Alan Soutar would love a crack at starring as an Ally Pally seed – but still faces a fight to book his place at the World Darts Championship.
Arbroath ace Soutar is currently ranked 32 in the seeded section for PDC’s elite event, £2,000 ahead of nearest challenger Madars Razma.
And if Soots can hang onto that spot after the Players Championship Finals at the end of November then he’ll travel to London in December as a seed.
That would propel Soots into the second round – with a guaranteed £15,000 pay cheque.
If he’s seeded 32nd it would also put him on course for a third round meeting with the world no. 1, currently Michael Smith.
Seeding
With 14 ProTour events left, Soots is not yet assured of his place at Ally Pally.
He knows he has work to do as he travels to Germany this week for more floor events.
“I need to put the foot down and get money on the board to make sure I book my place at Ally Pally,” Soutar told Courier Sport.
“I’m currently just outside of the qualifying spots as a non-seed but in a seeded place on the first section.
“To stay there I need to finish ahead of Madars Razma.
SOOTS SEALS A SENSATIONAL VICTORY! 👨🚒
Just look what it means to Alan Soutar, coming from two-nil down to defeat Danny Noppert 4-2 and he has raised the roof here at Ally Pally!
Incredible!
Up next 👉 Gary Anderson v Chris Dobey#WCDarts | R3
📺 https://t.co/37DNuuK5Me pic.twitter.com/ihJ1fDopQc— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 28, 2022
“It would be an incredible achievement to go to London as a seed and it brings a lot of benefits.
“You miss the first round and know you’ll win at least £15,000.
“But I’m 32nd and I’m lucky enough to reach the third round then I’ll be up against someone like Michael Smith.
“That’s in the future. My focus has to be to get my head down at the ProTours. I need to make sure I’m in London in December.”
Alan Soutar on top 32 pressure
Soutar’s meteoric rise in darts saw him begin the year as 32nd seed.
Since then, he has fluctuated between that and 35th in the world.
The PDC operates a two-year system on ranking money with Soots now losing money he earned in 2021 events off his card.
And he admits there is added expectation on him after spending two years as an underdog.
“I put a lot of that pressure and expectation on my own shoulders,” said firefighter Soutar, who is now stationed in Arbroath.
“When you get into the top 32 people expect you to kick on and make an assault on the higher places.
“It’s not easy and I’m still getting my head round the fact I’m losing money off my card.
“But I can’t go into events thinking I’m defending big money in them. When you do that then it gets to you.
“I’d rather go into them with a clear head and perform. My manager Paul Brown works it out and lets me know if I need to.
“I’m not like Peter Wright. He’ll be defending £500,000 at Ally Pally this year. That’s pressure.”
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