Leonard Gates got off to an excellent start at the WDF World Championship. ‘The Soulger’ defeated New Zealander Brian Corbett 2-0 in the opening round.

Gates was one of only two players (along with Dutchman Jarno Bottenberg) to average above 90 (92.11) in the opening round. “Man, the darts are flying good!” Gates reviewed in his post-match interview. “I hit the outs I needed to hit and you know, it’s a good feeling right now.”

The 53-year-old American has already won three major titles on the World Seniors Darts Tour this year. “Three titles in the seniors, winning some titles back home in the States and then coming back over to play some more darts and get my first win in the WDF,” says Gates. “Getting that first win was a big plus considering what I did last year. Getting the feel of the stage, getting the feel of the crowd, the atmosphere. Now I’m used to it, I know it.”

“I love coming over here, playing darts and competing. I’ve got to carry on from that to keep it going and see if I can get invited backover for more tournaments over here. The exposure is great,” Gates concludes. “This next opponent hasn’t played yet, but I’ve watched him on YouTube. So I’m going to practice to hopefully then bring it together and see what I can do because you never know, each opponent is different.”

Gates will take on Scott in the final match of the evening session on Tuesday. The Englishman was added to the entry field as a last-minute replacement for Frenchman Thibault Tricole, who managed to qualify for the PDC World Championship.