Alan Norris has confirmed his exit from the BDO by successfully earning a PDC Tour Card for the next two years after coming through a stacked field in Wigan.
The 2014 Lakeside runner-up, who also hit a nine-dart leg during his last-32 clash with Jason Lovett, hit back from 3-0 down in his final-round match with Carl Abbiss before winning five successive legs to win one of four cards on offer on Wednesday.
Norris is joined by former World Championship participant Nigel Heydon after the 44-year-old came through a tense encounter with Jim Walker.
Jeffrey de Zwann, an 18-year-old Dutch thrower who made the last 16 of the World Masters last year, beat Lee Palfreyman and Paul Milford before registering a 5-1 triumph over the experienced Prakash Jiwa to book his place on the PDC Tour.
His compatriot Mike Zuydwijk, who was a regular on the PDC Youth Tour in 2014, was the final winner on the opening day after he defeated Matthew Edgar in the last round.
Last-eight results: Nigel Heydon 5-3 Jim Walker, Jeffrey de Zwann 5-1 Prakash Jiwa, Alan Norris 5-3 Carl Abbiss, Mike Zuydwijk 5-3 Matthew Edgar
Darren Plant
