FORMER champion Robert Thornton will face either Kevin Bambrick or Nicky Bell on the opening afternoon of the 2017 Coral UK Open, while Mark Webster and Stephen Bunting face an eye-catching second round tie in Minehead next month.
The 2017 Coral UK Open TV Finals will see 128 players compete across three days from March 3-5 at the Butlins Minehead Resort, with live coverage on ITV4 from the multi-board championship.
A total of 96 professional players secured their spots from the UK Open Order of Merit following the six UK Open Qualifiers, and are joined by 32 Rileys Amateur Qualifiers who came through knockouts staged across the UK.
Scottish star Thornton, the 2012 UK Open champion, will be amongst the players to enter at the second round stage in the opening afternoon on Friday March 3, and he has drawn the winner of the first round clash between amateurs Bambrick and Bell.
Bambrick, from Sandwell, won through the Rileys Solihull knockout, while Mansfield Woodhouse-based plasterer Bell came through the Rileys Nottingham event to secure his UK Open place.
Former Lakeside Champions Webster and Bunting - who are also former UK Open semi-finalists - will clash in a tasty second round contest, while former runner-up Vincent van der Voort meets either James Wilson or Rileys Twickenham qualifier Gary Eastwood.
World Championship quarter-finalist Daryl Gurney faces Bristol-based UK Open debutant Ryan Palmer, while youngster Ted Evetts - who landed a nine-darter in one of the six UK Open Qualifiers - drew either amateur ace Brian Dawson or Devon's Paul Milford.
2014 UK Open finalist Terry Jenkins will meet either Wayne Jones or Lee Bryant, South Africa's Devon Petersen comes up against either Hong Kong's Kai Fan Leung or Dutchman Jermaine Wattimena and 2006 runner-up Barrie Bates plays Jeffrey de Graaf.
The first round, which features the players ranked from 65-96 in the UK Open Order of Merit and the 32 Rileys Qualifiers, will include Spain's Antonio Alcinas up against James Richardson.
Another Netherlands-Hong Kong tie sees Ron Meulenkamp meet Ting Chi Royden Lam, while Hampshire amateur Paul Hogan takes on former World Youth Champion Keegan Brown and Jamie Caven faces Rileys Victoria qualifier Dan Read in the other Main Stage tie.
Stage Two will feature Stoke's Mark Frost up against Scotland's Jamie Bain, as well as Jones' clash with Bryant and the all-amateur clashes between Alex Roy - a UK Open ever-present - and Kevin Edwards and Dean Reynolds up against Andy Roberts.
The first round has also pitted veteran Ronnie Baxter against Paul Rowley, Suffolk youngster Ryan Meikle against Dutchman Vincent Kampuis and Wales' Jonathan Worsley against amateur star Dave Prins.
An all-Irish second round tie pits emerging youngster Steve Lennon - a PDC Unicorn Development Tour event winner last year who secured a Tour Card at Qualifying School in January - up against experienced William O'Connor, while former UK Open semi-finalist Andy Jenkins meets Shropshire's David Pallett.
Greece's John Michael will play Peter Hudson, youngster Matthew Dennant - who reached the last 64 in the 2013 UK Open - takes on Austrian debutant Zoran Lerchbacher and Dirk van Duijvenbode plays Stuart Kellett.
The top 32 players from the Coral UK Open Order of Merit will enter the tournament - which features an increased £350,000 prize fund this year - in the third round on Friday evening.
They include reigning champion Michael van Gerwen, who has won the last two UK Opens at Minehead and hit a nine-dart finish in last year's event - while the World Champion also hit two perfect legs in one match during his success in winning Qualifier Four last Friday.
Peter Wright, who won three of the UK Open Qualifiers, and double-winner Simon Whitlock also enter in round three, alongside former UK Open champions Raymond van Barneveld, James Wade and Adrian Lewis and world number two Gary Anderson.
