"The main goal is not to embarrass myself" - Stowe Buntz to play without pressure and expectation on World Darts Championship debut

After impressing at the Grand Slam of Darts recently, making it all the way to the quarter-finals, Stowe Buntz will make his debut at the World Darts Championship next Friday against Dutchman, Kevin Doets.

Buntz qualified for the World Darts Championship by finishing second in the CDC rankings. This tour is a circuit for darters from North America. Buntz has been active as a dart player since 2003, but only in recent months has he been able to get into the picture.

''Nothing has really changed, but the opportunity just came up,'' Buntz said in conversation with FlashScore. ''I've been playing at a high level in the United States for years, just not every weekend like Leonard Gates or Alex Spellman. Thanks to the CDC's cooperation with the PDC, which gives CDC players the opportunity to qualify for PDC events, I got the chance. Last year I started playing in the CDC and ended up in the top 10."

"This year I played even better and ended up in second place, which earned me qualification for the World Championship. However, I qualified for the Grand Slam by winning the Continental Cup. So it's nothing new that I can play at this level. But the reorganisation means that players are no longer selected at random, everything is now based on a strict points system."

Most players have Phil Taylor or Michael van Gerwen as their childhood idols. Buntz, however, had another player he looked up to immensely. ''I was a huge fan of Ronnie Baxter,'' he confessed. ''After he stopped playing, Peter Wright came on the tour and he, like me, is a fan of those bright colours and I really liked that. I've always been a fan of colour. I painted my first car purple and my first motorbike purple. Everyone says now, because I wear equally garish outfits, that I'm trying to be like him, but I've been like that all my life. Still, I would say that Peter Wright and Rob Cross are players I look up to."

How would Buntz best describe himself as a player? "I think I have a few strengths, especially my good scoring, I rarely have trebleless visits and I'm usually better than my opponent," he answers. "My biggest problem, on the other hand, is consistency: one day I play a leg in 12 darts, the next I suddenly need 21 darts. It's a rollercoaster ride and that's also down to my lack of practice. That's why when I practice I try to work on my muscle memory, my technique and my movements and pay less attention to the board."

Buntz is traveling to Alexandra Palace without any specific objective. ''To be honest, anything after qualifying is a bonus. The main goal is not to embarrass myself,'' he said with a laugh. ''If I put in a good performance but still lose, that's fine with me. It's important to me that I can go out with my head held high and say afterwards that I did my best and if my opponent was better and wins, it was deserved."