“Why would I pay you? Jog on” – Phil Taylor recalls bizarre row with Barry Hearn over fine for tournament he never attended

Phil Taylor has recalled being fined for a tournament he insists he never even attended, triggering a bizarre stand-off with Barry Hearn that quickly escalated.

The sixteen-time world champion, widely regarded as the greatest darts player of all time, dominated the sport for more than three decades, winning 87 major titles and spending thirteen years as world number one.

But speaking on the Double Tops podcast, Taylor revealed that success on the oche came with a constant stream of fines behind the scenes.

“I was fined every week,” Taylor said, describing how penalties became a regular part of life on tour. “Yeah, I had a standing order with the PDC — I did, with the DRA — always paying them,” he added, before summing it up with a laugh: “If I sneezed, I’d get fined for it. I got fined for tournaments and I wasn’t even at the tournament.”

That final line set up the most remarkable example. Taylor recalled being confronted over an event in Germany that he insists he never played. “Barry says, you’ve got a £200 or two grand fine here,” he explained. “You were playing in the top end of Germany near Russia and you didn’t mark the board and everything else.”

Taylor’s response was immediate. “I said, ‘I’m not paying it, Barry.’ ‘Oh, just pay it.’ I said, ‘No, I’m not paying it. I’ll knock it out.’ I said, ‘No, I’m not paying it, Barry.’”

Even when warned the fine would rise, he refused to back down. “‘It’ll go up to four grand, you know.’ I said, ‘I don’t care if it goes up to £40,000 — I ain’t paying it.’”

Pressed on why, Taylor gave the simple explanation that ended the dispute. “He says, ‘Why won’t you pay it?’ I said, ‘I was never there. I wasn’t at the tournament.’”

The moment of realisation followed immediately. “I said, ‘Why would I pay you? Jog on.’ Barry went, ‘You weren’t there, were you?’ I said, ‘No, I wasn’t there.’”

It is another example of the kind of stories that continue to surface from Taylor’s career. The Englishman retired in 2018 after reaching one last PDC World Darts Championship final at Alexandra Palace, where he was beaten by Rob Cross.