Benito van de Pas is seriously preparing for a potential return to professional darts after picking up his arrows again just six weeks ago. The Dutchman, who now works four days a week in a hospital pharmacy, revealed in an interview with Viaplay that he has been taking darts seriously again since January 1, when his girlfriend gifted him a dartboard for Christmas and encouraged him to find a hobby. "I'm really enjoying it again," Van de Pas said, with an audible smile. "And there are also high peaks in my game. So I can't complain."
Van de Pas has been active on the local circuit, playing at the Oranjebar every Tuesday, competing in Super League, and entering weekend tournaments. He recently won a tournament in Mariahout, posting averages that have caught attention on DartConnect—including spikes toward 100 and consistent scores in the 90s. "One time you throw a 105 average and the rest of the night 85," he noted. "I'm still finding my feet." Despite the early success, he remains cautious, emphasizing that he's only been back at it for about six weeks and hadn't even owned a dartboard at home before January.
The former top talent, once touted as the next big Dutch star after Michael van Gerwen, has set a clear goal: "I do want to play Q School." He aims to reach the Final Stage and see "where the chips fall," but he's keeping expectations measured. "Just let me play darts for a few months and rediscover the fun," he stated, adding that he has about ten months to prepare. Van de Pas reflected on his peak season in 2016, when he won three Pro Tour events and reached seven finals overall, and recalled memorable battles with Michael van Gerwen—losing one Pro Tour final to him and winning the next.
His decline began after missing out on the World Championship by just £500 and losing his Tour Card, followed by struggles during the Covid period. "I was always a player who, after a bad weekend, would train all week to be better the next weekend," he explained. "But with Covid you sometimes had five tournaments in one week. If you then play four badly, things go downhill fast." A brief comeback attempt in 2023 was halted by elbow trouble after eight weeks, leading to three years away from serious darts. Now, in early 2026, Van de Pas is training two to three hours daily without physical issues, focusing on rediscovering his love for the game rather than making grand comeback statements.
