Wessel Nijman won his first senior PDC title by beating Stephen Bunting in the final of Players Championship 24 in Wigan.
The Dutchman averaged 99.63 in an 8-5 win, with his opponent hitting three figures at 101.11. Nijman, who served half of a five-year suspension after being found guilty in 2020 of betting offences, said: "I've felt like it was coming.
"I thought 'be patient and it will come'. It's probably the best months of my darting career. When I was playing the Development Tour last year I wasn't expecting to get a tour card.
"I knew I could win it when I was in the final. My goal was to get in the top 64 after two years; I'll probably get into it after one year so I'm very happy with that."
READ MORE: Sky Sports fans can save £216 on their bill, here's three other reasons you'll want to pick it
READ MORE: Phil Taylor on 'worst pain I've ever had' as darts icon issues health update
Nijman beat Gary Anderson 7-5 in his semi-final, the Scot having hit a nine-dart finish against Jamie Hughes and averaged over 100 across his six matches. Bunting ended the run of Luke Littler in the semis.
Nijman was handed a five-year ban back in 2020 after admitting to fixing a match at the Modus Icons of Darts series. The 24-year-old said at the time that he had been "put under some pressure to lose a match and I agreed to do this".
In a statement, Nijman admitted: "I would like to place on public record my sincere regret and apology for the mistake I made in relation to betting and match-fixing. I was put under some pressure to lose a match and I agreed to do this.
"I have admitted the offence and take full responsibility for it and will accept my punishment. I should have spoken to my management, the PDPA, DRA or police when I was put in this position and would advise any other player who finds themselves in a similar position to do that.
"Instead, I went along with it and made a stupid mistake that I am rightly being punished for. It was a one-off error of judgement which I want to put behind me and do everything I can to put right."
Nijman served half of his five-year ban, with the other half suspended after he engaged in player education and anti-corruption measures and he returned to action last year on the PDC Development Tour.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
