Vandaag wist Wesley Plaisier als niet-tourkaarthouder een vloertoernooi te winnen. Spelers die dit ook lukten in het verleden: Joe Murnan, Krzysztof Ratajski (2x zelfs) en Scott Williams
Non Tour Card holder Wesley Plaisier joins illustrious list after sensational Players Championship title
PDCThursday, 17 October 2024 at 17:00
Wesley Plaisier caused a huge sensation Wednesday night by winning the 28th Players Championship tournament of the season in Wigan. Three times proved to be the charm, as he had already reached two Players Championship finals earlier this year and lost both.
Plaisier does not currently hold a PDC Tour Card, but has competed in almost all Players Championship tournaments in 2024 due to his good performance on the Challenge Tour. That the difference between the top players on the Challenge Tour and Tour Card holders on the Pro Tour is small proved Plaisier by making two Players Championship finals earlier this year.
The 34-year-old Dutchman reached the finals of Players Championship 13 and 14 in July, throwing averages above 100 in both finals, but ran up against an unleashed Ross Smith and Jonny Clayton, respectively.
This time he succeeded, beating Josh Rock 8-7 in the final. Before that, he had already dealt with Matt Campbell (6-2), Ritchie Edhouse (6-2), Florian Hempel (6-1), Krzysztof Ratajski (6-5), Jose de Sousa (6-5) and Danny Noppert (7-5).
It is not often that a player without a PDC Tour Card manages to win a Players Championship tournament. Only three players went his way since the Tour Card system was introduced in 2011.
Joe Murnan was the first to succeed in this in 2015. In 2018, Krzysztof Ratajski even managed to win two Players Championship tournaments without holding a PDC Tour Card. The third player to win a Players Championship tournament without a Tour Card was Scott Williams in 2022.
By winning the Players Championship 28 title, Plaisier climbs to 73rd in the world rankings and may dream of entering the top-64 of the PDC Order of Merit after the World Darts Championship. That would mean he automatically gets a Tour Card for 2025 and also gets to keep his 2024 prize money he won. If Plaisier grabs a Tour Card via the Challenge Tour or Q-School, he will start from zero in the world rankings again in 2025.
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UndartedWaters15-10-2024 - A tremendous final and a deserving winner in The Real Deal Mike de Decker. And Luke Humphies, despite disappointment, put up a feisty resistance and showed his class in defeat. Darts is in a great place!UndartedWaters14-10-2024