Boss goes Dutch for final test of 2017
Ross happy with form
Greenhills darts star Ross ‘The Boss’ Montgomery will play his final tournament of the year this weekend as he gears up for the 2018 Lakeside World Championships.
The 55-year-old is in the Netherlands for the Finders Masters and he goes into the top BDO event in Egmond aan Zee bidding to maintain the momentum he has built up in recent months.
Montgomery won the British Open in September and last month enjoyed his debut appearance at the Grand Slam of Darts, where he faced PDC world number one Michael van Gerwen and recorded a group stage win over Joe Murnan in the cross-code event.
Now the pressure is on the Boss as he is the seeded player for the group stage at the Finders Masters.
He is seeded eighth and will face Englishman Scott Mitchell and Dutchman Rick Hofstra on Saturday for a place in the knockout rounds.
Montgomery is a former champion at the Hotel Zuiderduin and believes his game is better now than when he lifted the trophy in 2010.
He told the News: “I haven’t been seeded here for a couple of years now, but I’m playing well and the experience I had at the Grand Slam last month should see me well.
“My form is good and I’m playing better than the time I won this event. I’m more experienced and I always know what to expect here, so hopefully I can have a good weekend. Aiming high
“It’s a hard group for me. Scott is really on form and playing well. Rick is someone I’ve not played for a while, but he is an experienced player, so it will be tough.
“As the seeded player I don’t play until the Saturday, but that means playing twice in one day.
“It could be an advantage, it could be a disadvantage depending on how things are going, so we’ll see what happens.
“I’ll play the loser of Scott and Rick’s match in the afternoon and the winner in the evening.
“There’s a lot of good players in there, so it will be a good challenge.
“This is one of my favourite events of the year. It’s very relaxed, the players are well looked after so I can’t wait to get out there.”
Following the Finders Masters, it’s a four-week break before the Lakeside World Championships get underway on January 6.
So ‘The Boss’ is hoping to end the year on a high and go into the biggest event on the BDO calendar in high spirits.
He added: “This is the last event before Lakeside, so if I can play well it will keep my positive attitude going into the world championships.
“I’ll maybe find a local event before Christmas to keep my eye in and then prepare for, hopefully, a good Lakeside.
“I tend not to do too well there, but maybe this time can be different.”
The draw for the Lakeside is due to take place this week.