Roland Scholten, born on January 11, 1965, in The Hague, was one of the Dutch players who played an important role in the transition from the traditional BDO circuit to the modern PDC. 'The Tripod' enjoyed success with the BDO as early as the 1990s, subsequently became a regular fixture on the PDC circuit and made history by winning the UK Open in 2004. Scholten also reached two other major finals and made the latter stages of the biggest darts tournaments on several occasions.
Scholten showed from an early age that he had the talent to compete at international level. In 1992, he reached the final of the Austrian Open, where he lost to Rod Harrington. A year later came an important success: he won the 1993 WDF World Cup by defeating Dane Troels Rusel in the final. In 1994, he made his debut at the BDO World Championship, beating Sean Palfrey in the first round before losing to Ronnie Sharp. Remarkably, Scholten was the only seeded player at that tournament to reach the second round. Later that year, he also reached the quarter-finals of the Winmau World Masters, defeating Stefan Eeckelaert and Derek Hampton before Steve Beaton ended his run.
Over the following years, Scholten continued to develop. At the 1995 World Championship, he lost to Colin Monk in the first round, while at the World Masters he reached the second round, beating Palfrey again but losing to Raymond van Barneveld. In 1996, he broke through further: at the BDO World Championship, he defeated Mark Salmon 3-0 before losing to defending champion Richie Burnett in the second round. Away from the World Championship, he won three major Open tournaments: the North Holland Open, the Swedish Open and the prestigious British Open. He also reached the semi-finals of the World Masters. A year later, he defeated Mike Gregory and Bobby George to reach the quarter-finals of the World Championship, where Mervyn King proved too strong. In 1997, Scholten also played an important role in the doubles alongside Raymond van Barneveld, winning the PDC World Pairs Championship in Bognor Regis by defeating Richie Burnett and Rod Harrington in the final.
Scholten remained among the better players on the BDO circuit in both 1998 and 1999. At the 1998 World Championship, he reached the semi-finals, defeating fellow Dutchman Co Stompé, American Roger Carter and Sean Palfrey in succession, before Richie Burnett came out on top in the semi-final. A year later, he reached the quarter-finals again, where Ronnie Baxter ended his run. Shortly afterwards, Scholten decided to switch from the BDO to the PDC. However, the transition did not go without problems: after the 1999 World Championship, he tried to leave the BDO, but because he was not given permission to do so, he had to miss the 2000 World Championship. In 2000, he reached the final of the Antwerp Open, where Jamie Harvey defeated him. He then made his debut in PDC majors: at the World Matchplay, he lost to Rod Harrington in the first round, while Richie Burnett proved too strong for him at the World Grand Prix.
The real breakthrough came in 2001. Scholten made his debut at the PDC World Darts Championship and immediately reached the quarter-finals, defeating Shayne Burgess and Cliff Lazarenko 3-0 before Harrington won 4-2 in the quarter-finals. Later that year, he reached the final of the World Grand Prix, defeating Harrington, Mick Manning, John Part and John Lowe along the way, but Alan Warriner-Little proved too strong in the final. In 2002, he won his first PDC event, the Open Holland, and also reached the semi-finals of the Las Vegas Desert Classic and the quarter-finals of the World Grand Prix. 2003 was another successful year: he reached the quarter-finals of the World Championship, the semi-finals of the UK Open and the quarter-finals of the Desert Classic, and again reached the semi-finals of the World Grand Prix. In addition, he won the Eastbourne Pro and the Primus Masters.
The biggest success of Scholten's career came in 2004. After reaching the third round of the World Championship, he defended his title at the Eastbourne Open and then went on to win his first major PDC title at the UK Open, defeating Mark Dudbridge, Henry O'Neill, Denis Ovens, Alan Warriner and Steve Beaton. John Part awaited him in the final, and Scholten held his nerve to claim the title. The victory was the culmination of his development: he was no longer merely a former BDO star who had switched to the PDC, but had become a player with a major title on his résumé.