The tournament is the first UK Open which Phil Taylor, the five-time champion between 2003-2013, will miss as he continues to scale down his playing commitments ahead of retiring.
Austria's Mensur Suljovic misses out on the UK Open after missing the six qualifying events for family reasons.
The unique tournament sees play across eight stages simultaneously in the early rounds at the Butlins Minehead Resort, while the open draw can see top names pitted against each other at any stage.
2017 Coral UK Open
First Round
Ryan Murray v John Ferrell
Scott Robertson v Alan Tabern
Johnny Haines v Wayne Morris
Jamie Caven v Dan Read
Rob Hewson v Ritchie Edhouse
Joe Davis v Paul Harvey
Paul Hogan v Keegan Brown
Wayne Jones v Lee Bryant
Mark Frost v Jamie Bain
Brett Claydon v Paul Barham
James Carroll v Brandon Walsh
Alex Roy v Kevin Edwards
Darren Johnson v Jeffrey de Zwaan
Gary Eastwood v James Wilson
Antonio Alcinas v James Richardson
Ron Meulenkamp v Ting Chi Royden Lam
Yordi Meeuwisse v Martin Biggs
Brian Dawson v Paul Milford
Mark Layton v Tony Newell
Paul Cartwright v Matt Padgett
Paul Rowley v Ronnie Baxter
Jimmy McKirdy v Jonny Clayton
Kai Fan Leung v Jermaine Wattimena
Kevin Bambrick v Nicky Bell
Darryl Pilgrim v Ben Green
Lee Evans v Andrew Davidson
Dean Reynolds v Andy Roberts
Jonathan Worsley v Dave Prins
Damian Smith v Brian Woods
Neil Smith v Steve Maish
Ryan Meikle v Vincent Kamphuis
Gareth Pass v Dave Parletti
Second Round
Hogan/Brown v Jamie Lewis
Claydon/Barham v Scott Taylor
Daryl Gurney v Ryan Palmer
Evans/Davidson v Meulenkamp/Lam
Devon Petersen v Leung/Wattimena
Hewson/Edhouse v Jan Dekker
Ted Evetts v Dawson/Milford
Zoran Lerchbacher v Matthew Dennant
Layton/Newell v D Smith/Woods
Carroll/Walsh v Robertson/Tabern
Pilgrim/Green v Caven/Read
Meeuwisse/Biggs v Worsley/Prins
Vincent van der Voort v Eastwood/Wilson
Meikle/Kamphuis v Justin Pipe
David Pallett v Andy Jenkins
Steve Lennon v William O'Connor
Davis/Harvey v Ross Twell
Cartwright/Padgett v Martin Lukeman
Kirk Shepherd v Mark Barilli
Peter Hudson v John Michael
Terry Jenkins v Jones/Bryant
Alcinas/Richardson v N Smith/Maish
Mark Webster v Stephen Bunting
Murray/Ferrell v Andrew Gilding
Pass/Parletti v Roy/Edwards
Rowley/Baxter v Richard North
Frost/Bain v McKirdy/Clayton
Bambrick/Bell v Robert Thornton
Mick McGowan v Reynolds/Roberts
Barrie Bates v Jeffrey de Graaf
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Stuart Kellett
Johnson/de Zwaan v Haines/Morris
Schedule of Play
Friday March 3
Afternoon Session (11.45am-5pm)
First Round & Second Round
Played across eight stages
Main Stage
First Round ** Please note new order of first round games **
Jamie Caven v Dan Read
Antonio Alcinas v James Richardson
Ron Meulenkamp v Ting Chi Royden Lam
Paul Hogan v Keegan Brown
Second Round
Daryl Gurney v Ryan Palmer
Mark Webster v Stephen Bunting
Bambrick/Bell v Robert Thornton
Stage Two
First Round
Mark Frost v Jamie Bain
Wayne Jones v Lee Bryant
Alex Roy v Kevin Edwards
Dean Reynolds v Andy Roberts
Second Round
Kirk Shepherd v Mark Barilli
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Stuart Kellett
