

Jeffrey De Graaf 6-4 Lukas Wenig

Alexander Masek 6-5 Dominik Gruellich

 

Quarter-Finals

Michele Turetta 6-4 Paul Krohne

Jitse van der Wal 6-3 John Michael

Thibault Tricole 6-0 Tim Wolters

Jeffrey De Graaf 6-4 Alexander Masek

 

Semi-Finals

Jitse van der Wal 6-2 Michele Turetta

Jeffrey De Graaf 6-0 Thibault Tricole

 

Final

Jeffrey De Graaf 6-5 Jitse van der Wal