Owen Roelofs on his first season as a Tour Card holder: ''I think I left a lot out"

Owen Roelofs picked up his Tour Card at the beginning of the 2023, but failed to perform enough in his debut year to make it to the World Darts Championship. The 22-year-old Dutchman was a guest on the podcast Double Top, where he talked about his experiences in his first year on the Pro Tour, among other things.

Roelofs indicated to Double Top that he was not completely satisfied with his first year on the Pro Tour. ''It was difficult, I think I left a lot out. Then you tie yourself in knots, because you want to win. You still want to make it to the World Championship and the Players Championship Finals. I set those goals and unfortunately I didn't reach them. It's nice that you have a Tour Card, but you also want to win.''

However, Roelofs says he does not regret going to Q-School in January 2023. ''It may be that in two years you don't feel like it and then don't go to Q-School. I think I was in a bloom then, though, that I really felt like it. I was throwing 4-5 times a week, I was always darting. I felt like I was in my best shape at Q-School.'' Still, Roelofs managed to have very little success on the Pro Tour last year. ''It was extremely frustrating. You go there well trained you feel good. A few matches I really didn't play well, especially on the streaming court, where I don't think I've ever won a match.''

The 22-year-old Dutchman hopes to have a better season next year. ''Very cliché, but I just have to take matches that I didn't manage to win last year now. Don't act sweet, nice and nice, just win.'' This month the first Pro Tour tournaments of 2024 are scheduled, which are very important for Roelofs. ''I want to play well at those tournaments so I can immediately enter the third round of the UK Open. A couple of good runs are also important for making it to the World Championship, which in turn can earn me the retention of my Tour Card.'' If Roelofs is still outside the top 64 at the end of 2024, however, he does view Q-School with confidence. ''I do assume that if I lose my Tour Card, I'll just get it back in January.''