"They want the big names in" - Joe Cullen understands PDC's changes to Euro Tour qualification

Joe Cullen has qualified for the last sixteen of the Masters. 'The Rockstar' battled past Josh Rock in the first round on Friday with a 6-4 victory.

Cullen almost reached the hundred average mark. "It's better than what I thought it was," reflected the 34-year-old Englishman post-match. "I knew I played okay, especially towards the end of the game, I knew I scored pretty well. It's just one of those."

Cullen was also asked for his opinion on the new qualifying format for the European Tour. After all, that qualification format will change in 2024. The biggest switch is that now the top-16 players in the world rankings will also automatically qualify for an event.

In past years, the top-16 of the Pro Tour Order of Merit were invited to a Euro Tour tournament. That remains the case, and they will also make up the top-16 seedings list and enter the tournament from the second round. However, the top-16 of the PDC Order of Merit will also receive an invitation, they will then have to start the tournament from the first round. As a result, there are fewer starting spots to be earned in the qualifying tournament for Tour Card holders. This number has been reduced from 24 to only ten qualifying spots.

"I hear a lot of players criticising and I get it. I get both sides of it," Cullen explains. "They want the big names in but I understand the frustration."