Klaasen is quick and calm with a dart

Rob Miech

Jelle Klaasen, a 24-year-old former world darts champion from the Netherlands, poses with girlfriend Nanke Meester after a long day of competition Sunday at Mandalay Bay. Klaasen qualified for one of Wednesday’s coveted 32 final spots by zipping through Sunday’s action undefeated.

By Rob Miech (contact)

Tuesday, June 30, 2009 | 2:05 a.m.

Jelle Klaasen throws darts as if his rig is double-parked outside the pub, or the bell rang for last call three tosses ago, or the rent was due last week.

Sunday afternoon, Klaasen mowed through five methodical players to earn one of the dozen qualifying spots in Wednesday’s opening round of the Las Vegas Desert Classic.

That’s when Sky Sports hits the Islander Ballroom in Mandalay Bay to televise five days of the Professional Darts Corporation’s marquee international event.

Blink during one of Klaasen’s live rounds on Sky and you’ll miss a couple of his throws.

“When I feel right, I go faster and faster,” said the 24-year-old native of the Netherlands. “Most of the time, it works.”

Kevin Harris, whom Klaasen dispatched 5 sets to 2 in a best-of-nine round, said rapid throwing is a trademark of most Dutch professionals, including Raymond van Barneveld and Vincent van der Voort.

Klaasen’s patience are constantly tested. His foe won’t even have plucked his three darts out of the board and Klaasen is poised like a cobra, right arm cocked with a dart ready to fire.

His opponent does not even complete the 10-foot walk back behind Klaasen when Klaasen will have zipped all three of his darts at the board.

Then comes the wait, when seconds seem like hours to Klaasen as the other guy throws his three darts.

Klaasen tugs at the bottom of his red shirt, which has helped earn his Matador nickname. He fidgets, looking at his darts or whatever is atop a table behind the players.

He glances at Nanke Meester, his girlfriend.

“For me, it’s difficult,” Klaasen said. “I have to wait all the time for my opponent to play his darts. I have to wait so long sometimes I make a mistake, but I’m doing better and better.”

Less than four years ago, he took up the sport professionally after watching an uncle play.

In January 2006, at 21 years and 90 days, Klaasen became the youngest world champion when he defeated van Barneveld to claim the British Darts Organization title.

Before that tournament, he was a 100-1 shot to win the crown. A year later, he switched over to the rival PDC.

“For me, everything came real quick,” Klaasen said.

He came to Las Vegas in a better position, at 25th on the PDC’s Order of Merit with 63,458 British pounds in winnings this season. Still, not being in the top 16 required Klaasen to pay 25 pounds to qualify.

He finished Sunday in dramatic fashion, taking the final two sets against Dennis Smith to win, 5-4. Needing 149 to close out Smith, Klaasen fired a triple 20, a triple 19 and a double 16 to lock up his qualifying spot.

Meester, who usually watches Klaasen with her back arrow-straight, had slouched for a few sets. When he won, she sprang up and yelled for joy. He crouched and pumped his fist.

Now Klaasen (whose first name is pronounced YELL-lee) is guaranteed of winning at least 3,000 pounds. The top prize is about 40,000 pounds.

Six spots went to qualifying winners Sunday and Monday. The four remaining slots go to North Americans.

Fourteen-time world champion Phil “The Power” Taylor (at about $1 million) tops the PDC winnings chart, followed by fellow Brit James Wade, van Barneveld and John Part of Canada.

Klaasen is more direct than any of them.

His right elbow almost flares out as he throws. Most of his darts wobble. He leans in on his final one, as if he wants to get a head start on yanking the things out of the board.

He’s so relaxed sometimes he laughs between throws.

“I don’t care,” Klaasen said. “I throw by feeling. I look at triple 20 and throw it there. It’s all feeling.”

A feeling that he wants to hurry up and get this thing finished, or they’re gonna tow the rig again out front.