Michael van Gerwen,
Peter Wright and
Michael Smith will not be competing in the
European Darts Matchplay this weekend. The PDC reports that the trio have withdrawn ahead of the draw which was completed this afternoon.
For Van Gerwen, the likelihood is that he is managing his schedule due to recent surgery which saw 'Mighty Mike' get treated for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome albeit with a sudden return to the oche only days after to play at the Dutch Darts Masters.
While for Wright and Smith, it will also be potentially due to scheduling with players speaking about the toll the schedule has taken in recent times and will be taking a weekend off ahead of ProTours in the lead up towards the World Matchplay.
As a result, Gabriel Clemens, Jeffrey de Zwaan and Luke Woodhouse have all received byes into the second round on Saturday.