Van Dongen set for big darting decision after claiming Tour Card at Q-School: “Can I combine them or do I have to stop working completely?”
PDC
Jules Van Dongen was one of the main success stories of Q-School with the Dutch Dragon fulfilling prior promise seen on the CD, Tour back home in the States before claiming his Tour Card.
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Van Dongen started in the First Stage and finished eleventh. “It was far from my normal way of scoring in the First Stage. I was good at throwing the doubles and a few combination finishes. I knew pretty quickly that getting to the last 16 once was enough points for the Final Stage. I thought I had two days left to find my game. When I went into the second phase, I found my game comfortably,” he said to DartsActueel.
Consistent form and a final during the Final Stage brought Van Dongen his Tour Card with the relief fully there when it came to winning the requisite two games.
“You know that with 7 points it has to go crazy if you don't want to make it. Only you're not sure yet. In that final I was 4-0, a bit of a mixed feeling. Of course you want to finish it that day, but then I don't. Looking back, it's a bit of a coincidence, I felt loose a bit at 4-0 and Brian started throwing better and better. It didn't keep me awake for long, but I would rather have won it of course. On the third day I thought, win two games and you're there. I was very focused on that. When I won the second game with the best game of the whole week, I really felt like I was producing what I was capable of”
But what is Van Dongen’s future plans for relocating? He said the initial plans are there but it isn’t yet set in stone.
“I now have a plan for the first month. For that first Pro Tour I'll be staying in England for the two weekends for two weeks and then I'll be back for the UK Open again. It also depends a bit on how the Euro Tour Qualifiers go. We're not quite sure yet, because it also depends on how the conversation goes at work. Can I combine them or do I have to stop working completely? I have decided for myself that I want to go all out and that I don't want to do half the work. I will have to practice a lot more than I do now. I'm going to do everything I can, maybe I'll look for an apartment in England to at least have a base. But I'm not quite sure about that."
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
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