"In his place, I certainly wouldn't be happy" - Jeff Smith can count on support from Van Dongen

Jeff Smith won this year's North American Championship. Still, the 47-year-old Canadian is not yet certain of qualifying for the PDC World Darts Championship.

Previously, the winner of the North American Championship was automatically qualified for the PDC's premier event, but now this no longer applies if you have a Tour Card. So Smith, who does indeed have a Tour Card, is the victim of this new rule.

"I do understand the rule, in itself it is definitely a good rule," Dutch American Jules van Dongen told 433 Darts. "On the other hand, it is quite sad for Jeff, he is now a victim of this new rule for the second year in a row. So in his place I certainly would not be happy."

The chances that Jeff Smith will be present at the PDC World Championship, by the way, do not seem particularly high. 'The Silencer' is currently well outside both the regular world rankings and the Pro Tour Order of Merit. He therefore needs some very good results in the coming months to still qualify via this route. A last resort could be the World Championship qualification tournament for Tour Card holders.