Jules van Dongen on start of new season as Tour Card holder: ''In general, the level is not there yet''

Jules van Dongen two years ago became the second American ever to grab a Tour Card, but did not manage to perform enough to keep his Tour Card. In January 2024, Van Dongen managed to regain his Tour Card at European Q-School. The Dutch American was a guest on the podcast "Double Top," where he talked about the past Q-School and the first two Pro Tour tournaments of the new season, among other things.

Jules van Dongen finished second on the ranking of European Q-School with 8 points. On the third day ofQ-School, Van Dongen had already more than secured himself a PDC Tour Card, so he did not have to play on the last day. ''The last day of Q-School was the most stressful, even though I didn't play myself. I was watching more and more scenarios unfold that kept Damian (Mol, ed.) from his Tour Card. It was a matter of millimeters before he had his Tour Card.

At the first two Players Championships of the new season, Van Dongen managed to win only one match. ''I didn't have high expectations of it either. Prior to Q-School I was already messing around with setup. In general the level is not there yet. That will come, I'm not so worried about that yet.''

Van Dongen competed for the U.S. at the World Cup of Darts the past two years. "It's a very nice tournament to be at. I haven't played very well the last two editions so I hope to change that.'' Van Dongen had in recent years always alternating pairing partners at the country tournament and looks this year to pair with fellow Tour Card holder Danny Lauby Jr. "I get along well with him. He is someone I do go out to dinner or do something together with the day before. He's a very good player, so I think there are chances for us to go far.''