BARNEY SKIPS WORLD MASTERS

RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD has pulled out of the World Masters to play paid exhibitions at FC Twente.

‘Barney’ confirmed he will miss the first major of the year after opting to honour lucrative commitments with the Dutch football club.

Those dates, between January 29 and February 1, clash directly with the PDC Premier event.

Van Barneveld admits he’d rather take the guaranteed money home than gamble on securing entry into the tournament at Milton Keynes.

He told Tubantia: “I’ve got a bit of a twinge in my lower back and after the Worlds I’ve hardly picked up a dart.

“I also only got back yesterday from a 14-day holiday in Thailand. But that’s not really it.

“Before the PDC calendar came out, I accepted two exhibitions with the FC Twente business club.

“Then you do the math: two days at FC Twente, where I can earn good money, or nothing at all if you don’t survive qualifying. I chose the former.”

Only the top 24 players on the PDC Order of Merit qualify automatically for the Winmau World Masters.

As the current world No.36, Van Barneveld would have been forced into the qualifiers on January 28, needing three wins just to reach the main draw.

A first-round qualifying defeat would have earned him £750, rising to £1,000 for a second-round loss and £2,500 for going out in the final qualifying round.

If Van Barneveld managed to reach the main stage, he would have banked £5,000 for his winnings.

The five-time world champ is now expected to return at the first two Players Championship events of the year on February 9 and 10 in Hildesheim.

Image by Taylor Lanning.