Photo: PDC Europe/Kelly Deckers

Nordic Darts Masters starts this friday. Even though it will be the second time the tournament takes off, all three Danish players will all be debutants at the event.

Vladimir Andersen, Brian Løkken and Benjamin Drue Reus will all be debutants this Friday, as none of them tried to play in the World Series before.

Vladimir Andersen however have some experience with the PDC in general due to his Tour Card and has already tried to go up against some of the best.

But for Brian Løkken and Benjamin Drue Reus, it will be a whole new caliber of opponents, they will meet Friday, and therefore we took time out for a talk with both of them.

“I am feeling fantastic, because when covid hit, I throttled down a bit on the darts and did not really have any goals with my darts. And then I said to myself, that I would like to qualify for the Nordic Darts Masters and then I managed to do so, so I am really delighted,” Brian Løkken said after the two PDC Nordic & Baltic Pro Tours in Finland this weekend.

“I think it is awesome. It is not often, that you will experience this,” Benjamin Drue Reus added on the qualification.

Both players went to Finland, due to the chance of qualifying for the Nordic Darts Masters, but the expectations from the two of them were quite different.

“Me and my dad went to Finland, so I could give it a try. I did not expect to qualify, so we went, so that I could say, that I had given it a fair try,” said Benjamin Drue Reus.

Photo: Private

However Brian Løkken had some more confidence about qualifying.

“I thought, that I would take the spot. I actually had a lot of confidence. Of course, I knew, that it would be difficult, but at the same time I knew, that I could do it, if I gave it my all.”

Brian Løkken ended up getting all the way to the semifinals at the Pro Tour 4, and on the way he removed all his opponents for the spot at the Nordic Darts Masters.

“I almost felt like it was three finals I should play, because the first match was against Nikolaj Jørgensen, who was the closest to me in the rankings. So that match was quite nervous, but I got through and then it gave me a bit more confidence. And then I met Tom Veje, who also had the opportunity to go past me, if he got the right results, and same thing for Michael Ladefoged in the next match – so it really was three finals. But luckily, I got some calm after the first match,” said Brian Løkken.

European Tour and Lakeside experience

To be fair, Brian Løkken has some experience with the bigger stages, as he qualified for Lakeside back in 2019 and also for the first ever Danish Darts Open on the European Tour further back in 2018, at which he played against Cristo Reyes.

“The first year with the European Tour in Denmark, I tried to play on the big stage, and even with a Danish crowd behind me. It was a fantastic experience. I am quite sure I can take some experience from it and give myself two percent more to focus on the match on Friday, than I did at the Danish Darts Open, at which everything was new,” said Brian Løkken.

And with the prospect of another Danish crowd, all the ingredients for yet another great experience for Brian Løkken, has been put into the pot.

“It is (the crowd at Danish Darts Open) the biggest thing that I have ever experienced, so I’m really looking forward to go on stage Friday – and then hopefully put up some good darts.”

But even though Benjamin Drue Reus can not boast of the same experience, he is not feeling nervous about going on stage.

“I will not say, that I am nervous. I will say, that I am excited. I will just take things as they go. I do not have expectations about the result, I just have to go and enjoy it. And of course, do my very best. I cannot rule out, that the big pressure on stage will not affect me in some way, but for now I am not afraid of it,” said Bejamin Drue Reus.

However Brian Løkken still have some advice for the young man.

“Benjamin has to find his own calm, which he is already good at. He always looks so unaffected, so he can certainly go and make a good figure of himself. I do hope, that he can find some energy to give something to the crowd, but only to a certain level, because he still has to remain in his own zone. He just has to rest in himself as he always does.”