Geert Nentjes became the thirteenth Dutch player to qualify for the 2019 PDC World Darts Championship. The 20-year-old from Urk claimed qualification through the PDC Development Tour, after reaching three finals this season.
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Nentjes managed to win a World Championship spot and a PDC Tour Card for the next two seasons after a very tense last weekend on the Development Tour. He will be eligable to play on the Pro Tour circuit in 2019 and 2020. In an interview with Dartsnews.com he looks back on an exciting last weekend of the Development Tour season. ''Before the final weekend of the Development Tour I had good hope of qualifiation for the World Championship. But after the first of four events, I lost a bit of faith. George Killington (his rival) reached the semi-finals, while I lost in the last 64 round.'' But at the end it still ended well for the Dutchman. He performed fantastic during the final three events and managed to reach two finals. ''I knew something crazy had to happen to qualify for the World Championship. Then I moved into two finals and I passed Killington on the rankings by a distance, bizarre of course.'' Qualification for Alexandra Palace was a big bonus for Nentjes, who was aiming for a top ten spot on the PDC Development Tour Order of Merit at the beginning of the year. ''My goal was to reach the top ten on the Development Tour ranking. But when I look back now, I'm a bit disappointed because I lost all of my three finals. Maybe I could have beat Dimitri van den Bergh as I had darts to make 4-4. In that case I had the throw in the leg-decider.''
Second meeting with Aspinall
The draw for the PDC World Darts Championship put Nentjes up against Nathan Aspinall, the runner-up at the World Youth Championship in 2015. It will be the second meeting between the Dutchman and the Stockport ace, as they met each other three years ago as well. ''I played against him three years ago during the Hague Championship in 2015. I can't remember the results anymore, but I lost that game.'' Nentjes is realistic about his chances against 'The Asp'. A victory is not impossible, but Aspinall will be the favourite to win this match. ''I think I have 30 percent chance to win. I need to be aggressive from the start. But that's difficult, because I have to show it on my debut at the World Championship. Some friends are going with me to London and we are going to make it a few nice days.''
I stumbled into the world of darts quite by accident back in 2013. For a Journalism School assignment, I had to produce a live sports report and as it happened, the European Tour event in Veldhoven was the only available option. That weekend, I caught the darts bug. The post-match interviews especially appealed to me, as darts players tend to be much more open and approachable than what you usually see with footballers on television.
After a few detours, I joined Dartsnieuws.com in 2017 as editor-in-chief. I don’t have much competitive experience myself, although I once entered a PDC Development Tour weekend just to experience what it’s like from a player’s perspective. I even managed to win a leg against a Tour Card holder and, quite by accident, earned £50 in prize money.
In 2022, I was also involved in the founding of the TOTO Dart Kings, a commercial darts team, where I worked as media manager for three years. Unfortunately, due to new legislation in the Netherlands, that project came to an end in 2025.
Through my work in darts, I’ve been fortunate to travel to some incredible events, from Premier League nights at Ahoy Rotterdam, to several World Championships, and even the US Darts Masters at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Beyond darts, I’m a passionate sports fan in general. You can always wake me up for a game of tennis or padel, and I love following football, tennis, padel, cycling, Formula 1, and ice skating.
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- Well,I suppose if you don't play the tournaments ,then why should any player qualify? There are players who enter every tournament,and if they don't win it,they carry on, spending money they haven't won,yet certain players seem to think they should qualify. Winners only I thinkrick6714-11-2026
- Everyone knows what a fantastic champion Taylor was,but his performances in the seniors were poor. He wouldn't throw littler off stage,as he'd miss these days!!rick6712-11-2026
- He produced some impressive numbers in that qualifying campaign. I'm excited to see him compete at the World Championship once again, even if it will be difficult to replicate last year's success even with an improved performance, with the draw playing a huge role in determining his fortunes.Deduce635811-11-2026
- I often think about this very question. I think they should revive the format. They could even invite representatives from MODUS Super Series, with four series winners from the past year, and the ADC, with finalists from the Global Championship and perhaps other events. Why not throw in eligible representatives from the JDC and even the soft-tip game too?Deduce635811-11-2026
- So what if littler missed out, he doesnt have to enter everythingant10-11-2026
- Good, absolutely no loss if we never see this dancing goof ever again......no that is not fair. He absolutely cannot and has never been remotely able to dance!richieburnettrocks10-11-2026
- Yes Phil,now the money in the game is bigger than ever,you'd play littler. Well so would I! Retire on your memory Phil,and your successful careerrick6709-11-2026
- And why should he listen to you?Deduce635807-11-2026
- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026