By:
Paul Kelly
Steve Lennon will participate in Players Championship 1 & 2 in Hildeheim, Germany after five withdrawals from Premier League Darts stars.
The Irishman is officially in both PC1 and PC2 line-ups, despite losing his PDC Tour Card earlier this year.
Steve Lennon Handed Players Championship Lifeline
The beginning of the 2026 PDC Pro Tour season is almost upon us, as the first two Players Championship events of the year go down in Hildesheim, Germany.
Players Championship 1 takes place at Halle 39 on Monday, February 9, with Players Championship 2 taking place in the same venue the following day.
All of the world’s best darts players are set to compete in PC1 and PC2, with the exception of a handful. Due to commitments in the Premier League, it has been confirmed that Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Stephen Bunting, Josh Rock and Jonny Clayton will not participate in PC1 and PC2.
The other three Premier League players are still set to be in the field, but could yet pull out of the Players Championship line-up between now and next week.
https://twitter.com/JJIdsardi/status/2019034631635689567
With five of the world’s best darts players withdrawing from PC1 and PC2, this opens the event up for five non-Tour Card holders to fill their place.
Ireland’s Steve Lennon is one of the lucky players who is now a confirmed entry after taking one of the five spots up for grabs at PC1 and PC2. This means ‘Scubba Steve’ will head to Hildesheim in Germany for the first two Pro Tour events of the season, despite no longer holding a PDC Tour Card.
Lennon was one of 27 Irish darts hopefuls at UK Q-School last month, looking to secure a PDC Tour Card. However, despite holding a Tour card for several years, Lennon was unable to earn one back at the first attempt and missed out.
Although he is no longer a Tour Card holder, Lennon remains a quality darts player on his day and will be confident of earning some prize money at both PC1 and PC2.
https://twitter.com/livedarts/status/2010410739484217522
Five More Irish Darts Players In Players Championship Line-Up
With Steve Lennon now confirmed in the Players Championship line-up for the first two Pro Tour events of the year at Halle 39 in Hildesheim, Germany, there are a total of six Irish players set to compete across PC1 and PC2.
The five Irish Tour Card holders are all set to head to Germany for the opening two Pro Tour events of the year, looking to begin their year with a strong start.
New Tour Card holder Shane McGuirk has already got his debut year in the PDC off to a flying start having made the 32-man World Masters field after qualifying from the Preliminary Rounds, and he is one of the six Irish darts stars in action at PC1 and PC2.
https://twitter.com/livedarts/status/1865896203810140414
McGuirk climbed to 96th in the updated PDC Order of Merit after bagging £5,000 for his troubles at the World Masters, where he eventually lost out to two-time major winner Nathan Aspinall in Round 1.
Alongside Lennon and McGuirk are four more Irish darts players. William O’Connor, Keane Barry, Stephen Rosney and Niall Culleton are all set to take to the oche in Hildesheim on Monday and Tuesday.
O’Connor is ranked 15th in the latest world darts power rankings by the FDI, so will fancy his chances of a strong run at Halle 39. As too will the rest of the Irish contingent, who will be hoping to kickstart their respective 2026 seasons in style.
With no Littler or Humphries in action at PC1 and PC2, a lot of outsiders will fancy their chances of a strong run. That includes all six Irish players in action.
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