"It makes your whole season rubbish because you're not at Ally Pally" - Alan Soutar desperate to return to World Championship after failing to qualify last year

Sunday, 28 July 2024 at 12:30

Alan Soutar broke new ground in the PDC recently. At Players Championship 11 in Hildesheim, Germany, 'Soots' picked up his first title on the Pro Tour, beating Daryl Gurney 8-7 in a thrilling final.

"It's funny when you're getting introduced as a title winner in the PDC. It's crazy but it's kind of brilliant," Soutar reflects on the latest episode of the Weekly Dartscast. "I think, from a guy that always plays the darts down, I'm not professional I'm just a part time player, to come out of that room as the winner, it is amazing, really amazing."

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There was no stumbling over the finishing line either for the well liked Scot and in the deciding leg he fired in back to back maximums before eventually wrapping things up with an 11-dart leg. "The only thing I could have done better was have a nine darter!" Soutar laughs. "But, if you would have said that at seven all you're going to go off 180 180 you would absolutely bite the hands off for that."

"I've watched it back about a million times to be honest," continues Soutar. "That leg is so good and it was just good to finish it off as well, not faff about on the doubles and look like 'it's his first title he's going to bottle it' or any of that stuff, so that was really really great. Special memories and you know, if I never win another title I can always say that I've won a title on the PDC Pro Tour."

Perhaps showing his rising star in the darting world, prior to Euro 2024, Soutar was invited to the Scottish camp to throw darts with the players. "It was just a sort of team building thing it was an amazing experience for me as a football fan as a passionate Scot," Soutar recalls. "It was great to be involved with the guys and they've all followed me on Twitter and when I play at the Ally Pally and that. So to speak to them that way was like 'Wow', because we obviously look up to them as a national team but look, Scotland know we're always minnows and we're underdogs at football."

Soutar actually missed out on qualifying for the Alexandra Palace last year, a mistake he is desperate to put right this time around. "It makes your whole season rubbish because you're not at Ally Pally. Then you start seeing your slowly drifting down the Tour Card race and I think people say 'oh you don't look at that' but every player does. The darts ranking page is huge and being in the green is what everything's about," he explains. "Last season I won 24 grand total this season I'm already on over 30 grand on my rankings and there's still 16 Pro Tours to go. I'm pretty confident that I'll be in the Players, be in the Worlds, so let's push on and try and maintain that and stop getting beat in the first round!"