By MARK REY MONTEJO
Christian Perez has made history recently by becoming the first Filipino darter to obtain a Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) Pro Tour card in the United Kingdom.
The exciting part begins for the proud son of Koronadal City as he leaves Thursday, Feb. 8, for a shot at greatness.
And on Monday, Feb. 12, Perez starts his journey by vying in the PDC Pro Tour-Players Championship in Wigan, England where he will have the opportunity to showcase his marksmanship against some of the world’s finest darters.
For sure, there will be lots of challenges along the way, but Perez is convinced he’s up to the task as he has long been looking forward for this opportunity to happen.
He has vowed to go all-out each game in his desire to hit the bull’s eye and on to winning the ultimate prize.
He’s also aware that he’s not only carrying the country’s flag but he will be competing for his family’s welfare – giving each member the best that life has to offer.
Among the top guns of the prestigious tour are world champions and hometown bets Rob Cross, Luke Humphries and Michael Smith.
They will be battling for the grand prize of GBP 15,000 (around P1 million) .
The Koronadal native Perez made his debut last year in Hildesheim, Germany where he reached the quarterfinals of Event 13.
There, he made quite an impression by winning over Cross (6-5), Jamie Hughes (6-1), Luke Woodhouse (6-2) and Czech Karel Sedlacek (6-3).
Perez’s amazing streak was halted by England’s Connor Scutt (6-3) in the quarters.
The 42-year-old darter also reached quarters along with partner Lourence Ilagan in the MyDiesel Claim 2023 World Cup Darts (WCD) in Frankfurt, Germany last June.
PDC Pro Tour will also stage its events in Leicester and Milton Keynes in England and Hildesheim in Germany.
