The world's best darters up to age 24 will gather in Milton Keynes, England, this weekend for the final weekend of the 2023 PDC Development Tour.
Then the main prizes of the annual circuit will be distributed. Also starting on Sunday is the 13th edition of the PDC World Youth Championship.
But first, four more regular Development Tour tournaments will be played. And the stakes are quite high during this weekend. For most players, it's all about placement for the PDC Youth World Championship, but for those at the top of the rankings, other prizes await.
Grand Slam of Darts Spot
The number one of the final ranking qualifies for the Grand Slam of Darts. This ticket seems to go to Gian van Veen or Luke Littler, although Wessel Nijman also has a small chance at the leading position.
Prior to the final weekend, Gian van Veen is the leader on the Development Tour Order of Merit with £17,500 in prize money. Luke Littler is second with £15,975, followed by Wessel Nijman with £12,750. The winner of a Development Tour tournament receives £2,500 in prize money and the losing finalist 1,000 pounds. So Littler and Nijman will have to make finals to catch up with Van Veen.
They have done so frequently this season. Littler has already been in five finals, while Nijman has been in the final four times. Leader Van Veen, however, has reached the finals seven times.
Two World Darts Championship Spots
Two spots for the World Darts Championship are also up for grabs. These will go to the two highest-ranked players who did not qualify through the Pro Tour for the tournament at Alexandra Palace.
Van Veen will qualify for the World Darts Championship via the regular PDC Pro Tour, and so can be left out for this award. That means the World Championship ticket can slip through to the number three, in this case Nijman.
Littler is virtually assured of a World Championship spot. He has a comfortable lead of 6550 pounds over number four Nathan Rafferty. In any case, the Northern Irishman has to make up 3325 pounds on Nijman. By the way, the numbers five (Dylan Slevin) and six (Bradley Brooks) are also virtually qualified for the World Darts Championship via the Pro Tour. So Nijman and Rafferty will team up to decide who will qualify with Littler for the World Championship via the Development Tour.
Two PDC Tour Cards for 2024-2025
There are also two more PDC Tour Cards. Gian van Veen already has a Tour Card and is therefore not eligible for this prize either. The same goes for Rafferty, Slevin and number seven Jurjen van der Velde.
Littler is also just about safe to capture a Tour Card in addition to a World Cup spot. Nijman is also in good shape. His lead over closest pursuer Bradley Brooks is as much as 5750 pounds.
66 spots for PDC World Youth Championship
Sunday marks the start of the PDC Youth World Championship. The field of participants for this event consists of 96 players. Eleven PDC Tour Card holders up to age 24 and nineteen international qualifiers are already certain to participate.
The remaining 66 spots will be distributed through the PDC Development Tour Order of Merit. This will be the top-66 of the rankings, supplemented by a few more players below them. Players such as Van Veen, Rafferty, Slevin, Brooks and Jurjen van der Velde, for example, will receive a starting spot at the PDC World Youth Championship via their Tour Card. Their tickets via the Development Tour Order of Merit thus slide to the players just outside the top-66.
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