Bellmont looking forward to Players Championship tournaments: "A step in the right direction"

The Players Championships 17 and 18 will take place in Hildesheim next weekend. Due to numerous cancellations from Tour Card Holders such as Gary Anderson, Michael Smith, Jonny Clayton, Michael van Gerwen and Ryan Searle, the field of players is augmented by the best in the Challenge Tour Order of Merit.

One such player who will be allowed to play in the upcoming Players Championship tournaments despite not being in possession of a Tour Card is Stefan Bellmont from Switzerland.

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"For me, the experience is worth its weight in gold. This is another step up, a step in the right direction. When you're allowed to play with the pros, you can only learn," explained Bellmont, who was often allowed to play in these Pro Tour tournaments in the past, to dartsnews.de. “I've now participated in three, so six tournaments. This is really golden. These participations help a lot.”

The Players Championship tournaments are not the only Pro Tour events that 'Belli' contests at the PDC . This year alone the Swiss could qualify for two PDC European Tour tournaments. At the Belgian Darts Open he wrote Swiss darts history when he was the first Swiss ever to advance to the second round of a European Tour event.

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"The reactions after the first win against Robert Owen - that was huge and liberating that it finally worked out," Bellmont looked back on this event.

At the World Cup of Darts, Belli was again on the PDC stage, but had less luck here. He and his teammate Marcel Walpen were eliminated in the group stage.

"I was disappointed in myself . I just couldn't do - or just didn't get close to - what I can play. That annoyed me the most. Even in hindsight,” Bellmont analyzed the course and his emotions after the early end.

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"Maybe - subconsciously - I certainly wanted to help Marcel because he was there for the first time. It was my second time, I already knew it, knew how it works and stuff like that. I didn't feel any pressure, but I think it was there in the subconscious. I think that's why I couldn't play my best game. So I'm disappointed."

Immediately after the World Cup of Darts, Bellmont was back on stage. He had received an invitation to the MODUS Super Series . "The timing was really perfect," said Bellmont. “I was able to go straight to Portsmouth after the World Cup. I didn't really have time to think about what happened and what I did wrong."

“I travelled, arrived, unpacked and the next day was the first tournament, on Monday. I think it helped me a lot that I don't think about it, I don't build negative elements into it. Just play, play, play and take positives with you.”

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Finally, the Swiss talked about his goals: “Most things have actually already been completed. I was overjoyed that I was able to qualify for two stage plays - in Wieze and in Prague. The qualifiers have now all been played and I haven't made a performance or any more qualifiers. Now there are still a few goals in Switzerland: defending the Swiss championship, then there are a few more tournaments at the SDC and what I definitely still want to play is the Challenge Tour. When that is complete, Q-School will begin as the next subject.”