Gates Closes Out 2025 Regular Season in Style with 13th CDC Tour Title

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Leonard Gates delivered a vintage performance on Championship Sunday in Brownsburg, Indiana, securing his 13th CDC Tour title, the most by any player in CDC history, with a commanding 7–3 win over Adam Sevada in the final of the CDC Indianapolis 501, the last event of the 2025 regular season.

Gates, who had already booked his return to the PDC/PaddyPower World Darts Championship via his Cross Border Darts Challenge win earlier this year, capped his campaign with a strong run that saw him sweep aside Danny Young, Jason Brandon, and top-seeded Sevada en route to the trophy. The two-time Continental Cup champion found top gear on Sunday, leading the field with 11 180s while averaging just under 88 across his matches.

Despite the loss in the final, Adam Sevada closed out a dream season by officially clinching the Jay Tomlinson Trophy as the CDC Tour Points leader. The top-ranked American not only qualifies for the World Championship but also earns direct entry to Stage 2 of PDC Q-School in 2026, a crucial step for a player pursuing a PDC Tour Card. His 89.12 average over 46 legs was the highest on the day.

The final Tour event also locked in two additional World Championship berths:

  • David Cameron will represent Canada as the top points-earner from north of the border.

  • Stowe Buntz, the Tour’s top-ranked player not otherwise qualified, books his return to Alexandra Palace after another standout campaign.

Elsewhere, Mike Scarborough continued to raise eyebrows, following up his run to the quarters on Saturday with another deep push on Sunday, the best back-to-back showing by any CDC Associate player this season.

Meanwhile, Kaidon Newberry and Danny Young both capped off breakthrough sophomore seasons with quarterfinal appearances, officially securing their spots in the 2025 Continental Cup next month in Philadelphia. Joining them will be first-year CDC Tour Card holder Chris McHargue who had a sizzling start to the 2025 Tour and held on to qualify in 16th position.

But there was heartbreak for a legend: Larry Butler, the 1994 World Matchplay champion and inaugural Continental Cup winner, fell just short of qualification, finishing 19th on the Tour Points List. This marks the first full CDC season in which “The Eagle” does not feature in the Tour Championship.

With the regular season now in the books, all eyes turn to Philadelphia on October 17-18, where the top 16 players from the 2025 Championship Darts Circuit will collide at the Continental Cup. The stakes? a $20,000 prize fund and berths in the Grand Slam of Darts, World Championship, and the 2026 US Darts Masters. Tickets are available at ticketsource.com/champdarts.

CDC Indianapolis 501 results
QUARTERFINALS:
Adam Sevada (1) 6-1 Kaidon Newberry
David Cameron (4) 3-6 Alex Spellman (5)
Mike Scarborough 5-6 Jason Brandon (10)
Leonard Gates (3) 6-3 Danny Young

SEMIFINALS:
Adam Sevada 7-5 Alex Spellman
Jason Brandon 5-7 Leonard Gates

FINAL:
Adam Sevada 3-7 Leonard Gates

Continental Cup Qualifiers:
Adam Sevada
Stowe Buntz
David Cameron
Leonard Gates
Alex Spellman
Darryl Christie
Gary Mawson
Jason Brandon
Doug Boehm
Kiley Edmunds
Jim Long
Jacob Taylor
Kaidon Newberry
Nick Linberg
Danny Young
Chris McHargue

2026 Cross Border Darts Challenge Automatic Qualifiers:

Team Canada
David Cameron
Darryl Christie
Kiley Edmunds
Jim Long
Jacob Taylor
John Part

Team USA
Adam Sevada
Stowe Buntz
Leonard Gates
Alex Spellman
Gary Mawson
Jason Brandon