THE fight for places in the Betfair World Matchplay will go all the way to the wire in the final qualifying event before the cut-off at this weekend's European Darts Open in Dusseldorf.
The Betfair World Matchplay, which will be played from July 21-29 at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, will see the world's top 16 joined by the top 16 non-qualified players from the ProTour Order of Merit.
Colin Lloyd's victory in last Sunday's Players Championship has seen him return to the world's top 16, with the £6,000 prize money seeing him jump above Vincent van der Voort into 16th place.
The Dutchman could still reclaim a top 16 spot depending on his result in the European Tour event this weekend - with Wayne Jones, Ronnie Baxter, Mervyn King, Jamie Caven and even Andy Smith able to break into the top 16 depending on their results in Dusseldorf.
Van der Voort - like Lloyd should he drop out of the top 16 - will still qualify for the World Matchplay via the ProTour Order of Merit, with only Jones of the players ranked just outside the top 16 of the main Order of Merit not yet in a provisional qualifying place for Blackpool.
However, the race for qualifying places through the ProTour Order of Merit continues to intensify ahead of the final event in Dusseldorf - which offers £82,100 in prize money.
Steve Beaton currently occupies the 16th provisional qualifying place on £7,600, with Jamie Caven (£7,800), Peter Wright and Joe Cullen (£8,000) just above him, with John Part leading the chasing pack aiming to snatch a Blackpool spot next weekend.
The European Tour prize money could still cause some changes, with the following prize money breakdown on offer in Dusseldorf:
Winner £15,000
Runner-Up £7,500
Semi-Finalists £5,000
Quarter-Finalists £3,000
Third Round Losers £1,500
Second Round Losers £1,000
First Round Losers £200
The draw for the Betfair World Matchplay is expected to be made on Sunday night at the end of the European Tour event in Dusseldorf, following the confirmation of the 32-player field.
Tickets for the event are still available by calling the Winter Gardens Box Office on 0844 856 1111 or by visiting www.blackpoollive.com.
Current PDC Top 16
At July 2 2012
| 1 | Phil Taylor | £637,100 |
| 2 | Adrian Lewis | £543,300 |
| 3 | James Wade | £369,100 |
| 4 | Gary Anderson | £279,300 |
| 5 | Wes Newton | £225,600 |
| 6 | Simon Whitlock | £216,800 |
| 7 | Raymond van Barneveld | £202,100 |
| 8 | Andy Hamilton | £199,800 |
| 9 | Mark Webster | £181,700 |
| 10 | Terry Jenkins | £172,900 |
|
11 |
Kevin Painter | £157,400 |
| 12 | Justin Pipe | £140,400 |
| 13 | Dave Chisnall | £129,100 |
| 14 | Mark Walsh | £128,200 |
| 15 | Paul Nicholson | £126,850 |
| 16 | Colin Lloyd | £124,900 |
| -- | ||
| 17 | Vincent van der Voort | £124,500 |
| 18 | Wayne Jones | £122,000 |
| 19 | Ronnie Baxter | £120,900 |
| 20 | Mervyn King | £117,600 |
| 21 | Jamie Caven | £113,400 |
| 22 | Andy Smith | £110,300 |
ProTour Order of Merit Qualifiers
At July 2 2012
| 1 | Kim Huybrechts | £18,700 |
| 2 | Michael van Gerwen | £17,500 |
| 3 | Ronnie Baxter | £16,500 |
| 4 | Ian White | £13,600 |
| 5 | Michael Smith | £13,200 |
| 6 | Andy Smith | £12,600 |
| 7 | Brendan Dolan | £12,400 |
| 8 | Dean Winstanley | £9,300 |
| 9 | Richie Burnett | £9,200 |
| 10 | Vincent van der Voort | £8,800 |
|
11 |
Mervyn King | £8,600 |
| 12 | Robert Thornton | £8,600 |
| 13 | Joe Cullen | £8,000 |
| 14 | Peter Wright | £8,000 |
| 15 | Jamie Caven | £7,800 |
| 16 | Steve Beaton | £7,600 |
| -- | ||
| 17 | John Part | £7,000 |
| 18 | James Hubbard | £6,600 |
| 19 | Colin Osborne | £6,600 |
| 20 | Darren Webster | £6,600 |
| 21 | Dennis Smith | £5,600 |
| 22 | James Richardson | £5,300 |
| 23 | Co Stompe | £5,100 |
Click here to see the latest PDC Order of Merit
Click here to see the latest ProTour Order of Merit