Raymond van Barneveld has endured a dismal beginning to his 2026 Pro Tour season, recording his lowest average ever on the PDC Pro Tour. The Dutch darting icon opened his campaign at the first Players Championship events in Hildesheim, Germany, after skipping the Winmau World Masters qualifiers in late January due to two scheduled exhibitions with football club FC Twente.
Van Barneveld's struggles were evident across two days of competition. On Monday afternoon, he lost his opening match 6-2 to newly minted Tour Card holder Tom Sykes. Although he rebounded with a 6-3 victory over 18-year-old German talent Yorick Hofkens on Tuesday at Players Championship 2, his second outing that day proved disastrous. The 58-year-old was beaten 6-1 by England's Owen Bates, posting a paltry average of just 69.39—marking his worst-ever Pro Tour average.
This poor form comes amid efforts to revitalize his career, including plans to have coffee with former professional footballer Rafael van der Vaart, who has offered to help boost the Dutchman's performance. Van Barneveld is set to return to action twice today at the European Tour Tour Card Holder Qualifiers, where he aims to qualify for the Poland Darts Masters and the European Darts Trophy. However, he will need to improve significantly from his 69 average to secure those spots.
