Stephen Bunting's weekend in Bratislava ended with a Quarter-Final loss to Wessel Nijman, and he's now heading to the US Darts Masters in New York.
What happened?
Bunting admitted the schedule is taking its toll, with a huge amount of prize money to defend at the next PDC World Darts Championship.
He's part of the darting elite, getting extra opportunities, but it's a hindrance to his overall performance.
Why it matters for Stephen Bunting
Bunting needs to play every event to keep his ranking, similar to Michael van Gerwen, who also faces a ranking drop if he doesn't perform well.
This has made it difficult for Bunting to achieve results elsewhere, with unranked events like the US World Series adding to his schedule.
What comes next?
Bunting will have a busy few days, traveling from Slovakia to the UK and then to New York for the US Darts Masters, which starts on Friday morning.
He'll have to deal with pre-tournament media days, making it a challenging week ahead.
Bunting appreciates the opportunities but finds the travel schedule exhausting, saying "it's so hard travelling, playing Premier League, travelling the European Tour, doing the ProTours then going to New York."
He gets home on Monday and then flies to New York on Tuesday for the World Series, making it a tight turnaround.
Luke Humphries skipped the Slovak Darts Open due to the US tournament, showing the difficulties players face with the current schedule.
Bunting, however, chooses to play anyway, dealing with the issues later, and values the support of the fans, saying "I feed off these fans and they mean the world to me."
He feels the force of the fans whether he's in Bratislava, Germany, or the UK, making the travel worth it for him.
Bunting's dedication to his fans and his sport is evident, even as he faces a gruelling schedule and the pressure to perform.
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