‘Pretty certain' – Darts legend, 61, tipped for instant return to the sport just months after retirement
, 61, began on the professional circuit in 1991 - competing against the likes of Dennis Priestley and Bob Anderson - before
2
Steve Beaton has tipped to come out of retirement
Credit: Getty
Beaton is a former Lakeside World Champion and semi-finalist in the UK Open and World Grand Prix.
The "Bronzed Adonis" played in his 33rd consecutive PDC World
Darts
Championship last year, seeing off Dutchman Wessel Nijman 3-1 in the last 96.
Beaton,
who holds the record for 33 World Darts
Championship
appearances,
brought the curtain down on his three-decade-plus stint on the main tour
at the end of 2024.
He currently competes on the MODUS Super Series alongside the seniors circuit - which Phil Taylor used to feature in after retirement.
READ MORE DARTS NEWS
But
Matthew Edgar, 38, has backed Beaton to make a remarkable comeback to the
PDC
this yea
r.
Edgar reckons the huge investment into the sport, combined with the expanded
World Darts Championship
format coming to Ally Pally later this year, will prove irresistible for the Coventry ace.
Edgar told the
Love The Darts podcast: "With the increased ranking
money
next
year, if you're going to have a bad year and miss the big events, you can get away with it.
"Because you can make it back up again in the previous year and the following year when you're not defending anything, you've got this heightened prize
money
, you can make the jump quite significantly.
Most read in Darts
2
Matt Edgar believes Beaton's run in the PDC isn't over
Credit: Getty
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"You're guaranteed the UK Open so realistically you think, 'Well, if I just have an okay season I should be in three potentially big events."
Sky Sports presenter Abigail Davies then guessed that Beaton could be among those players motivated to return, to which Edgar boldly declared: "I think he does, I'm calling it now.
Darts fans hail 'greatest thing I've ever seen' as star lands extremely rare triple-bullseye checkout
"I think Steve Beaton's at Q School this year. I am pretty certain of it."
Q School is a qualifying tournament for players who compete against each other to earn a PDC Tour Card, which allows them to play on the professional circuit.
The World
Championship
is expanding to 128 players for the 2025/26 edition, with a total prize fund of £5 million, including £1 million for the winner.
Despite Edgar's prediction, it was only last month that Beaton revealed it was time for him to step back from such a demanding darts schedule.
He said: ""You've got to move on. I'm 61 now. I can't keep playing darts all the time.
"I do watch them and I feel for them you know, they're on the clock all the time. It's great when you're younger. But once you get older it's harder."
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