"He didn’t even know who had won the World Series": Michael van Gerwen not been keeping an eye on darts after summer full of festivals

In the latest episode of Darts Draait Door on Sportnieuws.nl, Damian Vlottes and Vincent van der Voort took a deep dive into Players Championship 24 – a weekend where Jeffrey de Graaf wrote history, Michael van Gerwen looked to rediscover his rhythm, and Beau Greaves once again underlined her status as the future of women’s darts.

Dutch-born Swede Jeffrey de Graaf, who claimed his first PDC title with victory at Players Championship 24. In doing so, he became the first Swede ever to win a PDC Pro Tour event.

Van der Voort was quick to praise the achievement: “No matter how you look at it, it’s just a really great performance. He played superbly, stayed cool and finished it his way. If you win a final against someone averaging 106, then you’ve played incredibly well yourself.”

Yet questions remain over De Graaf’s consistency. Van der Voort pointed to stats shared by DartsNieuws.com writer Pieter Verbeek: “He’s often out in the first round – he’s lost early several times this year. If he’s good on the day, he can reach a final or win a title straight away, but it happens too rarely.”

Michael van Gerwen returned to the Pro Tour after a summer spent on holidays and festivals, and it showed.

“He didn’t even know who had won the World Series. It had completely passed him by,” Van der Voort laughed. “But yes, then it’s also harder to get into that match mode straight away.”

Van Gerwen’s best performance came against Scott Williams, where he averaged 108. While the scoring was there, his doubles once again proved costly. “That was the story at the World Matchplay as well. His doubles just need to be sharper. He’ll have to spend a lot of time on that.”

Even so, Van der Voort struck a note of optimism: “He’s back at it now. The last 16 might not be what you expect from him, but for a first tournament after his holiday, it was fine. It can improve quicker than I thought.”

Beau Greaves also caught the eye in Barnsley. The 21-year-old posted a sensational 107 average in her victory over Danny Noppert before eventually falling later in the event.

Van der Voort was full of admiration: “If she gets a Tour Card, I wouldn’t rule out her becoming the first woman to break into the world’s top 32.”

But he also highlighted the danger of her dominance in the women’s game: “At the Women’s Series she wins even when playing at 80%. That makes her lazy. She doesn’t get challenged anymore. For her development, it’s better she steps onto the Pro Tour – but then you lose a lot more often, and that can be mentally tough.”

Greaves has been unstoppable on the Women’s Series, recently claiming four consecutive titles and extending her unbeaten streak to 58 matches. Should she earn a Tour Card, she would still be eligible to compete in the women’s events until breaking into the top 64. As Vlottes noted: “Basically, as long as you’re outside the top 64, that’s allowed.”

Two emerging Dutch talents also made headlines. Jamai van der Herik reached the last 16 and currently sits third on the Challenge Tour Order of Merit, putting him firmly on course for a World Championship debut.

“That lad is really in form,” Van der Voort said. “His averages are good and he plays an awful lot of tournaments. He’s benefiting enormously from that. If he makes it to the World Championship, it’ll be well deserved – and he’s still got so much room to grow.”

Meanwhile, Marvin van Velzen’s struggles continued despite winning his Tour Card earlier this year. “Maybe it came a year too soon,” Van der Voort reflected. “He developed enormously in the Modus Super Series, but now he’s finding out how tough it is when you’re losing a lot more often.”

With Greaves, Lisa Ashton and others on course to qualify, this year’s World Championship could see five women in the field. Vlottes concluded: “That’s quite something – five out of 128. It shows just how far women’s darts has come.”

The duo also discussed a story from PDC caller Huw Ware’s podcast, in which Jonny Clayton recalled Ross Montgomery’s past criticism of players switching from the BDO to the PDC. Looking back, Clayton quipped: “Sorry Ross, but those are words you have to swallow.”

Vlottes couldn’t help but laugh: “If even Clayton gets irritated with you, you must have been very annoying.” Van der Voort added perspective: “Back then, the rivalry between the BDO and PDC was fierce. Anyone who went to Q-School was seen as a traitor. Now that’s almost unimaginable.”

Montgomery’s own PDC career was short-lived, as he lost his Tour Card quickly and slipped off the circuit. “That’s exactly Clayton’s point. He was so strongly against the PDC, yet eventually joined himself. That double standard – Jonny was right about that,” Van der Voort concluded.