Josh Payne has regained his place on the PDC Tour after prevailing on day three at Q-School.
The 29-year-old, who is a former UK Open quarter-finalist, was provided with a tough draw on Saturday, which included former Lakeside runner-up Mark McGeeney.
However, Payne averaged in excess of 93 in his first six matches, posting 100.33 in his semi-final win over Graham Hall, before he edged out Chris Quantock in a decider in the final.
From 5-3 down, Payne reeled off three successive legs of 19, 13 and 15 darts to secure a 6-5 victory, ending a one-year absence from the tour.
Ahead of the final day, Keegan Brown, Hall, McGeeney, Andy Hamilton and Fallon Sherrock all feature in the top 10, with nine players from the Order of Merit also securing full playing privileges for two years.
THE BLACK COBRA IS BACK! 🇳🇱
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) January 14, 2023
Jeffrey de Zwaan secures an immediate return to the PDC circuit!
The Dutchman defeats his compatriot Maik Kuivenhoven 6-3 in Saturday's showpiece to seal an automatic Tour Card in Kalkar! pic.twitter.com/DxBsYzR1WN
Meanwhile, Jeffrey de Zwaan is also a Tour Card holder again after dominating the field in the European event on Saturday.
The 2018 World Matchplay semi-finalist did not drop more than three legs in a single match all day, his best performance coming in the last 16 as he posted a 107 average versus Pascal Rupprecht.
The Dutchman secured a 6-3 triumph in the final over compatriot Maik Kuivenhoven, who has already done enough in the European Order of Merit to return to the tour.
Rupprecht and Ronny Huybrechts are also on the brink of following Kuivenhoven, but the likes of Jelle Klaasen and Max Hopp require deep runs on Sunday to earn their spot.
Darren Plant
