From Dragon to The WORLD

After winning champion in the Singapore leg of the Dragon tournament, Zac Hong flew to Hong Kong to participate in THE WORLD Grand Final 2012 and came home flushed with HKD $6000 prize money for reaching the top 32.

As the reigning champion of the Dragon tournament in Singapore, Zac Hong was automatically qualified for THE WORLD Grand Final 2012. Zac did not initially have high hopes and was just targeting to play a few good games and hopefully get through the first round. So, when he found out that he was drawn into the same group as one of France's Dartslive Official Player, he needed all the luck he can get and remained positive, telling himself, "You can do it".

"The game with France's F. Guillermont was my most memorable game in the tournament", shared Zac.  "Initially, I didn't play well as I was still nervous. It was my first time here at this tournament hall and it took a bit of time for me to adapt to it," he said. Luckily for Zac, his first few games were with the other 2 players in the group and it gave him a little time to settle down and get used to the environment before playing against Guillermont. By then, the points between Zac and Guillermont were tied and only one person could qualify from the group.

Zac Hong with his winnings

"Before the game started, I thought that if I can match him to a 2-2 score, I will have a real chance", said Zac. He won the first and 3rd legs of 01, confident in his bulls, and Guillermont was clearly the stronger player in cricket, taking the 2nd and 4th legs of cricket. "When the score was 2-2, I felt it was already an achievement for me. I believed I can do it",  said Zac.
After throwing all 3 darts for the very tight bulls-up of the decider leg, Zac was nearer by just one hole. "Whoever goes first, gets a very big advantage," Zac shared, "That is why, in the bulls-up, I must try to hit nearer the center. I must aim for it. It is just one dot to aim for and his darts were not blocking."  After winning the bulls-up, Zac chose to go first for the game of cricket. He manage to secure 7 marks on the 20 and used that advantage to maintain a pressure on Guillermont for the rest of the game. "Whenever I hit the triple 20, it added more pressure on him and allowed me to keep the lead. In my mind, I was thinking, as long as I hit accurately, it is enough." Although Zac had an early strong lead, he missed a few darts and allowed Guillermont to catch up. Soon, there were some tense moments as both were very close to finishing the game but both missed. In the last round, Guillermont needed just 3 single bulls to win but could only hit one bull, then Zac scored 2 bulls for points and hit double-15 to close the house and win the game. "We both made some mistakes and luckily, I managed to convert those chances and made a come-back. Darts are like that, it depends on how fast you can recover from your mistakes and never give up your hope."

Zac knew his opponent's standard was much higher, "When Guillermont played his rhythm and hit the targets, I don't stand a chance." Most of the other players at THE WORLD were at the top of their standard and they threw consistently well. But like everyone else, they are also human and not perfect. "I notice they have weak points, no one is perfect. So if you believe you can do it, one day you can play with them and be on par with them"

Zac Hong gives an interview to the official press

Zac have been playing darts since 1995, having picked up the sport from his colleagues during his company's inter-company sports activity. From there, he went out and mixed with other national darters and starting playing in local leagues as well as tournaments in Malaysia. Zac have won a few tournaments both individual as well as team events in Malaysia and Singapore. THE WORLD was quite an eye-opener tournament for him as he got to meet and play with skilled darters from various countries. Zac shared, "Overall I don't think I played very well but this event has been a good experience for me. I was lucky that I managed to grab the chance when presented."

Zac had qualified for The World Grand Final by winning champion in Singapore's Dragon event. The Dragon gives the chance to a talented player in the country who may not have the opportunity to travel to Hong Kong to compete in the WORLD's various stages. "Of course, I want to thank  Dartslive Singapore for organizing the Dragon tournament. It is a very good chance for a Singapore player to go straight into THE WORLD final and have the opportunity to challenge the other players here." shared Zac.  "However, I am quite disappointed that the response for the "Dragon" qualifying events was not so good. I myself tried 3 times to enter the Dragon finals. I hope more people will come and participate in it. Don't be scared of losing, don't only play well with handicap, you should challenge yourself without handicap and come to THE WORLD event. I hope in future, more good players will come forward and support the event"

After proceeding into the next round, for his top-32 game, Zac was unfortunately drawn with Paul Lim and lost in a straight 3-0 game.  "Wahhh.. I really wanted to beat him," exclaimed Zac, "Early morning games are a bit difficult for me. It takes a bit of time to warm up. I knew he was already very well prepared for the Grand Finals. His mind, body and soul were all very well prepared compared to me. I can say, I could not match him in terms of experience or skill"

Zac Hong shooting on the line in his second game

Zac have met and played with Paul Lim before this and knew the amount of hard work and practice to maintain his skill and rating. "It doesn't happen overnight, the rating is just a gauge of your average play." Zac was quite disappointed with the handicap culture in Singapore and hope it can change for the better. "I would suggest to other players in Singapore - Do not care too much about your rating. If you play well, your rating will automatically go up, there is no need to track your rating very closely."   Zac also implored the younger players not to control their rating. "Be natural. Play each game to win and always play your best. Look forward to challenge the good players rather than be scared to play with them or give them too much respect. Ultimately, darts is an equal game, everyone throws the same number of darts"

When asked if he will come back for The World next year, Zac replied, "Definitely yes, but, of course I have to prepare for it. I am planning to go for 1 or 2 stages. I believe darts is an equal game. It all depends on whether you believe in yourself and how much you want to challenge yourself and your skill. No doubt I can say that they (the other finalists) are much better but if you believe you can do it, you can. It is like buying 4D (local lottery), you believe you can strike the top prizes but the chances are very slim, but you must take the first step to believe in yourself, believe that you want to move forward and advance."

Good advice that all darters, experienced or otherwise, can put into practice. Congratulations and Good Darts, Zac!