The draw has been completed for the US Darts Masters which is the first World Series event of the year with Michael van Gerwen against Darin Young, the standout tie of the first round.
Van Gerwen will take on Michael Smith or Jim Long if he can get through 'Big Daddy'. Defending champion Gary Anderson will face Elliot Milk who was the final player to win outright in the qualifiers.
A potential rematch with Gerwyn Price from their controversial Grand Slam of Darts final could await but Price will also have to get past Gary Mawson first. 'The Iceman' could be seen as the form player in the field with his exploits in Prague which saw him back towards his best including hitting his first nine-darter, he will be hoping to produce similar in Las Vegas.
Rob Cross is set to face off against Leonard Gates with 'Soldier' set to make his
World Series debut against 'Voltage' in what could be a potentially excellent game. He could then face Nathan Aspinall in a repeat of their UK Open final; 'The Asp' takes on Shawn Brenneman on his World Series debut.
Daryl Gurney will take on Daniel Baggish in the penultimate tie and his opponent will either be Peter Wright or Jeff Smith; this is likely one of the more difficult draws of the tournament with of course Smith claiming victory last year in the North American Darts Championship as well as having a wealth of experience. Could 'The Silencer' silence 'Snakebite'?
The tournament will be broadcast by ITV4 tonight,
click here to view the broadcast schedule.
Draw
(1) Michael van Gerwen v Darin Young
Michael Smith v Jim Long
(4) Gary Anderson v Elliot Milk
Gerwyn Price v Gary Mawson
(2) Rob Cross v Leonard Gates
Nathan Aspinall v Shawn Brenneman
(3) Daryl Gurney v Daniel Baggish
Peter Wright v Jeff Smith
Schedule
Gerwyn Price v Gary Mawson
Nathan Aspinall v Shawn Brenneman
Daryl Gurney v Daniel Baggish
Michael Smith v Jim Long
Rob Cross v Leonard Gates
Gary Anderson v Elliot Milk
Peter Wright v Jeff Smith
Michael van Gerwen v Darin Young