"Van Barneveld put an arm around me and said he thinks it's great that I'm still standing here" - Van Dongen painfully bids farewell to the Pro Tour

Jules van Dongen will lose his Tour Card to the PDC at the end of this year. This is not a voluntary decision, but is due to the fact that he has been struggling with dartitis for quite some time. The Dutch American decided last summer to make a radical switch by throwing left-handed, because he could no longer release his darts with the right.

Just switching arms and then throwing the same averages is not an option, however, and that became painfully clear to Van Dongen last weekend. 'The Dutch Dragon' was present at the last two Players Championship tournaments, and lost both days 6-0. But worse, he came to averages of just 53.10 and 49.58. Fortunately for him, this was not a record, as in 2018 Canadian Matt Campbell did not get beyond 48.80.

On Friday afternoon he gave it another shot at the Grand Slam of Darts Tour Card Holder Qualifier, but he didn't fare much better there either. Although his average was considerably better at 70.13, he still went down 5-0 against Ryan Meikle, bringing his professional career to an end (for now).

"Four years of Pro Tour is coming to an end," he wrote. "Although I had hoped to perform a little better the last few days, I am happy to have attended the last few Pro Tours and made it a good finish. I am determined to continue with my left hand and see where it takes me," van Dongen said.

In an interview with De Limburger, "The Dutch Dragon" was candid about his sudden decision to start throwing left-handed after a year and a half of plodding. "I did imagine a bit more of it. But I also knew in advance that this could happen," he sounded.

Van Dongen joined the pros in 2022, and despite not being among the world's best, he managed to stay on his feet quite well, until he suffered from darteritus. He couldn't get his darts out and nothing helped - a sports psychologist, meditation, acupuncture: none of them worked. From there, he came to the decision to start throwing left-handed. "It's like being right-handed with soccer and then suddenly only being allowed to kick the ball with the left. You have to think about every move."

Still, he finally returned to action on the Pro Tour last week, after his last participation was in February. Van Dongen was already aware that he would lose his Tour Card, and received a lot of support from his fellow darters in recent days. "They show edrespect that I dare to throw with my left hand here," he said. For example, Raymond (Van Barneveld) put an arm around me and said he thinks it's great that I'm still standing here. I get a lot of energy from moments like that. I'm sure many others would make the choice to quit. But I continue," Van Dongen concluded on a positive note.