Michael van Gerwen bemoans lack of prize money for Players Championship Finals nine-darter
Darts NewsSunday, 24 November 2019 at 09:30
Michael van Gerwen might take a leaf from another sporting legend's book, should a nine-dart opportunity come up in the near future.
The world number one achieved perfection in a second-round win over Adrian Lewis at the Players Championship Finals. Much to van Gerwen's disappointment, the feat yielded no additional prize money.
Live Darts captured Mighty Mike's reaction to the lack of reward. Speaking on Saturday, he indicated that the nine-darter might be deliberately avoided in future.
"I don't really care.
"No prize money, nothing. I should go for the single eight, to be fair. Just like Ronnie O'Sullivan," said van Gerwen.
Asked if he would consider the crowd's reaction, the Dutchman added: "I don't care. There should be a bit of prize money, simple as that."
Rocket gives van Gerwen snub precedent
O'Sullivan, snooker's maverick master, has never been averse to a headline-grabbing move.
In 2016, he passed up a clear opportunity for a 147 break at the Welsh Open. The Rocket condemned the £10,000 rolling prize money "too cheap", opting for a pink rather than chasing the black which would've opened up a chance at perfection.
Barry Hearn was highly critical of O'Sullivan's "disrespectful" decision at the time. It would be interesting to hear what the PDC chairman made of van Gerwen's Minehead comments.
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- @UndartedWaters I totally agree with your thoughts! I totally respect Kirk but in this instance I was disappointed with his lack of crowd control. I even turned to my husband and said "Could you imagine this happening if Russ Bray was the referee tonight? At least there would have been a crowd admonishment- Ladies and Gentleman please." I so felt for Mike DeDecker...MamaVenus15-11-2024
- Many fans had a sour taste in their mouth by the end of this match. Mike was cruising to victory, playing beautiful darts, when the whistling started in earnest, particularly on his doubles. You could see in Mike's face that it was really affecting his concentration. The referee should have asked for order, just to show that the whistling is unacceptable, and Luke Littler could also have done his part to quieten down the crowd instead of "taking full advantage.:" I put that down to his age though. He needs some good advice on this from his management team and/or more seasoned players. It's got to be about who's best on the night, not who is being harassed by the crowd. Luke Littler played well to get back into the game and win, but it was a hollow victory. If he goes on to win the tournament, that triumph too will be tainted because of this match.
UndartedWaters15-11-2024 - Agree. Van der voort will be the one taking a break when he loses his tour card. Everyone saying about how bad Wright's last 18 months have been, and in that time he's won several Euro tours and the European Championships.Matilda6215-11-2024
- When Littler has at least five ranking Majors he’s in the discussion, until then, forget it.Mysstree14-11-2024
- This is the difference between other players and Phil Taylor. Phil would be completely motivated even before his walk on and didn't need anything else to do so.richieburnettrocks14-11-2024