Josh Rock claimed the Austrian Darts Open title on Sunday evening, defeating Dutchman Kevin Doets 8–6 in a superbly high-quality final in Graz. The victory marked Rock's second European Tour title and his first in two years. The Northern Irishman, now ranked world number eight, emulated fellow countryman Rory McIlroy by winning a green jacket — though Rock noted that his jacket is his to keep, while McIlroy's remains at Augusta.
Rock started the weekend strongly, producing a solid display to beat Patrik Kovacs 6–3 in his opening match. However, finals day proved bumpier. In the Last 16, he survived three match darts against Niko Springer before edging through in a deciding leg. He then saw off Cristo Reyes 6–4, despite Reyes hitting a brilliant 170 checkout. In the semi-finals, Rock faced World Cup partner Daryl Gurney and delivered an incredibly dominant performance, averaging over 100 to cruise to a convincing 7–3 victory.
The final began nervously, with four breaks of throw in the opening legs. Doets briefly took control with an 11-darter to lead 3–2, but Rock responded with a 170 checkout to swing the match in his favour. Doets fought back to level at 6–6, but Rock broke with a 78 checkout and wrapped up the title with a 14-darter, finishing with a 101 average.
“I’m very relieved,” confessed Rock. “To come here this weekend and win is a massive achievement. I’m just happy that two Northern Irishmen got a green jacket this year!” He admitted to feeling jealous when Jonny Clayton won the jacket in a previous final, and after Martin Schindler beat him in last year's semi-final and went on to win it, Rock was determined to finally claim the prize. He also praised Doets, who won a ProTour on Monday and reached the European Tour final. “Kevin has been playing unbelievable this year, and he has proved it by winning his first ProTour on Monday. He’s only going to keep winning more, I’m just grateful I got the edge against him in this one.”
