
At the MODUS Super Series we saw this 58 checkout like it has never been done before. We strongly advise you not to copy this as it makes no sense at all. But when you make the shot we can’t blame you at the same time…
WHAT HAVE WE JUST SEEN… 😳
18 – D20 ❌
10 – 16 – D16 ✅
That has to be the *STRANGEST* route for a 5️⃣8️⃣ checkout EVER… 🤯 pic.twitter.com/V7TKnpOIUj
— MODUS Super Series (@MSSdarts) October 3, 2024
We’ve seen some unusual routes before, but when the logical route is obvious and possible, and there’s no reason to deviate from it, it’s quite bizarre to see someone take another route. Especially when you know it’s going to cost you an extra dart.
It reminds us of the Belgian Erik Clarys, who was known for coming up with very unconventional routes. For the first time on the big stage, we saw routes and finishes in a way that spotters had never seen before.
For instance, when Clarys was on 55, he would go for triple 13 to leave himself on double 8. He loved the corner of double 16 and double 8 so much that he’d go to great lengths to get there. For example, when standing on 100, 99% of players would go for triple 20, but not when your nickname is “The Sheriff.” He preferred triple 17 because four times 17 would leave him with double 16.
But it gets even crazier. What do you do when you’re on 24? You go for double 12, right? Well, no. Erik Clarys thought it was the most normal thing in the world to go for single 8 and then double 8.
Then there’s the score of 65 points left with three darts in hand. You might think of single bull for double 20 or triple 11 for double 16. The latter would sound very logical, even for the Belgian, but no, he would go for triple 19 and double 4.
And what if there are 85 points on the scoreboard? Triple 15 or triple 19 seems quite obvious. And that’s exactly what Clarys didn’t want, so he went for the bullseye, so after two darts (assuming at least the single bull was hit), a double on the outer edge of the board would remain. When you think about it, this makes some sense, since the chance of hitting a single bull is much higher than a triple.
Finally, there’s Clarys’ 121-finish, which didn’t start on triple 20, but on triple 17 and triple 18 to leave him with his beloved double 8.