Wesley Plaisier caused a real upset when he won Players Championship 28. The victory over Josh Rock in the final was Dutchman Wesley Plaisier’s first PDC title in his career.

Wesley Plaisier, who doesn’t have a PDC tour card, usually competes on the Challenge Tour, which is level below the Players Championship. It allows players without a PDC card to compete against strong opponents and gain experience. Plaisier has performed well there, which has placed him on the reserve list for the Players Championship on several occasions. This means he gets to participate if a regular PDC player chooses not to compete.

This was the case in Players Championship 28, where a few players opted to skip the event, giving Wesley Plaisier the chance to compete. He made the most of this opportunity, going all the way to win the tournament. The victory makes him only the fourth player in history to win a PDC event without holding a PDC card.

On his way to his first PDC title, he defeated Matt Campbell, Richie Edhouse, Florian Hempel, Krzysztof Ratajski, Jose De Sousa, Danny Noppert, and finally Josh Rock in the final.

Josh Rock, earlier in the tournament, came very close to throwing back-to-back nine-dart finishes. In his quarter-final match against George Killington, Rock threw one nine-darter, immediately followed by two 180s, giving him another chance for a nine-darter. Unfortunately, he missed the opportunity.

Wesley Plaisier’s victory moves him up nine places in the world rankings to position 73.