European Tour rule changes

[boringboringtables]

THE expansion of the PDC European Tour in 2017 will include a number of changes to the qualification and prize fund structure for the 12 events to be held across Europe this year.

Each PDC European Tour event will see 48 players competing across three days, with the action streamed online through PDCTV-HD and a series of bookmakers' websites.

The opening day will feature the first round split across two sessions as the 32 qualifiers do battle, with the 16 seeded players - from the PDC's one-year ProTour Order of Merit - entering at the second round stage on day two.

The third day will then see the tournament conclude, with the third round in the afternoon session and the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in the evening session.

In a change for 2017 due to the increased prize money, should a seeded player lose in the second round (last 32), their prize money will not count towards any Orders of Merit, although they still receive the full prize money payment.

A player who would be seeded in the top 16 of the ProTour Order of Merit may instead opt to enter the relevant qualifying event in order to ensure any prize money won counts on the relevant Orders of Merit.

Another change will see the qualifying system restructured as follows:
* UK Qualifier: shall produce 18 players, and will be open to players from England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and players whose nationality is not covered by the below criteria (i.e. non-European). Enter is open to any Tour Card Holder and any player who finished in the top 32 of UK & non-European players (including ties) on the Qualifying School Order of Merit.
* West/South Europe Qualifier: shall produce eight players, and will be open to players from Germany, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, Andorra, Italy, San Marino, Monaco, Malta, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, France and Switzerland.
* Host Nation Qualifier: shall produce four players, and will be open to players with the same nationality as the location of the relevant event.
* Nordic & Baltic Qualifier: shall produce one player, and will be open to players from Faroe Islands, Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
* East Europe Qualifier: shall produce one player, and be open to players from Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Belarus, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia and Macedonia.

Any player who is unable to enter the West Europe or Host Nation Qualifier due to a scheduling clash with an event in which they have been invited to compete in by the PDC shall be deemed eligible to enter the UK Qualifier for the event.

After a player has entered either a West Europe Qualifier or Host Nation Qualifier twice, that player must become a PDPA ProTour Member in order to participate in further qualifying events during that year. This rule does not apply to players in the Nordic & Baltic Qualifiers or East Europe Qualifier in 2017.

[The Ginge Reaper]

Good ideas there.

[Captain Hobo]

Great idea to not count the money of 2nd Round losers from the Top 16. Hopefully will stop cloggers staying around too long

[ITG]

A PDC news release? Didn't read but sure it's great news. All hail the PDC!

[Lister of Smeg]

Great idea to not count the money of 2nd Round losers from the Top 16. Hopefully will stop cloggers staying around too long

Die, you whiny little faggot cunt

[Kimmy]

Good ideas there.

+1

PDC are cunts!

[Captain Hobo]

Also interesting that only Top 32 of Q School OOM can play UK qualifiers. Was that announced before Q School noms closed?

[ITG]

They are good ideas. Reduces clogging and offers routes in for more foreign players from nations where the game isn't so popular. The UK scene is beyond saturated.

[ITG]

Nae Kosovo, Montenegro or Albania?

[Rogg]

New 2017 rules are out too. Check the 'Invitations and Seedings' tab here:
http://www.pdc.tv/order-of-merit-rules


Looks like they've got rid of the Irish qualifiers for the Grand Prix.

2017 World Grand Prix
Cut-off date:
September 11 2017
Seeds:
Top 8 in Order of Merit
Qualifying Players:
Top 16 in Order of Merit
Top 16 in ProTour Order of Merit not otherwise qualified

[The Thorn]

Also interesting that only Top 32 of Q School OOM can play UK qualifiers. Was that announced before Q School noms closed?

No, so it will definitely prevent some players who didn't plan to do Q-School, or too shite to get into the top 32. Not a bad idea.

[Rogg]

Seedings for European Tour events will be as per Premier events but the top and bottom halves will alternate on rotation of events. To clarify, in odd numbered tournaments on the European Tour the number one seed will be in the top half but in even numbered tournaments the halves will switch positions.