Scholten also played a prominent role in the Premier League Darts. In 2005, he reached the semi-finals and faced Phil Taylor, building leads of 4-1, 5-2, 6-3, 7-4 and eventually 11-7. Taylor, however, won six legs in a row and eventually won 13-11, meaning Scholten narrowly missed out on a place in the final. A year later, in the semi-final of the 2006 Premier League, he faced Raymond van Barneveld. Scholten was again the underdog, but this time he completed the upset, defeating Van Barneveld convincingly 11-3 to reach the final. Taylor awaited him there once again, and this time the Englishman proved far too strong, winning the final 16-6. Nevertheless, Scholten had established himself as one of the prominent players of his generation with his second consecutive semi-final appearance and first Premier League final. He also came close to another major final at the 2006 World Matchplay, reaching the semi-finals and losing to James Wade, despite having a dart at tops to win the match.
Scholten remained active at the highest level in 2007. As the number four seed, he reached the third round of the World Championship, where Colin Osborne eliminated him 4-2. In the Premier League, he finished last, although he managed to hold Phil Taylor to 7-7 twice during the season. At that year's World Matchplay, Taylor won the quarter-final 16-1. From October 2008, Scholten began experiencing serious problems with his neck and shoulder, which had major consequences for his performances. At the 2008 European Championship, he lost to Mensur Suljovic with an average of just 51.52. At the 2009 World Championship, he lost to Carlos Rodriguez in the first round, dropping outside the world's top 16. That same year, he underwent shoulder surgery and took a break from darts. Upon returning at the 2010 World Championship, he lost 3-2 to Steve Hine in the first round.
Although his performances later no longer reached the level of his best years, Scholten remained involved in the darts world. From the 2010 World Matchplay onwards, he worked for a period as an expert for German television channel Sport1. He remained active as a player: at the 2012 World Championship, he defeated Jamie Caven 3-1 in the opening round, but was then eliminated 4-0 by Wayne Jones in the second round. Later that year, he reached the quarter-finals of a UK Open Qualifier, defeating players including Ted Hankey and Brendan Dolan, before Dave Chisnall proved too strong. At the 2012 UK Open, he came close to a major upset against fifteen-time world champion Phil Taylor in the last 64, eventually losing 9-7. His final years as a professional were difficult: in qualifying for the 2013 World Championship, he reached the quarter-finals, where Terry Temple defeated him, and at that point he was ranked 47th in the world. At the 2013 UK Open, he lost 5-4 to Conan Whitehead. The 2013 season became one of the most disappointing of his career, as he did not progress beyond the last 32 at any event despite playing the full PDC schedule.
In 2022, Scholten put on his playing shirt once again, invited to the World Seniors Championship. At the iconic Circus Tavern in Purfleet, he lost in the first round to Terry Jenkins, finishing with an average of 76.19. Later that year, he competed at the World Seniors Darts Masters, where he suffered a 4-1 defeat to Englishman Wayne Jones in the opening round, finishing with an average of 76.99. It was immediately Scholten's final appearance on a major stage. He continued working as an analyst for Viaplay until the end of 2023, when his contract was not renewed.
Roland Scholten's career is difficult to confine to a single period. He was first a successful BDO player, then made the switch to the PDC and developed into a player capable of beating big names and competing for titles on the biggest stages. His 2004 UK Open victory represents the absolute highlight, but his other two major finals and his semi-final appearance at the 2006 World Matchplay also underline his significance. At the same time, his career shows how unpredictable a professional sporting career can be. After Scholten spent years among the world's elite, physical problems became an increasingly important factor. His neck and shoulder problems had a direct impact on his performances and ultimately forced him to seek a different role within the darts world. As an analyst, Scholten nevertheless remained involved in the sport in which he had played a leading role for many years. His career therefore entered a second chapter. The Dutchman who once broke through from the BDO, conquered the PDC and won a major in 2004 thus remained a recognisable face within the international darts world.
