THE draw for the first three rounds of the 2019 Ladbrokes UK Open has been made, with the schedule of play confirmed for the festival of darts which begins on Friday March 1 at Butlin's Minehead Resort.
The unique 159-player tournament will be broadcast live from March 1-3 on ITV4 for UK viewers, through PDCTV-HD for Rest of the World Subscribers and through the PDC's series of international broadcast partners.
This year's new format sees PDC Tour Card Holders receive automatic entry into the UK Open, with only Australia's Corey Cadby missing out.
Those 127 players are joined by 16 qualifiers from the 2018 PDC Unicorn Challenge Tour Order of Merit and 16 Rileys Amateur Qualifiers.
The first round of the multi-board event features Tour Card Holders 97-127 along with the 16 Challenge Tour Qualifiers and 16 Rileys Qualifiers.
The action gets underway on Friday at 1100 GMT on Stages 2-8, while the Main Stage action begins at 1200 GMT as former Lakeside Championship finalist Mark McGeeney meets 2018 semi-finalist David Pallett in the pick of the first round ties.
2011 finalist Wes Newton makes his big stage return against Cameron Menzies, while on Stage Two - where the action is streamed through PDCTV-HD on Friday and Saturday - Barry Lynn, who the first Riley's Qualifier to reach the quarter-finals back in the 2016 UK Open, begins his 2019 campaign against Austria's Michael Rasztovits.
Round two will contain the winners from round one along with Tour Card Holders 65-96 as recent Players Championship winner Glen Durrant, the three-time Lakeside Champion, takes on either Rileys Qualifier Daniel Day or Dutch youngster Maik Kuivenhoven.
The second round will also see Canadian talent Dawson Murschell take on Ross Smith and UK Open ever-present Wayne Jones play Vincent Kamphuis.
Friday's opening session will also see round three take place, featuring the winners from round two along with Tour Card Holders 33-64 as Premier League Contenders Dimitri Van den Bergh, Luke Humphries and Nathan Aspinall star on the Main Stage.
Irish favourite Steve Lennon will play James Richardson and Players Championship Finals semi-finalist Danny Noppert faces Northern Irishman Mickey Mansell, while Robert Thornton, the 2012 UK Open champion, is joined by World Matchplay semi-finalist Jeffrey de Zwaan and former World Grand Prix finalist Brendan Dolan in entering the event in round three.
The world's top 32 - including defending champion Gary Anderson, World Champion Michael van Gerwen and former UK Open champions Raymond van Barneveld, James Wade, Adrian Lewis and Peter Wright - come into the event in Friday evening's fourth round.
The action continues on Saturday March 2 with play across two sessions, before Sunday's final stages see the action centred on the Main Stage in the Skyline Pavilion.
From the conclusion of the third round onwards, an open draw will be made live on the Main Stage for each following round with the UK Open's unique open draw format will remain in place.
Players will compete for a tournament record £100,000 top prize, with a total prize fund of £450,000 on offer and being paid down to the last 96.
The Stage Two action on Friday and Saturday will be streamed exclusively for PDCTV-HD subscribers worldwide.
Challenge Tour Qualifier Darren Beveridge has received a bye to the second round.
Live Stats
Main Stage & Stage Two - Click here
Stages Three-Eight - Click here
2019 Ladbrokes UK Open
Friday March 1 – 1100 GMT Start (1200 GMT on Main Stage)
Main Stage
Mark McGeeney v David Pallett - First Round
Wes Newton v Cameron Menzies - First Round
Dawson Murschell v Ross Smith - Second Round
Glen Durrant v Day/Kuivenhoven - Second Round
Portela/Bates v Hughes/Rydz - Second Round
Taylor/Labanauskas v Kevin Burness - Second Round
Luke Humphries v Vincent van der Voort - Third Round
Toni Alcinas v Nathan Aspinall - Third Round
Ricky Evans v Justicia/Thoburn/Dennant - Third Round
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Shepherd/Worsley/Brooks - Third Round
Stage Two
Barry Lynn v Michael Rasztovits - First Round
Jamie Hughes v Callan Rydz - First Round
Dennis Nilsson v Madars Razma - First Round
Mike van Duivenbode v Ted Evetts - First Round
Scott Taylor v Darius Labanauskas - First Round
Wayne Jones v Vincent Kamphuis - Second Round
C Harris/Davey v Adam Hunt - Second Round
Temple/Preston v Arron Monk - Second Round
Shepherd/Worsley v Bradley Brooks - Second Round
Mickey Mansell v Danny Noppert - Third Round
James Richardson v Steve Lennon - Third Round
Baker/Harrington v Krzysztof Ratajski - Third Round
Devon Petersen v Portela/Bates/Hughes/Rydz - Third Round
Stage Three
