Klaasen’s Resurgence Halted by Hollywood: Dobey Clinches Players Championship 3

Players Championship action resumed on Monday in Autotron, Rosmalen, for the first of a double-header. The 128-player field saw a few changes, with six Tour Card holders opting to skip the event: Luke Humphries, Luke Littler, Gary Anderson, Chris Landman, Jeffrey de Graaf, and Michele Turetta. Their spots were filled by Challenge Tour call-ups Stefan Bellmont, Carl Sneyd, Darius Labanauskas, Kevin Burness, Mervyn King, and Aden Kirk.

Chris Dobey celebrating at Ally Pally 2025

Additionally, three players withdrew late—Andrew Gilding, Dimitri Van den Bergh, and Jim Williams—allowing Michael Flynn, Jarno Bottenberg, and Jeffrey Sparidaans to step in.

Local favourite Michael van Gerwen entered as the pre-tournament favourite, playing his first Pro Tour event of the year. With the venue just seven minutes from his home, it was a true home event for MvG. Other top contenders included fellow Premier League players and last week’s PC event winners Gerwyn Price, Rob Cross and PC2 finalist Chris Dobey.

Early Rounds: Sub-80 Averages & Record Performances

The tournament began with uncharacteristically low averages, as multiple players cited freezing conditions in the arena. Among those struggling were Daryl Gurney and Sebastian Bialecki, both of whom labelled the venue “unacceptable” for a Pro Tour event.

Two players recorded their worst-ever PDC averages, with Dave Chisnall managing just 73.30 in a second-round loss to Oscar Lukasiak—a shocking figure for the World No. 6—while Florian Hempel endured a nightmare 6-0 whitewash to Martin Lukeman, averaging just 67.89.

On the flip side, seven players recorded career-best averages:

1. Chris Dobey (113.54)

2. Luke Woodhouse (110.87)

3. Justin Hood (104.64)

4. Tom Bissell (98.32)

5. Rhys Griffin (97.57)

6. Jim Long (95.40)

7. Adam Lipscombe (93.79)

Some matches in the early rounds produced staggering numbers. Dirk van Duijvenbode averaged 106.69 in a 6-4 victory over Willie O’Connor, who still managed 101.26 in defeat. Connor Scutt impressed with a 106.08 average, sweeping aside Rhys Griffin 6-2.

Meanwhile, Gerwyn Price delivered one of the performances of the day, continuing his strong start to 2025. He dismantled Peter Wright 6-3 with a 112.15 average. At 4-0 up, he was averaging an outrageous 125.69, briefly threatening the world record for a broadcast PDC game.

Quarter-Finals & Semi-Finals: Who Thrived Under Pressure?

Chris Dobey continued his dominance in the quarter-finals with a 6-1 demolition of Krzysztof Ratajski, posting his best-ever average of 113.54. Nick Kenny edged out Jermaine Wattimena 6-5, winning a dramatic deciding leg with an 11-darter after Wattimena missed a match dart for 6-4.

Jelle Klaasen led Rob Cross 4-1 but was pegged back to 4-4 before holding his nerve to win 6-4. The most dramatic quarter-final saw Callan Rydz stun Gerwyn Price 6-5. Price fired in a 170 checkout but ultimately missed two match darts for a 6-5 win, allowing Rydz to snatch victory.

The semi-finals saw Jelle Klaasen defeat Nick Kenny 7-5 in a tense battle. This marked Klaasen’s first PDC semi-final in nearly eight years, with his last coming in April 2017. For Kenny, it was his first since September 2020, highlighting a resurgent run for both players. Klaasen averaged 94.54, just ahead of Kenny’s 93.16, and crucially finished stronger in the key moments.

The other semi-final was an all-Geordie battle between Chris Dobey and Callan Rydz, delivering one of the matches of the tournament. Both players averaged over 100, but Dobey showed incredible resilience. Rydz led 6-4 and missed match darts at tops for a 99 checkout and the bull for a 170 finish, allowing Dobey to stay alive. The former Masters champion then produced back-to-back checkouts of 127 and 120 to level at 6-6. In the deciding leg, Dobey held his nerve to break with a 13-darter, sealing a dramatic 7-6 victory.

Road to the Final:

Both players had contrasting routes to the final, but this is how they got there:

Chris Dobey's Path to the Final:	Jelle Klaasen's Path to the Final:
Last 128: (6-3) vs Dylan Slevin	Last 128: (6-4) vs Ryan Joyce
Last 64: (6-2) vs Rob Owen	Last 64: (6-4) vs Kevin Burness
Last 32: (6-0) vs Owen Bates	Last 32: (6-2) vs Tytus Kanik
Last 16: (6-4) vs Wessel Nijman	Last 16: (6-5) vs Mickey Mansell
Quarter-Final: (6-1) vs Krzystof Ratajski	Quarter-Final: (6-4) vs Rob Cross
Semi-Final: (7-6) vs Callan Rydz	Semi-Final: (7-5) vs Nick Kenny

🏆 The Final: Chris Dobey Takes the Title

Chris Dobey proved why he was one of the tournament favourites as he comfortably dispatched Jelle Klaasen 8-4 in the final. Klaasen, playing in his first PDC final since April 2017, struggled to keep pace with Dobey’s relentless scoring.

The Bedlington star was clinical throughout, averaging 100.87 compared to Klaasen’s 87.34, never allowing his opponent a way back into the contest.

With this victory, Dobey’s tournament average finished at 98.95, and he secured his first Players Championship title of the season after claiming a hat-trick of these events last season.

The win also propelled him up to World No. 8, moving ahead of both Gerwyn Price and Damon Heta in the rankings, and placed him at the top of the Players Championship Order of Merit—a feat he achieved last year.

Talking Points & Highlights

💥 Biggest Shock: One of the biggest shocks of the day came as Michael van Gerwen suffered a Round 1 exit to Challenge Tour call-up Michael Flynn, falling 6-4 in a major upset at his home event.

🎯 Shock Semi-Finalists: The semi-final lineup provided unexpected names, with Nick Kenny and Jelle Klaasen both making deep runs. Kenny hadn’t reached a PDC semi-final since 2020, while Klaasen’s last came in 2017.

🔥 7 Players Hit Career-Best Averages: A total of seven players hit career-best averages, including Chris Dobey’s 113.54, Luke Woodhouse’s 110.87, and four newly crowned Tour Card holders, further proving the growing depth in the PDC.

❄️ "Freezing Conditions" Controversy: However, the most debated topic was the "freezing conditions" inside the venue, which several players, including Daryl Gurney, called “unacceptable” for a Pro Tour event. The impact on performances was clear, with several players averaging below 80, sparking frustration among professionals.

🌟 ‘Hollywood’ stars for PC3 Win: Chris Dobey’s consistency was the biggest takeaway. Having reached back-to-back finals, he finally got over the line and now looks set for a huge 2025 season.

🎙️ Chris Dobey’s Post-Final Reaction

Speaking to PDC.tv after his victory, Dobey described the win as "massive," admitting that he "probably should have won the final against Gezzy last week." He added, "I came back today, battled hard, and it’s another point proven."

Reflecting on his ambitions, he stated, "If I can take this form onto the big stage, then who knows? I could be winning these major titles!"

📅 What’s Next?

Darts action returns tomorrow for Players Championship 4 in Rosmalen. Key questions remain:

1. Can Chris Dobey make it three straight finals and win back-to-back titles?

2. Will Jelle Klaasen continue his resurgence?

3. Will the freezing conditions persist, and how will they affect play?

Stay tuned to Darts Central for all the latest coverage!

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