Cameron Menzies won Players Championship 29 on Tuesday in Den Bosch, beating Gian van Veen 8-4 in the final. The result means more than just a trophy: the Scot has confirmed his status as one of the most consistent players on the 2026 ProTour, just as the race to Minehead and the World Championship begins to heat up.
The PDC confirmed his victory following a day of seven matches at the Maaspoort in Den Bosch. BBC Sport also highlights the underlying message: Menzies is now a player who wants to build a genuine career on the circuit, not just string together one-off successes. This time, he had to rise to the occasion, and he did so against the highest-ranked player still in the running.
A controlled final against Gian van Veen
The raw score already tells part of the story. Menzies took control very early on, with a 5-0 lead that left Van Veen in an almost impossible position in front of his home crowd. The Dutchman fought back, but he never really managed to turn the match around. At this level, letting Menzies get off to such a flying start proves costly: when he plays quickly and with ease, and the points keep coming, he becomes very difficult to dislodge.
The final ended in a clear 8-4 victory, a margin wide enough to confirm the Scot’s superiority over the match, but by no means insignificant given the context. Van Veen remained one of the most eagerly anticipated players on this Dutch day of competition. Beating him in the final, on home soil, lends extra significance to this title. It is not just another trophy added to his ProTour haul: it is a victory that confirms a progression already evident over the past few months.
| Key figure | Data |
|---|---|
| Tournament | Players Championship 29 |
| Venue | Maaspoort, Den Bosch |
| Final | Cameron Menzies 8-4 Gian van Veen |
| Today’s read | Menzies claims his second ProTour 2026 title |
| Background | Race for the Players Championship Finals and the PDC World Championship |
A second title that changes the tone of his season
Menzies had already made a big impact in July by winning the Players Championship 23 in Leicester. This is no longer just a one-off resurgence. With this latest title, he now has two ProTour victories in 2026 and four PDC ranking titles in total, according to the PDC. These are the sort of figures that change the way a player is viewed.
Just a few months ago, Menzies was still often talked about in terms of his emotions, his outbursts and his lapses in form. His victory over Humphries at the World Matchplay, followed by his medical withdrawal against Ross Smith, had reinforced this image of a spectacular but inconsistent player. Players Championship 29 tells a different story: that of a player capable of stringing together seven wins in a single day, then closing out a final against a top-class opponent.
Sky Sports added a more personal dimension to the story by reporting Menzies’s comments on a health scare he experienced prior to his Blackpool outing. The subject must still be treated with caution, but it does shed light on one thing: the Scot is taking his lifestyle, hydration and physical management more seriously than before. On such a demanding tour, this detail can be just as significant as a technical change.
Van Veen misses a chance at home
For Gian van Veen, this lost final leaves a more frustrating impression. The Dutchman had a real opportunity ahead of him, in a tournament held in the Netherlands, with several big names absent from the double-header. He reached the final - which was still a solid performance - but came up against a Menzies who was on fire.
The conclusion is fairly straightforward: Van Veen does not emerge from Den Bosch in any worse shape, but he has let slip a chance to turn his consistency into a title. In a late-season run where every result can affect the televised draws and confidence before the major events, this difference between reaching the final and winning the title inevitably counts.
Why this title matters now
The calendar lends weight to the result. Players Championships 29 and 30 come at a pivotal juncture, between the end of the World Series, the approaching World Grand Prix and the final stretch towards the Players Championship Finals. During this period, a floor title is never a neutral affair. It brings prize money, ranking points, confidence, and sometimes a more favourable position in future draws.
For Menzies, the message is clear. He is no longer just a threat in a single match, nor merely capable of an occasional upset. He is starting to build a track record of consistent performances over the course of entire tournament days. Only time will tell how far this can go, but the picture is already very clear: in 2026, Cameron Menzies is no longer a likeable outsider. He is a player who wins, and who wins often enough to be read differently.