Ted Evetts v Dawson/Milford
Meikle/Kamphuis v Justin Pipe
Vincent van der Voort v Eastwood/Wilson
Stage Three
First Round
Ryan Murray v John Ferrell
Scott Robertson v Alan Tabern
Johnny Haines v Wayne Morris
Rob Hewson v Ritchie Edhouse
Second Round
David Pallett v Andy Jenkins
Peter Hudson v John Michael
Zoran Lerchbacher v Matthew Dennant
Hogan/Brown v Jamie Lewis
Stage Four
First Round
Joe Davis v Paul Harvey
Yordi Meeuwisse v Martin Biggs
James Carroll v Brandon Walsh
Brett Claydon v Paul Barham
Second Round
Barrie Bates v Jeffrey de Graaf
Johnson/de Zwaan v Haines/Morris
Terry Jenkins v Jones/Bryant
Rowley/Baxter v Richard North
Stage Five
First Round
Gary Eastwood v James Wilson
Darren Johnson v Jeffrey de Zwaan
Brian Dawson v Paul Milford
Mark Layton v Tony Newell
Second Round
Steve Lennon v William O'Connor
Murray/Ferrell v Andrew Gilding
Claydon/Barham v Scott Taylor
Mick McGowan v Reynolds/Roberts
Stage Six
First Round
Paul Cartwright v Matt Padgett
Paul Rowley v Ronnie Baxter
Jimmy McKirdy v Jonny Clayton
Kai Fan Leung v Jermaine Wattimena
Second Round
Davis/Harvey v Ross Twell
Alcinas/Richardson v N Smith/Maish
Evans/Davidson v Meulenkamp/Lam
Hewson/Edhouse v Jan Dekker
Stage Seven
First Round
Kevin Bambrick v Nicky Bell
Darryl Pilgrim v Ben Green
Lee Evans v Andrew Davidson
Jonathan Worsley v Dave Prins
Second Round
Cartwright/Padgett v Martin Lukeman
Frost/Bain v McKirdy/Clayton
Layton/Newell v D Smith/Woods
Pass/Parletti v Roy/Edwards
Stage Eight
First Round
Damian Smith v Brian Woods
Neil Smith v Steve Maish
Ryan Meikle v Vincent Kamphuis
Gareth Pass v Dave Parletti
Second Round
Pilgrim/Green v Caven/Read
Carroll/Walsh v Robertson/Tabern
Devon Petersen v Leung/Wattimena
Meeuwisse/Biggs v Worsley/Prins
Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Third Round
Played across eight stages
Saturday March 4
Afternoon Session (12.30pm-5pm)
Fourth Round
Played across four stages
Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Fifth Round
Played on Main Stage & Stage Two
Sunday March 5
Afternoon Session (12.45pm-5pm)
Quarter-Finals
Played on Main Stage
Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Semi-Finals
Final
Played on Main Stage
Format
First Round - Best of 11 legs
Second Round - Best of 11 legs
Third Round - Best of 19 legs
Fourth Round - Best of 19 legs
Fifth 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 £70,000
Runner-Up £35,000
Semi-Finalists £17,500
Quarter-Finalists £11,500
Fifth Round Losers £6,500
Fourth Round Losers £3,500
Third Round Losers £1,750
Total £350,000
Top 32 Ranked Players (enter at Third Round stage)
Peter Wright, Simon Whitlock, Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson, Michael Smith, James Wade, Ian White, Adrian Lewis, Raymond van Barneveld, Mervyn King, Steve Beaton, Dave Chisnall, Jelle Klaasen, Benito van de Pas, Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price, Darren Webster, Kim Huybrechts, Ronny Huybrechts, Alan Norris, Brendan Dolan, John Henderson, Kyle Anderson, Kevin Painter, Cristo Reyes, Christian Kist, Chris Quantock, Chris Dobey, Ricky Evans, Joe Cullen, Mick Todd, Ryan Searle.