Forgotten Darts Star Returns To Sport After Three-Year Absence
The former PDC star, who is still only 32, stopped playing competitively in 2023.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Darts, Netherlands
Ryan Smart
Topics: Darts, Netherlands
A former world top 16 darts player has returned to the sport after an absence of nearly three years.
Benito van de Pas was tipped as a future star of darts after winning three PDC ProTour titles in his third season as a full-time tour card holder in 2016.
He reached two consecutive World Grand Prix quarter-finals in 2016 and 2017, and also broke into the top 16 of the Order of Merit.
Van de Pas had a distinctive throwing action, where he would lean forward considerably before releasing the dart.
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Sadly for the Dutchman, he lost form from 2018 onwards as he began to struggle with his throw, and fell out of the top 64 of the rankings at the end of 2020.
Van de Pas entered Q-School in 2021, 2022 and 2023, but failed to win back his tour card on each occasion.
He came closest in 2021, finishing in 23rd place in the Order of Merit over four days, but he needed to place in the top eight.
His performance on the Challenge Tour in 2021 allowed him to play in four Players Championship events as a top-up entrant, but he has not played on the ProTour in the past four seasons.
Van de Pas began competing in MODUS Super Series events at the start of 2023, but stopped playing darts competitively in April of that year.
But now, Van de Pas appears to be making a comeback to the sport - even if it is not at a serious stage yet.
Dutch-based Twitter account PremiumDartdata posted a photo of the 32-year-old - identifiable in any case by his throw - playing darts at a local pub.
In response to a fan, the account stated that Van de Pas has started practicing again for three hours a day, having received a new dartboard as a present from his girlfriend at Christmas.
It is added that he still has his old throwing action, described as being 'silky smooth'.
Fans might be wondering whether the Dutchman will attempt what would be a popular comeback to the PDC, but the account adds that he is 'taking it easy' for now.
Given his age, Van de Pas still has plenty of time on his side to make a realistic comeback to competitive darts, if he chooses to go down that route.
There are currently three Dutch players inside the top 16 of the PDC Order of Merit - Gian van Veen, Michael van Gerwen and Danny Noppert.
Wessel Nijman and Dirk van Duijvenbode are among the top 32.