London's Jim 'The Gentleman' Long wins his way onto pro darts tour

This undated handout shows Canadian Jim (The Gentleman) Long in darts action. The 56-year-old retired auto worker from London, Ont., earned his Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) Tour Card on Sunday at a PDC Qualifying School in Milton Keynes, England. (Source: THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-PDC-Ed Mulholland)

Canadian Jim (The Gentleman) Long won his Professional Darts Corporation Tour Card at PDC Qualifying School on Sunday.

Long secured his tour status by defeating England's John Brown 6-0 in the semifinal before downing Wales' Kevin O'Keefe 6-4 in the final.

“It was a tough final knowing that I already had it (the Tour Card) and I lost a bit of my drive, but I was glad to get there in the end,” said the 56-year-old retired autoworker from London, Ont.

Hamilton's Matt (Ginja Ninja) Campbell is the only Canadian with a current PDC Tour Card.

“My first two days, I just didn’t hit my doubles and I was distraught about it," said Long. "But I came down here the last two days and spent a full hour practising tops, D10 (double-10) and D5 (double-five) and they came through for me today … The biggest thing I take from this is that me and Matt Campbell will now play at the World Cup together. I have a lot of planning to do for the rest of my year now.”

More than 800 players competed for the chance to secure two-year PDC Tour Cards at Q-Schools in England and Kalkar, Germany.

The eight quarterfinalists from each of the first three days of competition at the two schools qualified automatically for the final stage. The remaining berths, up to a total of 128 at each venue, were decided from an Order of Merit from the first stage, with one ranking point awarded per match from the first full round onward.

Long, a semifinalist at the 2024 World Seniors Darts Championship, had a bye to the final stage which ran Friday through Sunday with a total of 29 PDC Tour Cards on offer.

Fellow Canadian David (Excalibur) Cameron also advanced to the final stage of Q-School but missed out in a Tour card. John (Darth Maple) Part, a former three-time world champion, also took part.

Long competed at the recent Paddy Power World Darts Championship in London for the second time, losing his first-round match to England’s James (Hillbilly) Hurrell. In December 2018, he upset Northern Ireland's Mickey (The Clonoe Cyclone) Mansell in the first round before losing to Benito van de Pas, the 30th seed from the Netherlands.

Long qualified for the worlds most recently by virtue of being the top Canadian on the CDC, North America’s professional tour.

In 2019, he combined with Dawson Murschell of Medicine Hat, Alta., to make the quarterfinals of the World Cup of Darts in Germany. He scored a major upset at the 2023 bet365 U.S. Darts Masters at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, defeating world champion Michael (Bully Boy) Smith of England before losing to Michael van Gerwen of the Netherlands in the quarterfinals.

And he made the semifinals of the 2024 World Seniors Darts Championship in Purfleet, England, losing to eventual winner John (Highlander) Henderson of Scotland.

Long went to high school in Wardsville, Ont., between London and Chatham, and used to play pool at a local tavern after work. They were a man short for darts one day and he never looked back.

Long didn't get to go to many tournaments, however. He always worked Saturdays at the GM plant in Ingersoll where he spent 18 years as a team leader on the assembly line making the Chevrolet Equinox before working in the paint shop.

Having three kids --- Sarah, Rachel and Zach — also cut into time for darts, although now they sometimes join their parents on the road.

Long retired in 2020 after 30 years with GM. He is making up for lost time, with some eight trips to England and one to Hungary last year.

"I just go around and play darts and try and break even," said Long, who also competes with his wife in doubles play.