Swedish duo Johan Engstrom and Jeffrey de Graaf shared titles to cement their spots in the top two of the PDC Nordic & Baltic ProTour Order of Merit last weekend.
The year’s third weekend of Nordic & Baltic ProTour action took place in Vääsky, Finland, from May 31-June 2, with Engstrom and De Graaf claiming a title apiece in a repeat of Events 3-4.
Engstrom celebrated his maiden Nordic & Baltic ProTour crown with Event Three success back in April, and the diminutive Swede doubled his tally with Event Five glory on Saturday.
The 47-year-old swept aside Norway’s Cor Dekker 6-2 with a 94 average in Saturday’s showpiece, having beaten experienced duo Par Riihonen and Marko Kantele in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively.
However, De Graaf maintained his £550 cushion at the top of the Order of Merit with victory in Sunday’s Event Six, as he secured his third ProTour title of the campaign.
The Dutch-born Swede – a Players Championship runner-up last month – converted finishes of 80, 84 and 127 to complete a hard-fought 6-3 win over his World Cup partner Oskar Lukasiak in Sunday's finale.
De Graaf also dumped out his fellow countryman Andreas Harrysson in the quarter-finals, before launching a stunning fightback from 5-2 down to deny Darius Labanauskas in the last four.
Last weekend also saw qualifiers for European Tour Events 8-10 take place, with Finland’s World Cup veteran Kantele completing a qualification double.
Kantele will feature in the NEO.bet European Darts Open from June 21-23, after seeing off Kent Joran Sivertsen, Michael Ladefoged, Harrysson and Thor Helmer Johansen in the ET8 Qualifier.
The 55-year-old also booked his place in September’s Flanders Darts Trophy (ET10) with a comeback win over Anton Östlund, which was preceded by victories over Labanauskas and Harrysson in the latter stages.
Kantele also progressed to the final of the ET9 Qualifier, although he was denied a remarkable hat-trick by Engstrom, who will subsequently compete in the NEO.bet German Darts Championship in Hildesheim.
Engstrom conceded just seven legs in five matches to confirm his European Tour return, dispatching Denmark’s Vladimir Andersen and whitewashing Lukasiak in the semi-finals, before running out a 6-3 winner against Kantele.
The 2024 Nordic & Baltic ProTour season continues from July 26-28, as ProTour Events 7-8 and Qualifiers for ET11-13 take place in Denmark.
Nordic & Baltic ProTour Event Five
Johan Engstrom 6-2 Cor Dekker
Nordic & Baltic ProTour Event Six
Jeffrey de Graaf 6-3 Oskar Lukasiak
NEO.bet European Darts Open (ET8 Qualifier)
Marko Kantele 6-3 Thor Helmer Johansen
NEO.bet German Darts Championship (ET9 Qualifier)
Johan Engstrom 6-3 Marko Kantele
Flanders Darts Trophy (ET10 Qualifier)
Marko Kantele 6-4 Anton Östlund
Click here for more information on the PDC Nordic & Baltic circuit.
ProTour 7-8 + ET Qualifiers 11-13
July 26-28, Copenhagen
ProTour 9-10
August 24-25, Bullseye Reykjavík, Iceland