Danny Baggish is back in the States and in constant contact with his brother, who recently suffered a severe stroke; the American will return to the UK as he targets a PDC Tour Card while Colin Lloyd hails Baggish as a player who has "oodles of talent"
Thursday 7 January 2021 15:26, UK
Danny 'The Gambler' Baggish believes North American darts is on the rise following his exploits at the PDC World Darts Championship which saw him stun Adrian Lewis.
The Guamanian-born American produced a second-round giantkilling act at Alexandra Palace by knocking out two-time world champion Adrian Lewis.
After the match, the 37-year-old broke down in tears having learned the news his older brother Harrison had suffered a stroke and was placed in intensive care following emergency surgery for a blood clot on the brain.
Having now returned to the States, Baggish says he has been able to FaceTime his brother, who has been on bed rest.
"They're still doing some tests, trying to find out what happened," Baggish told the Darts Show Podcast. "As of right now everything is going in the right direction so I've still got my fingers crossed that everything is going to be okay."
Baggish, who was a 500-1 no-hoper before the tournament, saw his run come to an end in the third round when three-time Lakeside world champion and current Premier League winner Glen Durrant sealed a 4-2 win, despite a valiant fightback from 'The Gambler'.
"What an experience that [tournament] was," said Baggish. "One of the players who I looked up to growing up and still look up to, two-time world champion Adrian Lewis, I'll never forget that. It was a great run and hopefully it's a good trend for me."
Baggish has also hailed the impact of the PDC North American Tour, which he believes has helped elevate his game to new levels.
"I think it has everything to do with how my game has progressed. When we play the players here, it used to be once or twice every three, four or five months. When the CDC (Championship Darts Corporation) came along we were able to play at least online or in person every month. It helps big time because to go over to England and try and compete with those guys, it's tough and we have to be on the top of our game," he said.
"The calibre of players is getting better and we showed that after we had a great run this year even though Danny (Lauby Jr) and Matt (Campbell) didn't win, North American darts is on the rise, for sure."
Baggish is now intent on earning his PDC Tour Card with a solid run at Q-School next month. The American is planning on returning to the UK in good time for the event, which is being held in Milton Keynes.
"I'm hoping to fly over. I've already paid and entered so I plan on coming over in the first week of February, four or five days before the event just to relax and hopefully I can get my tour card," said Baggish.
"It's going to be a hard competition but to me the end game is what I'm looking at. It's more exciting for me to know that I have the opportunity to play with the players almost on a weekly basis and that's where I want to be at.
"I feel like everyone has seen my B-game on that stage at Ally Pally, but I have more to offer and I want to prove that."
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