Gates Secures MSG Return with U.S. Darts Masters Qualifier Victory

Leonard Gates will return to the Madison Square Garden stage in June after winning the CDC U.S. Darts Masters Qualifier in Niagara Falls, New York.

The number three seed, who had struggled to find his best form throughout the weekend, produced a clinical run when it mattered most, dropping just ten legs across six matches on his way to the title.

Gates came through the final stages in commanding fashion, defeating Charlie Harrison 5-1 in the quarterfinals before accounting for B.J. Pollock by the same scoreline in the semifinals.

He then completed the job with a 5-3 win over Brad Farley in the final, securing his fourth career appearance at the U.S. Darts Masters.

Farley, now in his second year as a CDC Tour Card holder, continued to impress with a strong run to the final. He edged Kiley Edmunds 5-3 in the quarterfinals before producing a dominant 5-1 semifinal win over Fred Krueger to set up his meeting with Gates.

Edmunds had earlier delivered one of the day’s standout results, whitewashing Adam Sevada 5-0 in the Last 16. Sevada had been the hottest hand of the weekend after claiming back-to-back CDC Tour titles, and despite his qualifier exit, he remains the odds-on favorite to return to the MSG stage as the top American on the CDC Tour Points List after next month’s Philadelphia events.

For Gates, though, the qualifier belonged to a player who found his range at exactly the right time, rounding off the Niagara Falls weekend with a place at the 2026 U.S. Darts Masters.

Quarterfinals
Kiley Edmunds 3-5 Brad Farley
Jimmie Jones 1-5 Fred Krueger
B.J. Pollack 5-4 Joe Chaney
Leonard Gates (3) 5-1 Charlie Harrison

Semifinals
Brad Farley 5-1 Fred Krueger
B.J. Pollock 1-5 Leonard Gates

Final
Brad Farley 3-5 Leonard Gates