Serious comeback appears in the making: Benito van de Pas loses to Wessel Nijman in last-16 of Dutch tournament as return continues

Benito van de Pas appears set to make a definitive comeback to darts. Where we recently reported that the now 33-year-old Dutchman was spotted at a regional tournament at De Oranjebar in Mariahout, he was back in action again this past weekend.

Van de Pas, once regarded as one of the biggest talents in Dutch darts, had vanished from the scene in recent years. However, ‘Big Ben’ is now regularly popping up at regional tournaments and may be eyeing a return to the professional circuit.

Newly minted Tour Card holder Jimmy van Schie also ran into him recently. “Last Tuesday I was at the Oranjebar, where I always play my local tournaments,” he said. “I came across Benito and thought, ‘Wow, that’s a really long time ago.’ He picked up his darts again and played very decent. I hope the hunger is back in him, because he’s a class guy and a class player as well.”

This weekend, Van de Pas was once again active at a tournament in Asperen near Utrecht. He played the De Jong Auto's Betuwe Darts Spektakel, which also featured other well-known Dutch players such as Wessel Nijman, Wesley Plaisier, Wesley van Trijp, and Jerry Hendriks.

Van de Pas made it to the last 16 at this small-scale event, where he lost 3-1 to Wessel Nijman. The final was contested by Wesley Plaisier and Nijman, with Plaisier winning 5-3.

It is encouraging to see that, after a long absence, Benito van de Pas is competing multiple times at local events and seems to be slowly gearing up for a return to the PDC. Whether he is truly open to a comeback on the Pro Tour and perhaps considering fighting for his Tour Card at Q-School 2027 remains to be seen.