Photo: PDC

Daniel Larsson has his eyes locked on the Jann Hoffmann Trophy as he hopes for a lot of Swedes in the crowd in Odense.

Last year Daniel Larsson reached the semi-finals of the inaugural PDC Nordic & Baltic Championship, as he lost 7-6 against Edwin Torbjörnsson. And of course it affected the mood of Daniel Larsson afterwards.

“I probably felt like Cameron Menzies, but I skipped the table,” Larsson tells pdc-nordic.tv.

This year he will go into the tournament as first seeded, after he secured himself the position as number one on the Nordic and Baltic rankings. And after a shaky start to the season, the Swede finds himself more than ready to compete in Odense.

“I think I started the season a bit slow, with not so high averages and a few losses, at which I really did not compete at the level I should. I started to focus more on the practice at home and worked alot on my mindset on winning tight games. I actually had a good feeling but felt that I was lazy, so when I got that right I started to play better and also started winning tight games.”

“That gave me great confidence, and I set my goal to win the ranking and did not really think about what could come after the regular season. The form is good and the confidence is high, so I have a good feeling going into the championship.”

With the ticket for Ally Pally already secured through the rankings, one might think Daniel Larsson would be going into this tournament with less pressure on his shoulders, but that could not be anymore wrong.

“As for the rankings and what to come afterwards, it is the same for the championship. I don’t think about the “bonuses” that could come after a win. I am just focusing on winning it, and it would be a big honor to have my name on a trophy with Janns name on it. I really loved him and had great respect for him.” 

Daniel Larsson has been drawn against fellow Swede Anton Östlund and Icelandic Alexander Thorvaldsson in the group stages, and even though Larsson only is aiming for the trophy, he still knows things will not come easy in the group.

“Me and Anton are always playing though games and I expect this one to also be a close game. I think I’ve played one or two games against Alexander – he is getting better and better, so I expect us to have a though game aswell. I think it’s a group that can be a close call, but with me on top.”

Last but not least, Daniel Larsson is hoping for a lot of Swedes in the crowd to cheer him on.

“The Danes know how to put up a great darts atmosphere, now it’s time for the Swedes to show it aswell.” 

Daniel Larsson will be playing his first game of the tournament at Saturday afternoon, where he will face the loser of the match between Anton Östluna and Alexander Thorvaldsson.