Chris Dobey is aiming to transfer his superb ProTour form to the big stage as he prepares to headline this weekend’s Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals.
The £600,000 tournament will take place at Butlin’s Minehead Resort from November 22-24, featuring the top 64 players from the 2024 Players Championship Order of Merit.
Dobey will make his Minehead return as the number one seed this weekend, having claimed a hat-trick of Players Championship titles throughout the year.
“I’ve worked hard to get my game back to where it should be, and my floor game has been impeccable this season,” insisted Dobey, who also reached a further two Players Championship finals in 2024.
“After a year in the Premier League, I found it tough to perform on the ProTour.
“That was my aim this year, to improve my floor form, and what better way to do it than coming out as the number one seed at the end!”
Despite his status as the top seed, Dobey has been handed a blockbuster first round showdown against former World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall, who snatched the final qualification place last month.
“It is tough playing one of your best friends,” conceded Dobey, a Players Championship Finals semi-finalist in 2019.
“There’s a lot more pressure this year because I’m going in as the number one seed, and I think it’s been a while since the number one seed actually went on to win it.
“I’ve had no luck on the stage so far this year; I’ve played alright, but my opponents have played better than me on the day.
“It’s not going to last for a lifetime. I will get my stage game back, and hopefully it will turn against Nathan [Aspinall].”
Dobey’s meeting with Aspinall will mark his first televised appearance since October’s European Championship, after he missed out on qualification for the Grand Slam of Darts earlier this month.
“Missing out on the Grand Slam did hurt, because I feel like I deserved to be in it,” continued Dobey, who lost out to Jeffrey de Graaf in the Tour Card Holder Qualifier.
“I think it’s the first time a player has won three ProTour titles and not been in the Grand Slam, so it was tough to take.
“I had my chance in the [Tour Card Holder] Qualifier, but I played well; I just lost to the better player on the day.
“I think it will give me the kick up the backside I need and hopefully I can bounce back in Minehead.”
The 2024 Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals will be broadcast live on ITV4 in the UK, and through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay.
Coverage will also be broadcast on PDCTV (excluding subscribers in the UK, Germany, Austria and Switzerland), while action from Stage Two will be broadcast worldwide on PDCTV on Friday and Saturday.