PAUL NICHOLSON will now become one of the eight seeded players for the Sydney Darts Masters, following the suspension to James Wade.
The announcement that Wade has been suspended for four events by the Darts Regulation Authority means that he misses the three-day World Series of Darts tournament in Sydney from August 29-31.
As a result, Nicholson - the PDC world number 19 and Australian World Cup representative who was already set to compete in Sydney as a DPA Invitation - will now move to join the other members of the PDC's top eight invited players as a Seed for the event.
The extra place available amongst the eight Qualifiers will now be allocated to the leading non-qualified player at the Oceanic Masters, which will be held on Wednesday August 28 in Warilla.
Should this initially be a tie between players who reach the Semi-Finals or Quarter-Finals, an appropriate Play-Off will be organised by the PDC Tournament Director to take place in Warilla on August 28 immediately following the conclusion of the Oceanic Masters.
That player will complete the 16-player field for the tournament, which will be held from August 29-31 at Luna Park in Sydney.
The PDC's eight Seeded Players are:
Phil Taylor (1 - England)
Michael van Gerwen (2 - Netherlands)
Adrian Lewis (3 - England)
Simon Whitlock (4 - Australia)
Andy Hamilton (5 - England)
Wes Newton (6 - England)
Raymond van Barneveld (7 - Netherlands)
Paul Nicholson (8 - Australia)
The eight Qualifiers are:
DPA Australian Grand Prix Order of Merit top three - Kyle Anderson, Gordon Mathers, Clinton Bridge
New Zealand Qualifier - Warren Parry
Three Qualifiers - one per day from Qualifying Events on August 25, 26 & 27
Oceanic Masters - leading non-qualified player.
The draw for the Sydney Darts Masters will be made on Wednesday August 28, with the PDC Seeded Players drawn against the eight Qualifiers.
Sydney Darts Masters
Thursday August 29
8pm-11pm Local Time
8x First Round Games
Best of 11 legs
Friday August 30
8pm-11pm Local Time
4x Quarter-Finals
Best of 15 legs
Saturday August 31
8pm-11pm Local Time
Semi-Finals & Final
Best of 19 legs
The draw bracket for the tournament will be:
Phil Taylor (1) v
Paul Nicholson (8) v
Simon Whitlock (4) v
Andy Hamilton (5) v
Michael van Gerwen (2) v
Raymond van Barneveld (7) v
Adrian Lewis (3) v
Wes Newton (6) v