Grand Slam | Top 32 Players not qualified 🏴 Clayton 🏴 Aspinall 🏴 Price 🇦🇺 Heta 🏴 Dobey 🏴 Searle 🏴 Cullen 🏴 Gilding 🇳🇱 van Duijvenbode 🇬🇧 Gurney 🇳🇱 van Barneveld 🇩🇪 Clemens 🇵🇱 Ratajski 🇬🇧 Dolan
These are the five biggest absentees at the 2024 Grand Slam of Darts
PDCSaturday, 02 November 2024 at 06:00
Every year there are always surprising absentees at the Grand Slam of Darts. The finalists of the major tournaments force a spot for this tournament, while the Euro Tour winners were also eventually automatically seeded. Completing the list of participants are eight winners on the secondary tours and the eight winners of the Tour Card-qualifying tournament.
Because there were relatively many surprise finalists at the major tournaments this season, a lot of established names were condemned to play the very last qualifying tournament. The qualifier became a battleground, where a lot of top players missed the boat for good.
Among others, Raymond van Barneveld, Joe Cullen, Dirk van Duijvenbode, Daryl Gurney and Ryan Searle will not be present in Wolverhampton from November 9 to 17, and these are not even the five biggest absentees. As many as four players from the world's top-10 missed out on qualifying for the 2024 Grand Slam of Darts. According to Dartsnews.com, these are the five most notable absentees.
Gerwyn Price
The winner of Grand Slam of Darts in 2018, 2019 and 2021 will not be there in Wolverhampton. Gerwyn Price seemed to be skipping the Grand Slam of Darts anyway, as 'The Iceman' announced after the European Darts Championship that he was only going to play the Players Championship Finals and the World Darts Championship.
However, the Welshman changed his mind and decided to appear at the qualifying tournament for Tour Card holders on Friday after all. The world number eight worked his way convincingly past Jurjen van der Velde (5-2) and Robert Owen (5-2), but then got surprised by Mickey Mansell (5-3) in the final round.
At the majors this season, Price never came close to a final this season, not even a quarterfinal was in 2024 for the former rugby player. In the final of the International Darts Open in April, "The Iceman" lost to Martin Schindler (8-5). Had he won that match, Price would have been at the Grand Slam.
In 2022, Price reached the quarter-finals at the Grand Slam of Darts, the result he thus had to defend this year in the world rankings. So his absence means that 25,000 pounds will soon disappear from his ranking.
Three-time Grand Slam winner Gerwyn Price is the biggest absentee in Wolverhampton
Nathan Aspinall
Fans at the Aldersley Leisure Village will have to do without The Killers' sing-along Mr. Brightside this year, as Nathan Aspinall also failed to qualify.
The Englishman was injured in his throwing arm for much of this season, but has been symptom-free for several weeks. However, it was not in time to play himself into top form. Aspinall, who did make the semifinals at the Masters early this year, lost in the penultimate round of the qualifying tournament to Cameron Menzies.
As a result, Aspinall will lose a good amount of his ranking, because two years ago Aspinall was in the final of the Grand Slam of Darts. That performance earned him 70,000 pounds at the time.
Nathan Aspinall was still in the final of the Grand Slam of Darts in 2022
Chris Dobey
Surely the biggest unlucky player is Chris Dobey. 'Hollywood' was the best player on the floor this season with three Players Championship titles. Normally, that is more than enough for a spot on the Grand Slam of Darts.
However, Dobey was unlucky to have too many different major finalists this season. The course of the European Championship ultimately proved disastrous for the Englishman. With Ritchie Edhouse and Jermaine Wattimena, there were two players there who very surprisingly managed to reach the final match. That ultimately cost Dobey his spot in Wolverhampton.
The world number 13 still tried at the qualifying tournament, where he started with a 5-3 victory over Keegan Brown. In his second match, however, Dobey went down 5-3 against Jeffrey de Graaf.
For Dobey, his absence from the Grand Slam of Darts has no immediate impact on the world rankings. The 34-year-old darter from Bedlington was also absent two years ago, and thus has no prize money at stake.
Jonny Clayton
Looking at the world rankings, Jonny Clayton is the highest ranked absentee at the Grand Slam of Darts. 'The Ferret' is the current world number five and missing for the first time since 2019.
The qualifying tournament was soon over for 'The Ferret' on Friday, who lost in his opening match to Madars Razma (5-3). Like his compatriot Price, Clayton was one win away from a spot at the Grand Slam of Darts earlier this year. He lost in the final of the Euro Tour tournament in Rosmalen to Josh Rock, who did qualify as a result.
The absence of Price and Clayton, among others, ensures that for the first time since 2014 there is no Welsh player competing at the Grand Slam of Darts. There is a very small chance that this will change; Clayton is, in fact, the first reserve for the tournament.
In 2022, Clayton reached the second round at the Grand Slam of Darts. So that means that 12,500 pounds will disappear from his ranking after the upcoming edition. Because three of the four players directly behind him are also missing, Clayton will presumably have to drop a maximum of one place on the PDC Order of Merit.
The world number five is also absent from the Grand Slam of Darts
Damon Heta
What applied to Chris Dobey also applies, to a slightly lesser extent, to Damon Heta. Normally, "The Heat's" performance would have been enough to secure a spot at the Grand Slam of Darts without a qualifying tournament.
Indeed, Heta won two Players Championship tournaments this season. Also, the Australian was close to a final place at the UK Open, where Heta lost to Dimitri van den Bergh in the semifinals.
The former World Cup winner was up against a strong Ryan Joyce in Friday's qualifying tournament, who eventually did get away with a starting ticket. Heta does not lose much prize money in the world rankings due to his absence. 'The Heat' was there two years ago, but was then eliminated in the pool stage. The loss is ultimately eight thousand pounds for the number nine in the world rankings.
There is no Oceanic representation this year at the Grand Slam of Darts
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