New Tour Card holder Van der Velde enjoyed World Championship final: "Van Gerwen's lapse of concentration was one of the turning points in the match"

Jurjen van der Velde gets to prove himself on the PDC Pro Tour for the next two years. The 19-year-old Dutchman captured a Tour Card through the Development Tour.

Van der Velde watched the PDC World Championship final between Michael van Gerwen and Michael Smith last Tuesday. "This was a final like you want to see a final. Van Gerwen already put away his darts for a break, he thought it was over. But suddenly another leg had to be played. From that moment on, Van Gerwen sank a bit, while Smith started to play better and better. That was one of the turning points in the match," is the analysis of the dart player from Zevenhuizen.

Beforehand, however, Van der Velde had counted on a victory for Van Gerwen. "Also because he played a very good World Championship. Quarterfinal 5-0 win, semifinal 6-0 win. I didn't expect it, but I still like Smith's win. Considering the final, it was also a deserved win. He had already lost the final twice, including once to Van Gerwen. So for him it was third time lucky."

Van der Velde watched part of the match during a training session, as he is preparing for his debut with the big boys. "Since December I've had my Tour Card, so I now have two years to get into the top 64 in the world. If I accumulate enough pounds, then I have a chance to be at the World Championship. In any case, I'm looking forward to it immensely."