PDC Q-School 2018, Jan 18-21

[Rogg]

Is it the top 64 or the top 64 without a 2 year card (so they would go down to 68th assuming no resignations/refusals?)?

Simply the top 64 as far as I know.

Having said earlier that they shuffle players up the list to fill any gaps, I'm not so sure now. Would unwanted tour cards for top 64 players (eg. Taylor, Jenkins) actually go to the Q-School instead? I don't know anything and rules seem to change often.

Right, they've changed it multiple times over the years.

after 2011: Eccles resigned, tour card for #65 (Arron Monk) despite original announcement that the cutoff would be at 64
after 2012: Petersen resigned, hard cutoff at 64 (but #65 was Gino Vos on a two-year card, so the spot would have gone to Q School regardless)
after 2013: Stompé resigned, hard cutoff at 64 (#65 was Mark Jones who bombed badly in Q School afterwards and basically ceased being a factor in the PDC)
after 2014: Burnett and Komula resigned, tour cards for #65 (Cristo Reyes) and #66 (Colin Osborne)
after 2015: McDine resigned, hard cutoff at 64 (#65 was Mark Walsh who succeeded in Q School afterwards)
after 2016: no top 64 resignations

If anything based on that, I'd guess that the deciding factor is how much they like the players just outside the cutoff. If Evetts and Ratajski stay there, I wouldn't be surprised if they're given cards to replace Taylor and Jenkins.

Zeyes to the rescue. A miniature individual somewhere would be saying they make it up as they go along.

Ratajski and Evetts are both heading up towards the Top 64, rather than sliding out of it, and they represent various other desirable things so yes I'm sure they'll be on safe ground if they need it.

[Rogg]

Zeyes (or anyone else who knows), can you please explain why Steve West played Q School in 2015, after winning a Tour Card in 2014?

For the 2014 QS they instituted a rule that players who managed to "extend" a freshly lost tour card would only get 1 year, but get to keep their OOM money (like tour card holders who never lost their card in the first place), and only new card winners got 2 years and had to start from £0.

The next year they decided to let those players choose between the 1- and 2-year option (everybody went for 2 years), and after that the idea was quietly buried.

I wonder what De Zwaan would do, given the choice. He is only £500 off a Matchplay spot (Burton), but all his money will be wiped now. Back to Q-School, back to zero. Most upsetting.

[The Ginge Reaper]

Noticed the oddity that Gibraltans have to enter the British event.

[Rogg]

Noticed the oddity that Gibraltans have to enter the British event.

Looks like someone's gone mad with the red magic marker again.

Gibraltar hosts a Euro Tour, which rather suggests it's Europe in PDC terms. Bizarre.

[Zeyes]

That must have been changed just now, the Google cache version from Monday still had Gibraltar in the Euro list of countries. Maybe the Gibraltans requested it for travel reasons, I dunno.

[The Ginge Reaper]

That must have been changed just now, the Google cache version from Monday still had Gibraltar in the Euro list of countries. Maybe the Gibraltans requested it for travel reasons, I dunno.

Fair point, the only flights from GIB go to the UK or Morocco, unless they want to travel an hour and a half to Malaga.

[Zeyes]

I wonder what De Zwaan would do, given the choice. He is only £500 off a Matchplay spot (Burton), but all his money will be wiped now. Back to Q-School, back to zero. Most upsetting.

Interesting that it would actually be relevant to somebody at this time. The year they were allowed to choose, I think there was only one player for whom you could make any sort of argument for the 1-year option at all - some guy (Johnny Haines, I think it was) with a decent couple of months towards the end of the season, which left him around the cutoff for Euro tour qualifier seedings for the early part of the new season (so not a terribly great value to retain, and he didn't).

Who knows, maybe the choice even still exists and just isn't advertised anywhere.

[Zeyes]

£450 this year!!

[Captain Hobo]

Zeyes (or anyone else who knows), can you please explain why Steve West played Q School in 2015, after winning a Tour Card in 2014?

For the 2014 QS they instituted a rule that players who managed to "extend" a freshly lost tour card would only get 1 year, but get to keep their OOM money (like tour card holders who never lost their card in the first place), and only new card winners got 2 years and had to start from £0.

The next year they decided to let those players choose between the 1- and 2-year option (everybody went for 2 years), and after that the idea was quietly buried.

Thanks Zeyes

[Rogg]

£450 this year!!

Link: https://www.pdpa.co.uk/pdpa/q-school/

[Rogg]

The UK Qualifying School at the Robin Park Tennis Centre in Wigan: Will be open to players from the UK, Ireland, Gibraltar and Rest of the World (non-European countries).

The European Qualifying School will be open to players who are citizens of European nations including: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine.

*Players from other nations may choose in which Qualifying School to participate*

What 'other nations'? Is it France?

[The Ginge Reaper]

The UK Qualifying School at the Robin Park Tennis Centre in Wigan: Will be open to players from the UK, Ireland, Gibraltar and Rest of the World (non-European countries).

The European Qualifying School will be open to players who are citizens of European nations including: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine.

*Players from other nations may choose in which Qualifying School to participate*

What 'other nations'? Is it France?

America, Canada etc etc...

[Rogg]

The UK Qualifying School at the Robin Park Tennis Centre in Wigan: Will be open to players from the UK, Ireland, Gibraltar and Rest of the World (non-European countries).

The European Qualifying School will be open to players who are citizens of European nations including: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine.

*Players from other nations may choose in which Qualifying School to participate*

What 'other nations'? Is it France?

America, Canada etc etc...

Yeah but at the top it says 'Rest of the World (non-European countries)' go to the UK school. That'll be US, Canada etc.

If you're not UK, Ireland, Gibraltar, Europe or Rest of the World then you're not on Earth.

[Rogg]

PDC site link now, didn't even notice it before, dopey:
https://www.pdc.tv/news/2017/11/29/2018 ... entry-info

[Rogg]

ahhh the PDPA site is lagging behind. On the new PDC article they have removed 'Rest of the World' from the UK school, look.
Jeff Smith, Cadby and the lads can now choose which school they prefer, it seems.

UK Qualifying School is open to players with the following nationalities:
England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Gibraltar.

European Qualifying School is open to players with the following nationalities:
Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine

Players from other nations may choose in which Qualifying School to participate.

[Rogg]

Tightening up their Challenge Tour.

In a change from 2017, the 2018 PDC Unicorn Challenge Tour will only be open to players who competed in the two Qualifying Schools - there will be no "Challenge Tour Only" membership of the PDPA available.

In addition, the field of 128 players for Players Championship tournaments will be topped up by players from the Challenge Tour Order of Merit in 2018, rather than from the Qualifying School Order of Merit.

[The Ginge Reaper]

Much fairer way of doing it, in all honesty.

[Captain Hobo]

Much fairer way of doing it, in all honesty.

Yes, removes the incentive to miss out on a tour card if you are high on the Q School OOM

[Rogg]

Much fairer way of doing it, in all honesty.

Gone are the days of players trying to finish just outside the tour card spots, in order to do both tours, and to avoid paying the tour card upgrade fee. Looking at you Kirk Shepherd.

[The Ginge Reaper]

Much fairer way of doing it, in all honesty.

Yes, removes the incentive to miss out on a tour card if you are high on the Q School OOM

Although by the same token it could mean a lot of no shows in the later Q School events as the incentive to finish 50th rather than 250th has vanished.