Five players are facing a major battle to keep their PDC Tour Cards, according to an analysis by Ben James. Nick Kenny, Ryan Meikle, Thibault Tricole, Rob Owen and Maik Kuivenhoven are all at risk of dropping off the professional circuit, with the top 128 Tour Card holders a rough school where only 64 are guaranteed to remain at the end of the season.
Nick Kenny, the World No. 61, is just £8,250 above the danger line despite being set to represent Wales at the World Cup in Frankfurt after Gerwyn Price pulled out. The 33-year-old has seen his win percentage drop from 47% in 2024 to 39% in 2026, and his 12-month average of 88.02 is outside the top 128 worldwide. With £40,000 of his £124,000 ranking money coming from the 2025 World Championship, that prize money will run off at the end of the year. Kenny has had flashes of brilliance — beating Rob Cross 6-1 with a 98.23 average at PC34 and Damon Heta 6-5 with a 98.96 average at PC28 — but without a single average above 100 in the last 12 months and six first-round exits this year, his card is in serious jeopardy.
Ryan Meikle sits 58th in the world, £12,750 above the cut, but his 2026 form tells a different story. Earning just £17,250 so far, the left-hander has seen his win percentage fall to 40% and his average of 89.58 ranks 88th worldwide. Key wins over Gary Anderson, Rob Cross and Ross Smith show his ability, but a 74.94 average against Tytus Kanik and an 80.63 average in a 6-1 loss to Callum Goffin highlight inconsistency. Currently 52nd in the World Championship race, Meikle defends £15,000 from last year's Ally Pally run and £6,500 from the Players Championship Finals, where he sits £5,000 outside qualification.
Thibault Tricole, the only French Tour Card holder, is the benchmark at World No. 64, just £1,250 above the danger line. His 89.17 average leaves him vulnerable, and a 45% win percentage in 2026 is nine points lower than his debut year. Seven first-round exits from 11 events and increasingly common mid-to-low 80s averages paint a bleak picture. A semi-final at PC6, where he lost 7-6 to Andrew Gilding, and a 105.05 average victory over Max Hopp were highlights, but Tricole has never sustained a long TV run.
Rob Owen, World No. 63 and just £1,000 above the benchmark, regained his card after a 2024 World Championship last-16 run, but that £35,000 prize money is due to come off. Failing to qualify for the 2025 World Championship proved costly. However, his 2026 form may save him: a 54% win percentage is the best of his career, with quarter-finals at PC13 and PC17 and averages of 104.82 and 108.82 during Euro Tour qualifying. Owen currently sits in a World Championship qualification place.
Maik Kuivenhoven, the only player on the list who won his card in 2025, is 73rd in the world and could lose it after his initial two-year period. Despite improving his win percentage to 56% and average to 90.76, five first-round exits and nine last-64 defeats show fragility. He sits ninth in the World Championship race after narrowly missing out in 2024 and 2025 by £1,000 and £500 respectively, but every pound earned between now and the end of the season will be crucial.