Dobey and Nijman continue impressive Pro Tour form in Wigan
Chris Dobey and Wessel Nijman have now won 50% of 2026’s PDC Pro Tour events to date after the in-form duo enjoyed more floor success in Wigan across Monday and Tuesday.
Dobey, who was dropped from the Premier League line-up this year after an underwhelming 2025 on the big stages, continues to be an imperious performer on the floor and landed his second title of the campaign when dispatching Justin Hood 8-4 in the Players Championship 9 final on Monday, averaging 105.28 in the showpiece.
Hollywood was in fine form all day, dropping just 16 legs across his seven matches with all but one of his games seeing the Geordie produce an average north of 99.
Tuesday was all about Nijman, who sealed a remarkable third floor title of the season with another spectacular set of performances.
The Dutch ace, 25, is still waiting for his major breakthrough but continues to produce spell-binding performances on a regular basis in 2026, having also broke his European Tour duck with victory at the European Darts Trophy last month.
HIs final five games en route to the Players Championship 10 title were won with averages of 109.98, 99.91, 109.71, 108.46 and 101.34 – the last of which saw off a surprise finalist in former two-time BDO world champion and Grand Slam of Darts winner Scott Waites.
Scotty 2 Hotty is no longer a regular on the PDC circuit having lost his Tour Card most recently in 2024 but the 49-year-old Yorkshireman made full use of an unexpected call-up from the reserve list, beating the likes of Damon Heta, Joe Cullen and Kevin Doets en route to the final.
The run puts Waites 16th on the year-ot-date Players Championship Order of Merit, giving the veteran a great chance of appearing at November’s Players Championship Finals in Minehead and, in turn, December’s PDC World Championship.
Odds Now’s darts betting expert Matt Hill believes July’s World Matchplay is the tournament that will be most capturing the imagination of this week’s Pro Tour victors right now.
Hill said: “For players like Chris Dobey and Wessel Nijman, this part of the season requires patience.
“They are both doing some great work on the smaller stages but in this current iteration of the PDC ranking system, it’s the majors which move the needle – perhaps disproportionately so.
“A Pro Tour title, for example, nets the winner £15,000 in ranking money. But winning just one game at something like the World Matchplay will net them £22,500. Winning three games in Blackpool is worth £65,000. So these are the weeks you have to turn up with your best game
“Thankfully for Dobey and Nijman, their Pro Tour and Euro Tour exploits mean qualification is already long assured. But for two players who have sometimes struggled to bring their very best game to the major stage – certainly with the desired consistency – it’s all about finding a way to replicate these brilliant floor performances when it matters.”
World Matchplay sponsors Betfred are the only bookmaker priced up on the 2026 edition currently, with Nijman their fifth favourite at 16/1 while Dobey is marked up as a 50/1 outsider.
Hill believes there’s little juice in Nijman’s current quotes but can see more of a case for a speculative punt on the experienced Geordie, who needs major success to push back into the Premier League picture.
He said: “Let's be honest, the cat is out of the bag with Wessel Nijman from a betting perspective now.
“The fact you were able to back him at 25/1 for his maiden European Tour win last month means the 16/1 for him to win a tournament as difficult as the World Matchplay is not all that attractive.
“It’s clear why bookies are taking cover, though. There’s a valid school of thought that once Nijman learns to settle on the big stage, he can hit the sort of numbers we associate with Luke Littler – and his exploits so far this year do confirm that in theory.
“However, winning majors is as much mentality-based as it is skill-based. Can Nijman win majors? Of course he can. But to go and run through a world-class field at the second-biggest event of the year to break his major duck would be a near-unprecedented level of achievement and 16/1 feels plenty short enough at this stage.
“In recent times, it’s felt like punters are almost playing for a place at majors, such has been Littler’s dominance. So with that in mind, you’d maybe want to attack a few bigger prices and I can definitely see the angle with Dobey.
“His big-stage bottle has been questioned by some in recent years but he’s playing some wonderful stuff right now and crucially, his Matchplay record is improving as he goes – winning his first-round game three years running now.
“You know what you are getting with Chris Dobey. Bags of natural ability and experience. Yes, a tendency to fall flat on big stages at times too. But the way he's playing you could do far worse than getting him on side now at 50/1."
Matt Hill is Odds Now's Head of Content and leads our digital operation, while also offering his insight as a tipster across darts and football.
Having worked in the industry for the best part of a decade, including extended stints with Betfred and LiveScore, Matt joined the project in May 2024 with the sole aim of making Odds Now a key player in the betting content space.
He has also forged a reputation as a respected darts tipster, landing numerous three-figure outright winners over the years, while his love for lower league football also helps him pick out the odd obscure winner in that space.
When not at the editorial desk, Matt enjoys travelling the country supporting his beloved Carlisle United FC, chucking a few arrows and spending time with his young family.
Matt Hill is Odds Now's Head of Content and leads our digital operation, while also offering his insight as a tipster across darts and football.
Having worked in the industry for the best part of a decade, including extended stints with Betfred and LiveScore, Matt joined the project in May 2024 with the sole aim of making Odds Now a key player in the betting content space.
He has also forged a reputation as a respected darts tipster, landing numerous three-figure outright winners over the years, while his love for lower league football also helps him pick out the odd obscure winner in that space.
When not at the editorial desk, Matt enjoys travelling the country supporting his beloved Carlisle United FC, chucking a few arrows and spending time with his young family.
Matt's p/l
7 Days
30 Days
Year 2026
This week's winning moments in Wigan, which saw Chris Dobey and Wessel Nijman continue their excellent floor form! 🏆
