The draw for Players Championship 31 has been made, with 128 players set to compete at the Maaspoort in Den Bosch on Wednesday afternoon. With just four floor tournaments remaining, the race for Players Championship Finals qualification is heating up, and plenty is still at stake for several players.
Raymond van Barneveld is one of those with work to do. 'Barney' currently sits 84th in the Players Championship Order of Merit and needs to make up £6,000 on current 64th-placed Mike De Decker. A strong start today would therefore be welcome, but first he must get past Cameron Menzies, a challenging draw for the Dutchman.
Michael van Gerwen begins his Wednesday campaign against Englishman Joe Hunt, who recently won on the Challenge Tour to secure a Tour Card for next year. Wessel Nijman, currently top of the floor rankings, opens against fellow Dutchman Stef Kosters.
Elsewhere, qualification for the Finals looks out of reach for Dimitri van den Bergh. The Belgian sits 118th, so would need a miracle to break into the top 64. To start that unlikely push, he must first beat Kevin Burness today. Another notable player to watch is Nathan Aspinall. The current world number nine is only 74th in the rankings and still has several places to make up. He begins his bid for a strong result today against fellow Englishman Carl Sneyd.
Other standout first-round ties include Dave Chisnall versus Tavis Dudeney, Danny Noppert against Adam Warner, James Wade taking on Scott Waites, Peter Wright facing Stephen Burton, and Michael Smith meeting Jimmy van Schie. Beau Greaves is drawn against Adam Lipscombe, while Joe Cullen faces Wesley Plaisier and Chris Dobey takes on Callan Rydz.
