DISCUSSION | Baltic Sea Darts Open - As Woodhouse shines, is a lack of big names denting the appeal of European Tour action?

Luke Woodhouse won the title at the Baltic Sea Darts Open taking down Ryan Joyce in the final to win his second title in 12 days after not having any before the past two weeks.

But while superb weekends at the Baltic Sea Darts Open for Woodhouse, Ryan Joyce, Ricky Evans and Jimmy van Schie highlighted their form, is the lack of big names hurting the European Tour?

Or are the big names attending the tournaments and losing early surely just symptomatic of players taking their chance for great runs?

Samuel Gill, Head Editor for DartsNews.com believes European Tours should be mandatory for a certain amount like tennis as big names skip again.

Luke Woodhouse was the true star of the weekend. A man who has always got better but never had that tipping point until now and he finally has that. Winning a ProTour has truly opened the floodgates and he becomes a danger for future bigger events.

Especially given he won't be a lower seed for long if he continues this trajectory. Great to see Jimmy van Schie also perform so well this weekend as well as Ricky Evans. Ryan Joyce too who had a downturn but is back with a bang, his doubling is too good to be kept down for long.

But without sounding like a broken record, it also is another weekend with hardly any big names and those who did play were poor. More credence to make them mandatory like tennis.

Pieter Verbeek, Editor for DartsNieuws.com did raise what was perhaps a valid concern also when it came to the European Tour that it has been unappealing all season when it comes to big names and even those who turn up aren't performing.

It must gradually be becoming a concern for the PDC, those final sessions on the Euro Tour. I’ve caught myself thinking several times this season: this might genuinely be the least appealing line-up for a Euro Tour final session ever. On the one hand, that obviously comes down to the fact that a number of top names skipped the event, but even the elite players who did show up failed to deliver. Remarkably, not a single player from the top 10 on the seedings list managed to reach the quarter-finals.

In the end, the tournament crowned Luke Woodhouse as champion. Just 12 days ago, the Englishman had never won a PDC title and carried the unwanted label of being the highest-ranked player in the world without a PDC trophy to his name. Barely two weeks later, Woodhouse now has both a Players Championship title and a Euro Tour crown on his résumé. There is, however, one caveat to ‘Woody’s’ triumph in Kiel: he did not have to defeat a single seeded player on his way to the title. Still, as the saying goes, you can only beat the players put in front of you.

The Dutch contingent performed solidly in Kiel. Jimmy van Schie enjoyed a superb Euro Tour debut by reaching the quarter-finals, a run that also secured him valuable prize money in the qualification race for the World Darts Championship. Kevin Doets and Wessel Nijman also made it through to the last eight. By no means a poor result, but given the way the tournament unfolded, both players will probably feel this was a weekend where a title was there for the taking.

But opinions are something we all have and for Nicolas Gayer, Editor for DartsNews.DE, he offers a contrasting view to the summation that the lack of big names is boring.

He believes that the unpredictability that the European Tour gives only adds to it and isn't there to bore and instead is not a certainty unlike events that Littler, Humphries etc are involved in where they are often the class apart.

He also lauded some of the stars of the weekend including Luke Woodhouse and Ricky Evans among others for their displays including the champion in Woodhouse.

"I have to be completely honest: I genuinely enjoyed this European Tour event, especially the final day on Sunday. Sure, we did not see the 111 and 105 averages that were flying around on Thursday. But there is something very appealing about a final session as varied and unpredictable as this one, featuring Ricky Evans, Ryan Joyce, Damon Heta, and Luke Woodhouse in the semi-finals.

"One of those names impressed me more than any other this weekend: Ricky Evans. After a start to the season marked by a combination of difficult draws, issues with his throwing action, and a crisis of confidence, “Rapid” left a very convincing impression in Kiel. His incredible efficiency and composure on the outer ring were particularly noteworthy. More than anything, though, it was great to see Evans looking so confident, self-assured, and focused. I remain convinced that there is a world-class player somewhere inside that man.