Conan Whitehead v Michael Burgoine - First Round
Shaun Fox v Andy Jenkins - First Round
Joe Murnan v Mark Frost - First Round
Diogo Portela v Barrie Bates - First Round
Mark Wilson v Mark Dudbridge - Second Round
Nilsson/Razma v McGeeney/Pallett - Second Round
Van Duivenbode/Evetts v George Killington - Second Round
Collins/Rodriguez v Andy Boulton - Second Round
Gabriel Clemens v Zoran Lerchbacher - Third Round
Beveridge/Woodhouse v Chris Dobey - Third Round
Stevenson/Gray/McFarlane v Mark Webster - Third Round
Carlin/Bunse/Michael v Durrant/Day/Kuivenhoven - Third Round
Stage Four
Adam Huckvale v Mark Barilli - First Round
Geert Nentjes v David Evans - First Round
Cody Harris v John Davey - First Round
Kirk Shepherd v Jonathan Worsley - First Round
Matthew Edgar v Gary Eastwood - Second Round
Harry Ward v Browning/L Harris - Second Round
Newton/Menzies v Atkins/Bain - Second Round
Derry/Budgen v Van der Meer/Dootson - Second Round
Richard North v Ronny Huybrechts - Third Round
Ryan Joyce v Owen/Kantele/Lacey - Third Round
Newton/Menzies/Atkins/Bain v Josh Payne - Third Round
Cullen/Robinson/De Sousa/Raman v Van Duijvenbode/Clark/Zonneveld - Third Round
Stage Five
Jose de Sousa v Brian Raman - First Round
Nathan Derry v Lee Budgen - First Round
Vincent van der Meer v Eddie Dootson - First Round
Matt Clark v Niels Zonneveld - First Round
Robert Marijanovic v Davy van Baelen - Second Round
Fox/Jenkins v Mario Robbe - Second Round
Simon Stevenson v Gray/McFarlane - Second Round
Gavin Carlin v Bunse/Michael - Second Round
Wilson/Dudbridge v William O'Connor - Third Round
Fox/Jenkins/Robbe v Jeffrey de Zwaan - Third Round
Collins/Rodriguez/Boulton v Christian Kist - Third Round
Jones/Kamphuis v Taylor/Labanauskas/Burness - Third Round
Stage Six
Jarred Cole v Michael Barnard - First Round
Jason Cullen v Reece Robinson - First Round
Christian Bunse v John Michael - First Round
Martin Atkins v Jamie Bain - First Round
Scott Baker v Ryan Harrington - Second Round
Tony Newell v Huckvale/Barilli - Second Round
Tytus Kanik v Wilkinson/Meeuwisse - Second Round
Lynn/Rasztovits v Whitehead/Burgoine - Second Round
Edgar/Eastwood v Ryan Searle - Third Round
Ward/Browning/Harris v Jan Dekker - Third Round
Temple/Preston/Monk v Robert Thornton - Third Round
Van Duivenbode/Evetts/Killington v Nilsson/Razma/McGeeney/Pallett - Third Round
Stage Seven
Marko Kantele v Chris Lacey - First Round
Lloyd Browning v Lee Harris - First Round
Kevin Thoburn v Matthew Dennant - First Round
Adrian Gray v Ian McFarlane - First Round
Peter Hudson v John Goldie - Second Round
Nentjes/Evans v Cole/Barnard - Second Round
Robert Owen v Kantele/Lacey - Second Round
Murnan/Frost v Ryan Meikle - Second Round
Marijanovic/Van Baelen v Martin Schindler - Third Round
Newell/Huckvale/Barilli v Brendan Dolan - Third Round
Derry/Budgen/Van der Meer/Dootson v Keegan Brown - Third Round
Kanik/Wilkinson/Meeuwisse v Murschell/R Smith - Third Round
Stage Eight
Daniel Day v Maik Kuivenhoven - First Round
Carl Wilkinson v Yordi Meeuwisse - First Round
Terry Temple v Simon Preston - First Round
Robbie Collins v Rowby-John Rodriguez - First Round
Darren Beveridge v Luke Woodhouse - Second Round
Cullen/Robinson v De Sousa/Raman - Second Round
Jose Justicia v Thoburn/Dennant - Second Round
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Clark/Zonneveld - Second Round
Ron Meulenkamp v C Harris/Davey/Hunt - Third Round
Nentjes/Evans/Cole/Barnard v Justin Pipe - Third Round
Murnan/Frost/Meikle v Alan Tabern - Third Round
Lynn/Rasztovits/Whitehead/Burgoine v Hudson/Goldie - Third Round
Schedule of Play
Friday March 1
Afternoon Session (1100 GMT start – 1200 GMT start on Main Stage)
First, Second & Third Rounds
Main Stage, Stage Two & Stages Three-Eight
Evening Session (1900 GMT start)
Fourth Round
Main Stage, Stage Two & Stages Three-Eight
Saturday March 2
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT start)
Fifth Round
Main Stage, Stage Two & Stages Three-Four
Evening Session (1900 GMT start)
Sixth Round
Main Stage & Stage Two
Sunday March 3
Afternoon Session (1245 GMT start)
Quarter-Finals
Main Stage
Evening Session (1900 GMT start)
Semi-Finals & Final
Main Stage
Format
First, Second & Third Rounds - Best of 11 legs
Fourth, Fifth & Sixth Rounds & Quarter-Finals - Best of 19 legs
Semi-Finals & Final - Best of 21 legs
Stage Locations
Main Stage - Skyline Pavilion
Stage Two - Red's
Stages Three-Eight - Centre Stage
Prize Fund
Winner - £100,000
Runner-Up - £40,000
Semi-Finalists - £20,000
Quarter-Finalists - £12,500
Sixth Round Losers - £7,500
Fifth Round Losers - £4,000
Fourth Round Losers - £2,000
Third Round Losers - £1,000
Total - £450,000
