“I tried my best but it just didn’t happen” - Ryan Joyce denied first European Tour title again as Luke Woodhouse takes Kiel crown

Ryan Joyce came up short in a European Tour final for the second time in his career as Luke Woodhouse claimed the Baltic Sea Darts Open title with an 8-4 victory in Kiel.

The final guaranteed a first-time European Tour winner, but it was Woodhouse who seized the moment. The Englishman averaged 98.61, landed key finishes at the right times and sealed the biggest title of his European Tour career in spectacular fashion with a 160 checkout.

Joyce averaged 94.46 and twice tried to drag himself back into the contest after Woodhouse had opened up daylight. At 3-0 down, he fought back to 3-2. Later, after Woodhouse restored his advantage, Joyce again cut the gap before the recent Players Championship title winner pulled away for good.

Woodhouse moved to the brink with a 76 finish before Joyce wired double 16 for a 108 checkout that would have kept the final alive. Moments later, Woodhouse returned on 160 and completed the title-winning finish.

Speaking on stage to MC Philip Brzezinski afterwards, Joyce admitted there was no obvious single moment where the final had slipped away from him.

“No, not really. I think he was just pretty good early on and he's a very solid player,” said Joyce. “He's very dependable, he's very steady and it's hard to play against him. So yeah, I knew it was going to be a really tough final. I tried my best but it just didn't happen today.”

It was a measured reaction from Joyce after another near miss on the European Tour. He had already survived one of the matches of the night in his semi-final against Damon Heta, edging through 7-6 after the Australian missed a match dart at the bull.

Joyce then punished that miss with an 80 checkout to force a decider before taking out 96 in two darts to reach the final. Against Woodhouse, though, the same late escape never arrived.

Woodhouse started the final sharply, holding in 13 darts before breaking throw and then landing a 140 checkout for a 3-0 lead. Joyce responded with an 82 finish on double 16 and then broke back, but Woodhouse punished a missed dart at double 18 to restore his cushion.

The final tightened briefly when Joyce hit double 20 to make it 4-3, but Woodhouse broke again, then used a 180 in leg nine to help move 6-3 ahead. Joyce held on double 8, only for Woodhouse to edge closer again with the 76 finish that made it 7-4.

Joyce was also asked about the level of the final, with both players producing stronger averages than in parts of their earlier run through the evening session.

The Newcastle thrower gave much of the credit to Woodhouse’s finishing. “I think my average went up because he takes the doubles out with one or two darts every time,” Joyce said. “So yeah, credit goes to him for helping my average raise up a bit.”

For Joyce, the result means another runner-up finish on the European Tour, despite a strong final-session run that included a dominant 6-1 quarter-final win over Dave Chisnall and that dramatic deciding-leg victory over Heta.

For Woodhouse, it was the next major step in a breakthrough spell. After recently winning his first PDC title of any kind on the Players Championship circuit, he now has a first European Tour crown as well, sealed with the kind of finish Joyce could only watch and applaud.