James Wade brought up Scottie Scheffler’s private jet as he insisted darts players have it much tougher than world-class golfers. Wade made the claim after continuing his pursuit of a second World Matchplay crown with an impressive 11-5 win over Wessel Nijman in the second round.
The 2007 champion has had an up-and-down few years but remains inside the world’s top 10 and is one of the sport’s top players on his day. His wins over Joe Cullen (10-3) and Nijman suggest he is capable of going all the way in Blackpool. Wade is also one of darts’ most thoughtful players. After his win over Nijman, he struck a similar tone to Scheffler, who said prior to his Open Championship triumph that there was more to life than his chosen profession. Wade said: “There’s more important things outside of this. I want to go and eat fish and chips with my wife after this. This isn’t that important.”
He added: “I think people are too amplified on what you’re achieving and what you’re doing. I know I’m one of the best, probably top 10 in the world at the moment. Now I go home to see my wife, Arthur and Alfred [his children]. I’m winning. None of this is important. It’s really not. It’s really not.”
Seemingly not aware of Scheffler, let alone the world No.1’s comments, Wade then insisted: “I’m not really interested in what another golf player says because golf players aren’t even close to being on the pressure or the pedestal that darts players are put upon.
“You can’t compare that. When he gets in his private jet… He doesn’t have to get on an EasyJet, he doesn’t have to get on a happy bus, he doesn’t have to do all those things.
“So it’s not comparable really. It’s quite amazing that darts players achieve when they don’t have that. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to be on a private jet and use a backward [private] entrance at an airport. But I’m a darts player. I will use EasyJet, Ryanair, because I am what I am.
“It’s nothing about money, it’s just how they travel. Would you travel 12 hours to get to a floor tournament?”
Prior to The Open, Scheffler gave a surprisingly revealing press conference at which he admitted that being successful at golf did not fulfil him and that he prioritised being a good husband and father over anything. But after winning the Claret Jug, he said he felt his comments were taken out of context and insisted he was not disrespecting the game or making light of his achievements.
He said: “I think it really underestimates what I was trying to communicate. Maybe I didn’t do as effective a job as I hoped to in communicating that. At the end of the day, I have a tremendous amount of gratitude towards moments like these.
“I literally worked my entire life to become good at this game and play this game for a living. It’s one of my greatest joys of my life to compete out here.
“To be able to win The Open Championship here at Portrush is a feeling that’s really hard to describe. This is amazing to win the Open Championship, but at the end of the day, having success in life, whether it be in golf, work, whatever it is, that’s not what fulfils the deepest desires of your heart.
“Am I grateful for it? Do I enjoy it? Oh, my gosh, yes, this is a cool feeling. It’s just tough to describe when you haven’t lived it.”
Wade plays Gian van Veen, who knocked out Luke Humphries in round one, in the Matchplay quarter-finals on Thursday