INTERVIEW: Ronny Huybrechts aims to rejoin PDC Tour as European Q-School begins

On Monday, the European Q-School will start in Niedernhausen, Germany. One of the Belgian participants who is looking to claim a Tour Card is Ronny Huybrechts. Dartsnews.com caught up with him and asked about his expectations.

Huybrechts lost his Tour Card at the end of 2019 and was unable to recapture it at Q-School following that.

“Last year I had had enough of the game, I had just lost my Tour Card because I just couldn't afford to practice. It also became too much for me to travel a lot. I then put everything together and then my brother Kim and Helmoed Hoppenbrouwers from Hemeco persuaded me to go on and go for it again. Unfortunately this was just before Q-School and so I went there with minimal preparation. In the end, I was just a few points short for a Tour Card. This year the preparation is of course better, I trained a lot with my brother. It's not great yet, but I do believe. ”

Took a step back from darts

The pandemic meant that there were few other options for playing tournaments, so the logical question is whether Huybrechts missed the PDC circuit.

"I really didn't miss it, maybe it was good to take a step back and recharge completely. I did follow and watch all tournaments on PDCTV. Due to this pandemic, it is of course difficult to gain match practice because everything has been cancelled or closed. For example, our competition was stopped after just one day and it was improvising to prepare for the new season."

'The Rebel' realizes that he is facing a difficult task at Q-School. “Well, much will depend on the moment itself, the draw and luck. In any case, it will not be easy and the people who eventually get a Tour Card will have earned it. Hopefully I will be there and if not I wish everyone who does make it a lot of success on the Tour. ”

Combining darts with work

Huybrechts has always combined darts with working and he is currently still working part time at the company Bravilor.

“If I get a Tour Card I will of course continue to work. Also remember that I am now 55 years old and you will not be playing another 20 years at this level. Imagine that I would stop working and quickly lose my Tour Card again, then I would have to look for work again, which is definitely not easy at my age. I've been working at the same company for 19 years now, you don't just throw that away. Because I only work part time, I also have enough free hours to practice. ”

In total, no fewer than 19 Belgians will take their place at Q-School this year.

“Personally, I think every Belgian is a contender for a Tour Card. We have enough talent and there are still players who are not registered now but who certainly have a chance. I also hope that it will now be fully featured in the media, so that even more people start playing darts and we can discover new talents. I would like to wish every Belgian a lot of success and above all I hope that they will enjoy it. Hopefully we can capture a few Tour Cards."

Reaching World Cup final

Finally, we asked Huybrechts about the achievement he is most proud of in his darts career. “This is a tough one. First and foremost, of course, the final with Kim at the World Cup of Darts. Our father had just passed away and we really played every game for him. The European Championship in 2013, where I reached the semi-finals, was also special. Especially since I beat Phil Taylor on the way. Finally I also remember my three finals on the ProTour fondly. "