Conor Purcell five shots back after opening round of the Soudal Open
The Dubliner made made three birdies on the front nine but dropped shots on 10 and 13 to finish one-under par alongside 24 other competitors in 45th spot.
Dutchman Joost Luiten, Angel Ayora from Spain and Candian Aaron Cockerill head the standings on six under after their 65s.
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The Irish Sun
9 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Luke Humphries furious with darts fan after shock defeat in World Matchplay opener
LUKE HUMPHRIES was furious with the 'Blackpool Blower' whistler as he was sent crashing out of the World Matchplay opener. The defending champ was shown the exit door, losing 10-8 to dashing Dutchman Gian van Veen at the Winter Gardens last night. Advertisement 2 Luke Humphries was furious with a fan as he crashed out of the World Matchplay opener. 2 Humphries was eliminated by Gian van Veen World No1 In the end the power-scoring of Van Veen won the contest. The Dutch star said: 'It means so much. I think it's the biggest win of my career. 'To be here at the iconic Winter Gardens on my second time. Last year I missed five match darts and before I hit the double four tonight, I missed three match darts. I thought 'here we go again'. Finally I hit that winning double.' Advertisement Van Veen opened in style and broke Humphries' throw in the first leg with double 16. The flying Dutchman was bang on song and soon doubled his lead. Finally, the World No1 got on the board with double 10 and it was soon level with double eight. Then 'Cool Hand' delivered a wonderful 146 with double 16 to go in front for the first time. Advertisement Most read in Darts Exclusive CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Van Veen wasn't done, he won the next three after the break to retake the lead at 5-3. Humphries then missed tops and was clearly angry by a whistler in the crowd. 'This is why we play darts indoors' - Video of Luke Littler and Luke Humphries struggling in new tournament emerges He then stared out into the crowd after finally winning the leg to level up the match at 5-5. Advertisement But the Dutchman just kept coming back but missed three darts to win it before eventually wrapping it up with double four. Trailing 3-0, the Scot managed to bust 178 by hitting a 180 in the fourth leg. In his 20th successive Matchplay, James Wade marched on with a comfortable 10-3 victory over Advertisement
Irish Examiner
21 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Luke Humphries stunned by Gian van Veen in World Matchplay opener
World number one Luke Humphries' hopes of defending his World Matchplay crown were ended on the opening night as he crashed out to Gian van Veen. Humphries was hoping to become just the fourth man to defend his title in Blackpool after he won for the first time in 2024. But he was not at his best at the Winter Gardens and was downed 10-8 by the Dutchman van Veen, who celebrated the best win of his career. VAN VEEN DETHRONES HUMPHRIES! 🤯 What a moment for Gian van Veen! The young Dutchman secures his first win on the Winter Gardens stage with a thrilling 10-8 victory over reigning champion Luke Humphries!#MatchplayDarts | R1 — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) July 19, 2025 Humphries' exit will make Luke Littler the overwhelming favourite for the event, with the teenager kicking off his campaign against Ryan Searle on Sunday. Despite not being at his best, Humphries still had chances to beat Van Veen but could only convert 28 per cent of his double attempts. Van Veen made his move to break at 7-7 and then eventually got over the finishing line on his fourth match dart. 'This feels like the biggest win of my career, to be here at the iconic Winter Gardens,' he said. 'Finally I got that winning double and this is the biggest win of my career. The defending champion had a difficult evening in Blackpool (Taylor Lanning/PDC) 'I guess this makes me the number one seed! I am just going to enjoy this one tonight. 'It means the world, I felt really relaxed on the stage, to beat the reigning champion and world number one, it's an amazing feeling. 'Luke is a true champion, a great guy and the true world number one. To beat the world number one is amazing but it is just one game. I take it game by game.' James Wade celebrated 20 successive years at the World Matchplay by coasting to a 10-3 win over Joe Cullen. Wade threw his best-ever average at the Winter Gardens of 104.44, hitting 10 out of 15 doubles. THE MACHINE MARCHES ON! 👏 📊 104.44 average💪 67% on the doubles James Wade – featuring in his 20th consecutive World Matchplay – produces his highest ever average on the Winter Gardens stage to storm through to round two!#MatchplayDarts | R1 — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) July 19, 2025 He hit out at anyone who believes he cannot win the title next week, referencing an old spat with Sky Sports pundit Wayne Mardle who once questioned him. 'I can do it again, 100 per cent. I'm good enough to win this tournament. I mean, I think if anyone believes any different, I think they're a little bit Wayne Mardle-d. 'But I respect Wayne as well. I mean, Wayne's a wonderful person. He's got great knowledge of the game. I think he writes quite a few other players off. 'But I can win this tournament. Of course, again, it's no secret.' Danny Noppert beat Cameron Menzies 10-2, setting up a second-round meeting with Van Veen.
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
Darts star Cameron Menzies has nightmare as he busts with incredible 180 and is left with head in hands
CAMERON MENZIES had a nightmare start to his World Matchplay campaign after he remarkably BUST with a 180. Menzies, 36, had the chance to pull himself back in the game during his opening match against Danny Noppert, but instead gave the Dutchman a further lead in the fourth leg. 4 Cameron Menzies incredibly bust 178 with a 180 Credit: Sky Sports 4 With 178 left, Menzies hit two treble 20s to knock down his score Credit: Sky Sports 4 The Scot landed his third treble 20 to score 180 - busting his score Credit: Sky Sports 4 Menzies had his head in his hands when he realised his mistake Credit: Sky Sports With 178 left on the board, Menzies had to whittle his score down to a manageable checkout - with a 178 impossible with three darts. But after nailing two treble 20s to take a big chunk of the score away, Menzies seemingly lost track of what he had left and hammered home a third treble 20 to hit a spectacular 180. What would normally be a sensational effort instead ended up meaning he was BUST - leaving the door wide open for Noppert to snatch the leg. READ MORE IN DARTS Menzies could have hit literally any other place on the board and registered a score, but his lapse in concentration ended up costing him dearly. Fans were in shock as they watched on from home on Sky Sports. One wrote: "No words". While another added: "Menzies really brought the chaos". Most read in Darts CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS A third joked: "First and last time I bet on Menzies." And a fourth posted: "Absolute brain fart that from him." Darts legend Bobby George sends stark message to Luke Littler as he warns sensation he can 'go from hero to zero quick' Things only went downhill for Menzies from there as he fell to a hefty 10-2 defeat and was dumped from the Winter Gardens tournament. The world No.34 had managed an average of just 81.35 across the match.
