Northern Ireland’s Josh Rock claimed his first European Tour title in nearly two years, defeating Kevin Doets 8-6 in the final of the Austrian Darts Open on Sunday.
The 25-year-old from Broughshane won five consecutive matches in Graz to earn the €35,000 top prize and the traditional green jacket. “I’m just happy that two Northern Irishmen got a green jacket this year,” Rock joked.
Rock advanced to finals day on Saturday after beating Patrik Kovacs. On Sunday, he saved three match darts against Niko Springer, winning a last-leg decider to reach the quarter-finals, where he defeated Cristo Reyes. In an all-Northern Ireland semi-final, Rock triumphed 7-3 over Daryl Gurney before securing the title with an 8-6 win against the Netherlands’ Doets.
“I’m very relieved,” Rock said afterward. “To come here this weekend and win is a massive achievement. I made my first final here against Jonny [Clayton] in 2023, and when he got the jacket I was kind of jealous. Then Martin [Schindler] beat me in the semi-final last year and won it, so I was determined to win it this year. I’m happy I finally got it.”
In the final, the first four legs were shared with breaks of throw before Doets edged ahead with an 11-darter. Rock responded by winning the next three legs, including a 170 checkout, but Doets leveled at 6-6 after capitalizing on a Rock checkout error. However, Rock held his nerve, broke back with a 78 checkout, and sealed the match with a 14-dart leg to claim his first Austrian Darts Open title and the green jacket.