Haupai Puha immensely proud to be "Waving the New Zealand flag" on PDC Pro Tour
PDCWednesday, 17 January 2024 at 12:30
Haupai Puha made history at Q-School last week. The 38-year-old New Zealander became the first player from his country to succeed in capturing a PDC Tour Card.
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Puha failed to win a tournament at Q-School, but finished first in the Order of Merit, enough so for a Tour Card. "It's life changing obviously. I can get off the tools, stop being a roofer," Puha said. "Being professional... it's a big change for my family."
As he alludes to, joining the Pro Tour means no more roofing work for Puha. "It's hard work travelling around the country, sacrificing time away from my family and that kind of stuff."
"I'll play against the likes of Michael van Gerwen, Michael Smith, Peter Wright and I'll be just another guy in the room I guess!" Puha laughs. "Waving the New Zealand flag."
'Hopes' has gained some experience in recent years. He competed twice at the PDC World Championship, including this year, where he lost 3-1 to Martin Lukeman in the opening round. In 2022 he was also active at the WDF World Championship, but there he also lost in the opening round.
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Kieran WoodDarts Journalist
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.
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