The 2022 Cazoo Players Championship Finals begins in Minehead on Friday, as Michael van Gerwen kicks off his bid for a record-extending seventh title in the event on a bumper opening day.
Butlin's Minehead Resort plays host to this year’s showpiece, as the top 64 players from the 2022 Players Championship Order of Merit compete in the £500,000 event from November 25-27.
Play on the opening two days will be split across the Main Stage and Stage Two, with all players competing in Friday's first round, which takes place from 1030-1830 GMT in one action-packed session.
Van Gerwen - eyeing his fourth big-stage title of the year - begins his campaign against Suffolk’s Ryan Meikle in one of 14 Main Stage ties on the opening day.
The Dutchman has celebrated Premier League, World Matchplay and World Grand Prix successes in a trophy-laden 2022 campaign despite needing wrist surgery in June, and is in confident mood ahead of his Minehead return.
“I had to dig deep most of the time but that’s good,” insisted Van Gerwen, who won two of the ten Players Championship events he competed in this year.
“Everyone knows the last few years have been tough for me, but the most important thing is how you battle back and I’ve done that well this year.
“I want to move on, I want to win more tournaments, and the only way you can do that is by working hard and keeping competing.”
Newly crowned Grand Slam of Darts champion Michael Smith also headlines Friday’s action, fresh from lifting his maiden televised ranking title in Wolverhampton last weekend.
The St Helens star dispatched Nathan Aspinall to break his big-stage duck on Sunday, and he’s now setting his sights on back-to-back TV titles ahead of his clash against Ritchie Edhouse.
“It’s a big weight off my shoulders, and now it’s time to step up again,” claimed Smith, seeded sixth this weekend.
“I'm going to enjoy the Grand Slam win, and then Friday is a different event, back on the grind.
“The hard work starts again now, and now I’ve got this one, who knows? I want to be greedy.”
Friday’s first round action will see world number one Gerwyn Price take on Ryan Joyce, with World Grand Prix and Grand Slam runner-up Aspinall set to meet Martijn Kleermaker.
Damon Heta will be the top seed at Minehead following a superb ProTour season, which has seen him scoop two Players Championship titles, reach a final and appear in a further seven semi-finals to top the Players Championship Order of Merit.
Heta also guided Australia to a maiden World Cup of Darts title in June, but after suffering early exits in his last four televised events, he is bidding to recapture the winning formula on the big stage.
“I will always base my game around consistency, so to not bring it out on the big TV stages, that can be disheartening,” admitted the 35-year-old.
“I just want to start going deeper into these TV events, and the more I get into tournaments, the better I will feel and the better I will play.
“I am my own biggest critic, but I’m so proud of what I have achieved so far.”
Peter Wright - who defeated Ryan Searle to lift the title 12 months ago - has withdrawn from the event for family reasons, and his replacement Gian van Veen will play European Champion Ross Smith in round one.
Elsewhere, second seed Luke Humphries meets Nathan Rafferty on the Main Stage, while 2012 finalist Kim Huybrechts faces Grand Slam semi-finalist Raymond van Barneveld.
UK Open champion Danny Noppert and Masters winner Joe Cullen will also feature on the Main Stage, along with former World Champion Rob Cross and ten-time TV title winner James Wade.
The Stage Two action in Reds - which will be streamed worldwide through PDCTV - will see former champions Gary Anderson and Daryl Gurney in first round action on Friday.
Searle and Mervyn King - finalists in 2021 and 2020 respectively – will collide, as 2017 runner-up Jonny Clayton, fourth seed Dirk van Duijvenbode and two-time finalist Adrian Lewis open their campaigns.
Friday's first round winners will progress to compete in two further games on Saturday, with the second round in the afternoon session ahead of the evening's third round.
The tournament then concludes on Sunday November 27, with the afternoon's quarter-finals followed by the semi-finals and final in the evening.
The blockbuster evening session will also see the PDC Winmau World Youth Championship final take place, as Northern Irish star Josh Rock takes on Scotland’s Nathan Girvan for the coveted title.
The Cazoo Players Championship Finals will be broadcast on ITV4 in the UK, through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay.
PDCTV coverage on Friday and Saturday from Stage Two will be available worldwide.