Shaking up the Euro Tour seedings too. So every second Euro Tour it will be 1v15 instead of 1v16?

[Chizzyfan]

Seedings for European Tour events will be as per Premier events but the top and bottom halves will alternate on rotation of events. To clarify, in odd numbered tournaments on the European Tour the number one seed will be in the top half but in even numbered tournaments the halves will switch positions.

Shaking up the Euro Tour seedings too. So every second Euro Tour it will be 1v15 instead of 1v16?

This can only be a good idea. Will save some poor soul having to face the same top player in every event, assuming their position remains static.

[The Ginge Reaper]

Seedings for European Tour events will be as per Premier events but the top and bottom halves will alternate on rotation of events. To clarify, in odd numbered tournaments on the European Tour the number one seed will be in the top half but in even numbered tournaments the halves will switch positions.

Shaking up the Euro Tour seedings too. So every second Euro Tour it will be 1v15 instead of 1v16?

Dont think so, remember that on the final day they play matches in draw order. So its to stop MvG having the luxury every time of playing his Last 16 first and then having the longest rest until his QF match, and same again between QF and SF, and SF and final.

So it will still be seeded the same but 1 will be at the bottom of the draw half the time, and the top the rest of the time.

[Rogg]

Seedings for European Tour events will be as per Premier events but the top and bottom halves will alternate on rotation of events. To clarify, in odd numbered tournaments on the European Tour the number one seed will be in the top half but in even numbered tournaments the halves will switch positions.

Shaking up the Euro Tour seedings too. So every second Euro Tour it will be 1v15 instead of 1v16?

Dont think so, remember that on the final day they play matches in draw order. So its to stop MvG having the luxury every time of playing his Last 16 first and then having the longest rest until his QF match, and same again between QF and SF, and SF and final.

So it will still be seeded the same but 1 will be at the bottom of the draw half the time, and the top the rest of the time.

Ah. Any shake-up is welcome but that would be far less interesting.

[Captain Hobo]

New 2017 rules are out too. Check the 'Invitations and Seedings' tab here:
http://www.pdc.tv/order-of-merit-rules


Looks like they've got rid of the Irish qualifiers for the Grand Prix.

2017 World Grand Prix
Cut-off date:
September 11 2017
Seeds:
Top 8 in Order of Merit
Qualifying Players:
Top 16 in Order of Merit
Top 16 in ProTour Order of Merit not otherwise qualified

Well spotted. Dolan will be seething.

[Lister of Smeg]

New 2017 rules are out too. Check the 'Invitations and Seedings' tab here:
http://www.pdc.tv/order-of-merit-rules


Looks like they've got rid of the Irish qualifiers for the Grand Prix.

2017 World Grand Prix
Cut-off date:
September 11 2017
Seeds:
Top 8 in Order of Merit
Qualifying Players:
Top 16 in Order of Merit
Top 16 in ProTour Order of Merit not otherwise qualified

Well spotted. Dolan will be seething.

[The Ginge Reaper]

Done as a precursor to the event moving elsewhere in 2018, IMO.

[Rogg]

New 2017 rules are out too. Check the 'Invitations and Seedings' tab here:
http://www.pdc.tv/order-of-merit-rules


Looks like they've got rid of the Irish qualifiers for the Grand Prix.

2017 World Grand Prix
Cut-off date:
September 11 2017
Seeds:
Top 8 in Order of Merit
Qualifying Players:
Top 16 in Order of Merit
Top 16 in ProTour Order of Merit not otherwise qualified

Well spotted. Dolan will be seething.

I think they had visions of him qualifying for the next 20 years and thought fuck that. Maybe the tournament won't be in Ireland for much longer anyway...

[Rogg]

Done as a precursor to the event moving elsewhere in 2018, IMO.

Moving further into overseas expansion now, surely a full-length major tournament in Europe is coming in some form.