DRAW PDC Players Championship 8 | Van Gerwen, Anderson and Clayton return to hunt for Pro Tour glory

The Players Championship 8 draw delivers immediately, with several of the biggest names handed awkward opening ties rather than routine starts as the ProTour moves straight on from the previous event.

Jonny Clayton against Jeffrey De Zwaan is the standout matchup, while Michael van Gerwen and Peter Wright are both handed openings that require a solid start. Ryan Searle returns after beating Alan Soutar in the Players Championship 7 final and faces Christian Kist.

Clayton’s meeting with De Zwaan is the pick of the round. Van Gerwen opens against Cor Dekker, while Wright faces Viktor Tingstrom. Both will expect to progress, but neither can afford a slow start.

Dave Chisnall against Carl Sneyd and Dimitri Van den Bergh against Darryl Pilgrim are two more ties that stand out, while Gary Anderson meets Charlie Manby and James Wade takes on Tommy Morris. Chris Dobey begins against Filip Bereza, and Ross Smith faces Jeffrey Sparidaans.

Wessel Nijman, one of the most consistent performers across the opening events, takes on Dominik Gruellich. Joe Cullen faces Samuel Price, Damon Heta takes on Derek Coulson, and Stephen Bunting meets Owen Bates. Andrew Gilding against James Hurrell and Daryl Gurney against Scott Williams are also part of a busy opening round.