Stephen Bunting has admitted the rush from the Slovak Darts Open in Bratislava to the US Darts Masters in New York is testing him as he tries to protect his PDC ranking position. The Bullet exited in the quarter-finals to Wessel Nijman over the weekend and is now heading straight for Madison Square Garden, where the World Series event runs on Thursday and Friday.
The comments add a human edge to a heavy elite schedule. Bunting is not just chasing another televised opportunity in the United States; he is also trying to keep control of ranking pressure with major prize money to defend at the next World Championship.
Bunting workload sharpens New York test
DartsNews reported Bunting’s comments from Bratislava, where he said he was searching for results elsewhere and acknowledged the burden of defending big money at Alexandra Palace. NineDartNews has also analysed why Bunting’s US Darts Masters travel warning matters in the wider PDC schedule.
He also pointed to the specific travel hit: European Tour action, a return home, then a Tuesday flight to New York for media duties and the US Darts Masters. For a player whose popularity keeps him in demand across World Series nights, that is the cost of staying visible while trying to remain secure in the sport’s top bracket.
Bunting still framed the fans as the reason to keep taking on the mileage, but the timing makes his New York opener a sharper test than a standard invitational appearance.
