Former PDC regular joins Mach Darts Management to relaunch career via Challenge Tour

After more than a decade competing at the top level of professional darts, Ron Meulenkamp has taken a decisive step towards the next phase of his career, announcing a new partnership with Mach Darts Management.

The Dutchman, widely known as The Bomb, joins the management agency with a clear objective: to rebuild momentum after narrowly missing out on regaining a PDC Tour Card at Q-School and to maximise his opportunities on the 2026 Challenge Tour.

Meulenkamp has been a familiar name on the professional circuit for many years, qualifying repeatedly for televised PDC majors and competing regularly on the European Tour, Players Championship circuit and World Championship stage. While deep runs at TV events proved elusive, his longevity at the elite level underlined a player capable of competing consistently against top-tier opposition.

That experience is a key reason Mach Darts Management moved quickly to secure the partnership. The agency, which also represents rising Dutch star Gian van Veen, sees Meulenkamp as both a proven competitor and a player still motivated to push himself back towards the top of the professional game.

“We are pleased to be entering into a partnership with Ron,” Mach Darts Management said. “We are looking forward to bringing his experience on board and to doing everything together to help lift his career to the next stage, the level where Ron belongs. We are approaching this collaboration with full confidence.”

For Meulenkamp, the decision follows a familiar crossroads faced by many established professionals outside the Tour Card system. After Q-School did not produce the desired outcome, his route back now runs through the Challenge Tour, where consistent results can open the door to Players Championship opportunities and ultimately a return to the main tour.

“After Q-School unfortunately did not deliver the result I was hoping for, I will give everything this season to get the maximum out of the Challenge Tour,” Meulenkamp said. “During the first Challenge Tour weekend, I had a good conversation with Ronnie Rickner from Mach Darts about my future, and from this season onwards, we will be working together to get the most out of it.”

The timing of the partnership is telling. Rather than drifting between events independently, Meulenkamp has opted for a more structured approach, aligning himself with a management team at a moment when margins are fine and opportunities are limited.

Mach Darts Management also highlighted Meulenkamp’s mentality as a decisive factor in the partnership, pointing not only to his track record but to his ongoing ambition.

They see him not only as a player with proven qualities, but also as someone with the drive to once again take steps towards the top.

Meulenkamp echoed that sentiment in his own remarks, thanking Ronnie Rickner and Marco Vrolijk for their trust and making clear that the motivation to compete at the highest level remains undimmed.

“I am very much looking forward to working together,” he said.

With the Challenge Tour increasingly competitive and populated by both emerging talents and former Tour Card holders, 2026 represents a pivotal year for Meulenkamp. The new partnership with Mach Darts Management signals intent rather than retreat, reflecting a belief that, with the right support structure, his experience can still translate into results and renewed opportunities on the professional stage.

Whether that pathway leads back to a Tour Card remains to be seen, but for now Meulenkamp has laid out a clear plan and surrounded himself with a team he believes can help him execute it.