"From one player under pressure to another: Ryan Joyce. This is a player you could wake up at four in the morning and still expect him to produce a 95 average while finishing every dart at double 16 over so many years. Yet during the opening months of the year, Joyce slipped into a slump unlike anything we are used to seeing from him. Even if he was not producing his absolute best darts this weekend, you can only beat what is in front of you. And reaching another final at this stage of his career can only be a positive step.

"Finally, let us turn to the man of the weekend. Less than two weeks ago, Luke Woodhouse finally rid himself of the unwanted label of being the highest-ranked PDC player without a title. Just 12 days later, “Woody” celebrated the biggest triumph of his career in Kiel. That is what you call a breakthrough.

"Woodhouse has been impressing for several years now with his remarkably consistent development into a player firmly established among the sport’s extended elite. The only thing missing was silverware — until now. And now that winning titles no longer appears to be an obstacle, I am extremely curious to see what new chapters of success Woody will add to his story over the coming months."

Bram Coenen, Writer for DartsNieuws.com brought the argument that perhaps having the surprise stories is good but is also hurting marketability and ticket sales.

With the Baltic Sea Darts Open now concluded, the eighth tournament of the 2026 European Tour is in the books. And, remarkably, we have had a different winner at every single event so far this season. Given the number of withdrawals from top players, that may not come as a huge surprise, but it certainly will not bother Luke Woodhouse.

The Englishman, seeded 14th for the event, did not have to defeat a single seeded player on his way to claiming his maiden European Tour title. However, his triumph was far from a fluke. Woodhouse has been in excellent form for some time now, as evidenced by the first Players Championship title of his career just a couple of weeks ago. It will be interesting to see whether the 37-year-old can now carry that momentum into the major tournaments and finally establish himself among the sport’s elite.

Aside from Woodhouse’s breakthrough success, there is little else that will be remembered from this year’s Baltic Sea Darts Open. One issue, however, may also be causing concern within the Professional Darts Corporation. An increasing number of top players are withdrawing from European Tour events at a late stage, and that could eventually have an impact on ticket sales. Fans in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria and elsewhere primarily buy tickets to see the biggest stars in action. If leading names continue to miss these tournaments, it could become a challenge for the long-term appeal and commercial success of the European Tour.

Lucas Michael, Editor for DartsNews.com also saw perhaps the barrier in Woodhouse's run given that he didn't play anyone hugely of note en route

"Luke Woodhouse really is living the dream at the moment. He has finally broken the mould of a solid player lurking around the top 30 mark going on the odd deep run. The consistency is still there, but this is a much higher level ‘Woody’ on display. He was certainly the most opportunistic in Kiel in what was not the most star-studded lineup. Jimmy van Schie, Ricky Evans and Ryan Joyce were his three competitors in the final session, but you can only play who you're drawn against and Woodhouse did so.

"Never the flashiest of players, that 160 checkout is a nice way of going out. From a different perspective, it was necessary due to Joyce having just missed double 16. Overall, it concludes another memorable day for the Englishman.

"As for Joyce, he may be disappointed that his European Tour title count is still at zero, but this is a step in the right direction. This time last year he was truly a threat and not a nice player to come up against. That form has dipped from the second part of 2025 into the new year. However, it seems to be getting back to his best. His doubling was not immense in the final but getting there it was a huge weapon.

"It is good to again see Ricky Evans on the big stage. It feels like if he is playing in front of a crowd there is a good chance he will win a few games. That is the problem with ‘Rapid.’ He will forever languish around the top 40-50 mark thanks to the odd couple of big stage victories as his floor form lets him down. Yet to make it past a second round in a Players Championship event, he is limiting what he can do.

"His World Matchplay chances never were a realistic ambition unlike other players. For a while a number of top players have been treading on a thin line trying to sneak into the top 16 of the ProTour Order of Merit while other challengers attempted to make their life as hard as possible. It feels like it has somewhat gone to script. Cameron Menzies and Damon Heta’s deep runs have taken a lot of pressure off their shoulders while Rob Cross is perched just £4,000 ahead of Kim Huybrechts, Karel Sedlacek and Sebastian Bialecki. He should get the job done with him starting to find some form again, but it looks to be another setback by Dave Chisnall who is still struggling on stage. A quarter-final is commendable, but some of the performances he put up were not pretty. A lot of work still to do by ‘Chizzy.’