61-year-old veteran darts player Steve 'The Adonis' Beaton has staged a remarkable U-turn, returning to the professional circuit after a year-long hiatus. The former Lakeside world champion took a break at the end of 2024 but has since joined 925 other hopefuls vying for a coveted PDC Tour Card.
Beaton's impressive run at UK Q-School ultimately came up just short as he fell to Australia's Adam Leek in their quarter-final match. The 6-5 defeat means Beaton will have to wait and see if his decision to return was the right one, but he remains well-placed overall to secure a Tour Card.
The top five players from each stage are guaranteed a place on the PDC Tour, with the remaining spots awarded based on their order of merit. Arno Merk and Filip Bereza were among those to secure their Tour Cards by beating opponents in the final stages of action at both UK and European Q-School.
Beaton's rival Leek is also set to join the ranks of the PDC Tour, having edged out Tyler Thorpe in a deciding leg. Welshman Rhys Griffin completed an impressive whitewash over Scott Waites to earn his place on the tour.
Despite his setback, Beaton's return has been welcomed by fans and pundits alike, who hope that he will be able to reclaim his former glory. As the stakes continue to rise, Beaton must now focus on securing a Tour Card and proving that his decision to come out of retirement was not a mistake.
Beaton's impressive run at UK Q-School ultimately came up just short as he fell to Australia's Adam Leek in their quarter-final match. The 6-5 defeat means Beaton will have to wait and see if his decision to return was the right one, but he remains well-placed overall to secure a Tour Card.
The top five players from each stage are guaranteed a place on the PDC Tour, with the remaining spots awarded based on their order of merit. Arno Merk and Filip Bereza were among those to secure their Tour Cards by beating opponents in the final stages of action at both UK and European Q-School.
Beaton's rival Leek is also set to join the ranks of the PDC Tour, having edged out Tyler Thorpe in a deciding leg. Welshman Rhys Griffin completed an impressive whitewash over Scott Waites to earn his place on the tour.
Despite his setback, Beaton's return has been welcomed by fans and pundits alike, who hope that he will be able to reclaim his former glory. As the stakes continue to rise, Beaton must now focus on securing a Tour Card and proving that his decision to come out of retirement was not a mistake.
! Steve 'The Adonis' Beaton is back in the game after a year off 
! He's still got it 
, even if he didn't win UK Q-School 
. I mean, 6-5 to Adam Leek isn't bad, right? 
And let's be real, he's only one spot away from getting that Tour Card 
... fingers crossed for him! 
Arno Merk and Filip Bereza got theirs too 
, but Beaton's still got the skills 
. I love how the fans are rallying around him again 
, maybe this comeback is exactly what he needed 
. Now, can't wait to see him back on stage 
... Bring it on! 
i'm defo hyped for him to get back on track, he's got this one 
gotta feel bad for adam leek tho, went down to beaton in quarter-finals 
i feel like he's making a big comeback tho 61 and all, but i gotta ask, is it fair to say he peaked too early? like, he won the lakeside world champ at 40 or something... anywayz, i'm hyped for him, wish him luck 
. The pressure's on now, though - only top five players from each stage get a guaranteed spot, so Beaton's gotta keep his cool and keep pushing forward 
, can't wait to see what he does next 
what do u guys think about his chances now?
. But let's be real, if he wasn't getting any decent offers, why wait for a year? He should've been playing all along. The fact that he had to join 925 other hopefuls just to get back into the game is ridiculous 
. And don't even get me started on his quarter-final exit - it's like he didn't do his homework on Leek 
. Beaton needs to prove himself, but I'm not convinced this return is all about redemption...
... like what took him a whole year to figure it out? 
anyway, congrats to him for making it this far and all that jazz. gotta admire his dedication (and willingness to troll himself with a comeback) 
still rooting for him to get that tour card tho! 
Just saw that Steve 'The Adonis' Beaton fell short in UK Q-School by losing to Adam Leek 6-5. Guess that's not exactly the U-turn I thought he'd make... Still, gotta respect him for trying to come back at 61 
. Anyone else watching this? Feeling kinda underwhelmed by the whole thing...
his game is still solid, gotta see how he adapts to the new competition though 
also gotta feel for adam leek, beatin' tyler thorpe in the quarters was no easy feat 
! i mean, the guy's been gone for a year and you'd think he'd be rusty or something, but nope he still got some tricks up his sleeve 
after that quarter-final loss to adam leek, he'll just have to keep grinding and hope his skills take over 
. arno merk and filip bereza are already on tour, but beaton's still got a shot 
! But seriously, Beaton's determination is so inspiring, he's got the hearts of fans worldwide cheering him on 
, thought he could just chill for a sec, but nope! Now he's back in the game and has to deal with all the newbies trying to steal his thunder 
. I mean, 6-5 is not even that bad, but I guess it's enough to make him reevaluate his "retirement" decision 
One year off, now he's back in the game 
... Fingers crossed for Steve 
️!
.