PDC Q-School Success
Much is made of the PDC Tour Card being a golden ticket in professional darts, We take a look at the success stories of Richard North and Gezzy Price, who both rose rapidly out of Q-School.
Gerwyn Price
Current World No.6 and reigning Grand Slam of Darts Champion, Gerwyn “The Iceman” Price, graduated from Qualifying School in 2014. Now at the age of 33, Price is the first Welshman to win a PDC televised major and an impressive £750,000 plus career earnings to date.
A former professional rugby player, Price started playing local darts for Markham Welfare and Super League for Aberbargoed. In 2014 Price entered Q-school, encouraged by Welsh darts legend Barrie Bates, and qualified on the second day of the event to earn his two-year Tour Card.
The Iceman went from strength-to-strength in his debut year as he fired himself up the PDC rankings, earning £12,750 in ProTour events. This impressive debut performance saw him finish 39th on the ProTour Order of Merit and earn a spot at the 2015 PDC World Championships. There the Iceman lost to Peter Wright in Round 1, however this appearance at Ally Pally saw him break into the top 64 of the World in the first year of asking.
Gerwyn continued to rocket up the rankings with improved performances at every event, winning 2 Player Championship titles in 2016. The Welshman would then break into the PDC Order of Merit top 16 after runs to the UK Open and World Cup of Darts finals in 2017. These performances and his competitive persona on the oche also earned him a prestigious 2018 Premier League spot.
Price can well and truly class himself in the darting World elite after picking up his first televised major at the end of 2018, defeating Gary Anderson 16 - 13 to lift the Grand Slam of Darts trophy. The rapid rise from q-school graduate to World no.6 is a credit to Gezzy’s determination and talent, taking full advantage of the lucrative opportunities that the PDC has to offer.
Richard North
The Lionheart, Richard North is a recent graduate from Qualifying School, picking up his Tour Card in 2017. North had been knocking on the door of the PDC many years before that however, qualifying for the 2011 UK Open and reaching the last 64. After this experience, Northy knew he had what it takes to compete as a PDC professional and began to attempt to earn his Tour Card via Qualifying School.
It wasn’t until his fourth attempt in 2017 that North earned the golden ticket, qualifying on the second day of the event for his PDC Tour Card.
North excelled during his debut year on the ProTour, reaching the final of Players Championship 16 and making multiple quarter-final appearances. This culminated in the Englishman qualifying for the 2017 World Grand Prix by his position in the Pro Tour rankings. North went on to defeat Mark Webster 2-0 before losing to Simon Whitlock in the last 16.
His exceptional form in 2017 also earned him a place at the 2018 PDC World Championship as the highest-ranked non-qualified player on the ProTour Order of Merit.
North continued where picked up where he left off in the following year, where he continued strongly on the ProTour and extended himself into Europe as he reached two European Tour semi-finals. He would once again earn a spot at Ally Pally, reaching the last 64 stage to move further up the Order of Merit.
Now ranked as 39th on the PDC Order of Merit, North has regained his Tour Card and looks to the horizon to continue his bright young career in the darting World.
Current World No.6 and reigning Grand Slam of Darts Champion, Gerwyn “The Iceman” Price, graduated from Qualifying School in 2014. Now at the age of 33, Price is the first Welshman to win a PDC televised major and an impressive £750,000 plus career earnings to date.
A former professional rugby player, Price started playing local darts for Markham Welfare and Super League for Aberbargoed. In 2014 Price entered Q-school, encouraged by Welsh darts legend Barrie Bates, and qualified on the second day of the event to earn his two-year Tour Card.
The Iceman went from strength-to-strength in his debut year as he fired himself up the PDC rankings, earning £12,750 in ProTour events. This impressive debut performance saw him finish 39th on the ProTour Order of Merit and earn a spot at the 2015 PDC World Championships. There the Iceman lost to Peter Wright in Round 1, however this appearance at Ally Pally saw him break into the top 64 of the World in the first year of asking.
Gerwyn continued to rocket up the rankings with improved performances at every event, winning 2 Player Championship titles in 2016. The Welshman would then break into the PDC Order of Merit top 16 after runs to the UK Open and World Cup of Darts finals in 2017. These performances and his competitive persona on the oche also earned him a prestigious 2018 Premier League spot.
Price can well and truly class himself in the darting World elite after picking up his first televised major at the end of 2018, defeating Gary Anderson 16 - 13 to lift the Grand Slam of Darts trophy. The rapid rise from q-school graduate to World no.6 is a credit to Gezzy’s determination and talent, taking full advantage of the lucrative opportunities that the PDC has to offer.
Richard North
The Lionheart, Richard North is a recent graduate from Qualifying School, picking up his Tour Card in 2017. North had been knocking on the door of the PDC many years before that however, qualifying for the 2011 UK Open and reaching the last 64. After this experience, Northy knew he had what it takes to compete as a PDC professional and began to attempt to earn his Tour Card via Qualifying School.
It wasn’t until his fourth attempt in 2017 that North earned the golden ticket, qualifying on the second day of the event for his PDC Tour Card.
North excelled during his debut year on the ProTour, reaching the final of Players Championship 16 and making multiple quarter-final appearances. This culminated in the Englishman qualifying for the 2017 World Grand Prix by his position in the Pro Tour rankings. North went on to defeat Mark Webster 2-0 before losing to Simon Whitlock in the last 16.
His exceptional form in 2017 also earned him a place at the 2018 PDC World Championship as the highest-ranked non-qualified player on the ProTour Order of Merit.
North continued where picked up where he left off in the following year, where he continued strongly on the ProTour and extended himself into Europe as he reached two European Tour semi-finals. He would once again earn a spot at Ally Pally, reaching the last 64 stage to move further up the Order of Merit.
Now ranked as 39th on the PDC Order of Merit, North has regained his Tour Card and looks to the horizon to continue his bright young career in the darting World.