Lerchbacher returns to PDC Tour after short absence: “The motivation is back”

After a year of absence, Zoran Lerchbacher will return to the PDC ProTour this year after claiming a Tour Card at Q-School last week.

Lerchbacher lost his Tour Card at the end of 2019 and hadn’t really played since then he revealed.

"Because I did not play any tournaments last year, I obviously did not know in advance where I stood. However, it soon turned out that I had not forgotten how to play darts. I once again enjoyed the game and the hunger for it. Success was also coming back,” Lerchbacher said in conversation with Dartn.de.

The 48-year-old Austrian had to qualify for the final stage. "That already worked on the first day and therefore I actually had a few days of rest until the final stage. However, I used those days to practice very hard. In the final stage, I performed very well in the first two days, making a Tour Card almost certain. The last two days I only needed one extra point.”

At the end of this week, 'The Hypercane' will play in a PDC tournament for the first time since October 2019. "I'm going to play all the tournaments of the Super Series and then I'll stay in England for the UK Open. My goal is to play the full Pro Tour this year, although with the current pandemic you can never be entirely sure. The current situation makes everything much more expensive in terms of travel and accommodation, so I hope for extra financial support from my sponsors.”

Lerchbacher has two big goals in mind this year. "That is reaching the World Championship and reaching the top 64 of the Order of Merit. The year of rest has given me great pleasure and the motivation is back. I know that I have the level to perform well, if I consistently take my chances. There are many possibilities. "