Raymond van Barneveld will not play at the World Matchplay in his last season on the PDC circuit. Unforeseen circumstances forced Van Barneveld to pull out of this weekend's Pro Tour double-header in Wigan.
Van Barneveld will also miss the two European Tour qualifiers on Friday, where he only entered the second qualification tournament. As a result of his withdrawal the 52-year-old can no longer qualify for the World Matchplay.
”Unfortunately I had to withdraw for the upcoming Pro Tours and European Tour qualifier this weekend. This means I will miss the World Matchplay. There was no other solution. I will keep my focus on the remaining events this year", the Dutchman said on Twitter.
Van Barneveld's management didn't want to elucidate the unforeseen circumstances after questions from Dartsnews. They call it personal reasons.
The five-time World Champion needed a good result this weekend to have a small chance to qualify for the World Matchplay in Blackpool. With just three evens to go, he was £11.250 behind the provisional spots.
After his switch to the PDC, Van Barneveld had twelve consecutive participations at the World Matchplay, with a final in 2010 as his best result. The Dutch legend reached the quarter-finals in 2011, but failed to get past the second round during his last seven appearances.
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