"I'll try and get my card back. If not, I've got other options: Seniors Tour, MODUS..." - Simon Whitlock not giving up on career after losing PDC Tour Card

One of the most instantly recognisable darters from the past two decades, Simon Whitlock has been a near-constant figure at the PDC's biggest events since winning his Tour Card in 2011. At the end of 2024 though, the 55-year-old Australian is set to lose that Tour Card and drop off the Pro Tour.

A key reason for 'the Wizard's departure from the PDC circuit is his failure to qualify for the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship after 15 straight appearances at the Alexandra Palace. "I've always wanted to play in, and strive for the World Championships. But I'm not there and I'm looking forward to new things in my life," assesses the two-time world finalist to Online Darts. It's clear though, that Whitlock isn't getting too down about his turbulent year, instead opting to look at the positives. "I have to do something else," he smiles.

As seen many times over the years, with many different players, once that slide down the rankings begins, it can be difficult to stop. "At the start of the year I just got bad draw after bad draw after bad draw. I was playing the top seeded players every single round, and then I wasn't getting flogged by anyone, they were all close games, but I knew then that the year wasn't going to end well," Whitlock explains of his trials and tribulations this year.

Nevertheless, the Aussie ace turned up the last-chance World Championship qualifier hopeful. Sadly though, things didn't go to plan. "There was a lot of pressure," he recalls. "But the worst thing was, I woke up with a bad shoulder. It sounds awful, I know, but it's all from working out. I do a bit of weights and I blame it on that. But that's not why I lost. I lost because I was nervous, a little bit tight and yeah, that's all."

The question now for Whitlock and the rest of those who are losing their PDC Tour Cards is whether to go to Q-School or not. "I will go to Q-School, I'll try and get my card back. If not, then I've got other options: Seniors Tour, MODUS and other things," he answers. "It (Tour Card loss ed.) has opened a lot of doors for me and I'm excited to try new things and that hunger back to win in different events now. So it's actually a really good thing for me."

If Whitlock were to follow the post-PDC route of the likes of Steve Beaton, the WSDT (World Seniors Darts Tour) would be an exciting new path for 'the Wizard'. "It is really exciting," he says, noting how the upcoming World Seniors Darts Championship is being held at the Circus Tavern. "That was the first place I ever played for a world title (2003 PDC Worlds ed.) so it's going to bring back some good memories for me and also you know, it could reignite my career."