2022 Cazoo Players Championship Finals
Draw Bracket
(1) Damon Heta v (64) Ricardo Pietreczko
(32) Callan Rydz v (33) Madars Razma
(16) Andrew Gilding v (49) Ricky Evans
(17) Adrian Lewis v (48) Keane Barry
(8) Gerwyn Price v (57) Ryan Joyce
(25) Brendan Dolan v (40) Jermaine Wattimena
Gian van Veen * v (56) Ross Smith
(24) Jonny Clayton v (41) John O'Shea
(4) Dirk van Duijvenbode v (61) Mickey Mansell
(29) Daryl Gurney v (36) Keegan Brown
(13) Ryan Searle v (52) Mervyn King
(20) Stephen Bunting v (45) Jamie Hughes
(5) Rob Cross v (60) Kevin Doets
(28) Gabriel Clemens v (37) Gary Anderson
(12) Martin Schindler v (53) Vincent van der Voort
(21) Chris Dobey v (44) Geert Nentjes
(2) Luke Humphries v (63) Nathan Rafferty
(31) Jim Williams v (34) Mike De Decker
(15) Krzysztof Ratajski v (50) William O'Connor
(18) Jose de Sousa v (47) Danny Jansen
(7) Dave Chisnall v (58) Niels Zonneveld
(26) Scott Williams v (39) Alan Soutar
(10) Joe Cullen v (55) Rowby-John Rodriguez
(23) Kim Huybrechts v (42) Raymond van Barneveld
(3) Nathan Aspinall v (62) Martijn Kleermaker
(30) Matt Campbell v (35) Steve Beaton
(14) Danny Noppert v (51) Simon Whitlock
(19) James Wade v (46) Mensur Suljovic
(6) Michael Smith v (59) Ritchie Edhouse
(27) Dimitri Van den Bergh v (38) Martin Lukeman
(11) Josh Rock v (54) Cameron Menzies
(22) Michael van Gerwen v (43) Ryan Meikle
* Peter Wright withdrew, and was replaced by the next-ranked player from the Players Championship Order of Merit, Gian van Veen.
Schedule of Play
Friday November 25 (1030-1830 GMT)
First Round
Main Stage
Rob Cross v Kevin Doets
Joe Cullen v Rowby-John Rodriguez
Damon Heta v Ricardo Pietreczko
James Wade v Mensur Suljovic
Josh Rock v Cameron Menzies
Gian van Veen v Ross Smith
Nathan Aspinall v Martijn Kleermaker
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Martin Lukeman
Danny Noppert v Simon Whitlock
Michael Smith v Ritchie Edhouse
Gerwyn Price v Ryan Joyce
Kim Huybrechts v Raymond van Barneveld
Michael van Gerwen v Ryan Meikle
Luke Humphries v Nathan Rafferty
Stage Two
Andrew Gilding v Ricky Evans
Callan Rydz v Madars Razma
Daryl Gurney v Keegan Brown
Scott Williams v Alan Soutar
Brendan Dolan v Jermaine Wattimena
Jim Williams v Mike De Decker
Krzysztof Ratajski v William O'Connor
Adrian Lewis v Keane Barry
Jose de Sousa v Danny Jansen
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Mickey Mansell
Ryan Searle v Mervyn King
Stephen Bunting v Jamie Hughes
Chris Dobey v Geert Nentjes
Martin Schindler v Vincent van der Voort
Jonny Clayton v John O'Shea
Matt Campbell v Steve Beaton
Gabriel Clemens v Gary Anderson
Dave Chisnall v Niels Zonneveld
Saturday November 26
Afternoon Session (1245-1700 GMT)
Second Round
Main Stage & Stage Two
Evening Session (1900-2300 GMT)
Third Round
Main Stage & Stage Two
Sunday November 27
Afternoon Session (1245-1700 GMT)
Quarter-Finals
Evening Session (1900-2300 GMT)
Semi-Finals
Final
Plus Winmau World Youth Championship Final
Format
First Round - Best of 11 legs
Second Round - Best of 11 legs
Third Round - Best of 19 legs
Quarter-Finals - Best of 19 legs
Semi-Finals - Best of 21 legs
Final - Best of 21 legs
Prize Fund
Winner - £100,000
Runner-Up - £50,000
Semi-Finalists - £25,000
Quarter-Finalists - £15,000
Third Round Losers - £10,000
Second Round Losers - £5,000
First Round Losers - £2,500
Total - £500,000