ITV commentator Stuart Pyke was baffled by a conversation he had with Damon Heta at the Australian Darts Masters.
The Australian event is currently underway in Wollongong, as Luke Littler, Luke Humphries and Gerwyn Price look to claim the top prize against some of Australia’s best.
Heta, the 2023 finalist, is looking to go one better at his home tournament but a decision he has made leading up to the tournament was questioned by Pyke.
Stuart Pyke questions Damon Heta decision
Speaking with Mark Webster on ITV’s coverage of the Australian event, Pyke shared the details of a conversation he had with Heta backstage at the event.
Pyke said: “I spoke to Heta before and I said ‘are you mad?’ You’re in Australia, stay for a little while, and he said no there are tournaments he has to play in.
“He went back to his hometown and he was only there for two days.”
Pyke may have been baffled, but Heta’s dedication to the sport cannot be questioned.
Damon Heta could be a dark horse down under
Heta is having a terrific year, having made the semi-finals of the UK Open and the fourth round of the World Championships.
The Heat is currently nestled inside the top ten of the PDC World Rankings, as he sits ninth ahead of Ross Smith and Dimitri van den Bergh.
He heads into his home tournament having also reached the semi-finals of the Players Championships last week in Milton Keynes.
Heta could be one to watch at the Australian Darts Masters, especially with thousands of rowdy Aussies cheering him on.