The PDC recently announced that in 2025, European Tour rules will change again, giving more protection for the world's top 16, and in the process making it more challenging for those outside the elite. As such, there have been a growing number of PDC pros speaking out against the changes.
From 2025, the top 16 in the PDC Order of Merit, who were granted automatic entry to the tournaments in 2024, will now automatically advance to the second round. This means that big names such as Michael Van Gerwen, Luke Littler, Luke Humphries and others are automatically in a position that is very advantageous, not only for that one tournament but for the qualification race to tournaments such as the European Championship, the World Grand Prix and more.
The Top 16 on the Pro Tour Order of Merit will be seeded for the first round, meaning 32 players are pre-qualified: the top 16 in the world rankings the 16 highest ranked Pro Tour players, and 16 qualifiers.
Players such as Ryan Searle, William O'Connor and Josh Rock recently showed their displeasure with that rule change.
However, Chris Mason, a former pro darter and currently working as a commentator and analyst, disagrees with the criticism. The 55-year-old Englishman said during ITV's coverage of the recent Winmau World Masters: "Get better. There are still eight places. It's a reflection of how spoiled some of the players have been over the years. Eight places? When the Grand Slam was about in its initial stages, there were two places between seven or eight hundred of us. The opportunities are there."
"If it was just the top 16 in the world ranking, then I would get their gripe. But it's the next 16, a lot of those top 16 will not be playing a lot of Pro Tours, because they will be bogged down by playing in the Premier League and they will pick and choose their events, then it's the next best 16, so be one of them," Mason adds. "If you're an elite player, you should get rewards. It's not just the top 16, it's the next best 16 and there are no more qualifiers. I do not understand the gripe. Be better, practice harder, put more in and shoot for the stars."