2016 PDC Pro Tour

Prize money for each Players Championship increased from £60,000 to £75,000 per event. The UK Open Qualifiers and European Tour events stayed the same as in 2015.^[1]

This is how the prize money is divided:

128 players are granted Tour Cards, which enables them to participate in all Players Championships, UK Open Qualifiers and European Tour events.

The 2016 Tour Cards are awarded to:

• (63) The top 64 players from the PDC Order of Merit after the 2016 World Championship.
  • Kevin McDine resigned his card.
• (27) The 27 of 34 qualifiers from 2015 Q-School not ranked in the top 64 of the PDC Order of Merit following the World Championship.
  • Steve Douglas resigned his card.
• (2) Two highest qualifiers from 2015 Challenge Tour (Jan Dekker and Richie Corner).
  • Jan Dekker is also in the top 64 of the PDC Order of Merit, and therefore, a Pro Tour Card was awarded to Shaun Griffiths, who finished third on the Challenge Tour Order of Merit.
• (2) Two highest qualifiers from 2015 Development Tour (Mike De Decker and Bradley Kirk).
  • Bradley Kirk turned down his Tour Card, which was subsequently awarded to Berry van Peer.
• (2) Two highest qualifiers from 2014 Challenge Tour (Mark Frost and Alan Tabern).
• (1) Two highest qualifiers from 2014 Development Tour (Dimitri Van den Bergh and Josh Payne).
  • Dimitri Van den Bergh is also in the top 64 of the PDC Order of Merit, and therefore, one extra Tour Card was awarded to a Q-School qualifier.
• (1) The winner of the 2015 Scandinavian Order of Merit (Kim Viljanen).
• (16) The 16 qualifiers from 2016 Q-School.

Afterwards, the playing field was complemented by the highest qualified players from the Q School Order of Merit until the maximum number of 128 Pro Tour Card players had been reached. In 2016, that meant a total of 14 players qualified this way.

The PDC Pro Tour Qualifying School took place at the Robin Park Tennis Centre in Wigan from January 13–16. The following players won two-year tour cards on each of the days played:

A Q School Order of Merit was also created by using the following points system:

To complete the field of 128 Tour Card Holders, places were allocated down the final Qualifying School Order of Merit. The following players picked up Tour Cards as a result:^[8]

Six qualifiers took place to determine seedings for the 2016 UK Open.

No.	Date	Venue	Winner	Score	Runner-up	Ref.
1	Friday 5 February	Wigan, Robin Park Tennis Centre	Adrian Lewis	6 – 2	Phil Taylor	[10]
2	Saturday 6 February		Michael van Gerwen	6 – 4	Alan Norris	[11]
3	Sunday 7 February		Phil Taylor	6 − 2	Michael van Gerwen	[12]
4	Friday 19 February		Gary Anderson	6 – 1	James Wade	[13]
5	Saturday 20 February		Michael van Gerwen	6 – 2	Gerwyn Price	[14]
6	Sunday 21 February		Michael van Gerwen	6 – 2	Steve Beaton	[15]

There were 20 Players Championship events. In addition, the top 64 of the Players Championship will qualify for the Players Championship Finals.

No.	Date	Venue	Winner	Legs	Runner-up	Ref.
1	Saturday 12 March	Barnsley, Barnsley Metrodome	Peter Wright	6 – 5	Adrian Lewis	[16]
2	Sunday 13 March		Stephen Bunting	6 – 4	Michael van Gerwen	[17]
3	Friday 8 April		Michael van Gerwen	6 – 3	Benito van de Pas	[18]
4	Saturday 9 April		Benito van de Pas	6 – 5	Michael van Gerwen	[19]
5	Sunday 10 April		Ian White	6 – 0	Michael van Gerwen	[20]
6	Saturday 30 April		Josh Payne	6 – 5	James Wade	[21]
7	Sunday 1 May		Gerwyn Price	6 – 3	Peter Wright	[22]
8	Saturday 21 May	Coventry, Ricoh Arena	Gerwyn Price	6 – 1	Jamie Caven	[23]
9	Sunday 22 May		Benito van de Pas	6 – 0	Joe Cullen	[24]
10	Saturday 2 July	Barnsley, Barnsley Metrodome	Dave Chisnall	6 – 2	Steve Beaton	[25]
11	Sunday 3 July		Ian White	6 – 3	Joe Cullen	[26]
12	Saturday 6 August		Gary Anderson	6 – 5	Terry Jenkins	[27]
13	Sunday 7 August		Ian White	6 – 4	Benito van de Pas	[28]
14	Tuesday 20 September		Michael van Gerwen	6 – 0	Mensur Suljović	[29]
15	Wednesday 21 September		Michael van Gerwen	6 – 3	James Wilson	[30]
16	Thursday 22 September		Michael van Gerwen	6 – 5	Steve West	[31]
17	Friday 30 September	Dublin, Citywest Hotel	Michael van Gerwen	6 – 1	Christian Kist	[32]
18	Saturday 1 October		Simon Whitlock	6 – 5	Ronny Huybrechts	[33]
19	Friday 21 October	Barnsley, Barnsley Metrodome	Simon Whitlock	6 – 4	Chris Dobey	[34]
20	Saturday 22 October		Benito van de Pas	6 – 1	Dave Chisnall	[35]

Compared to 2015, there's one European Tour event added on the calendar. In addition, the top 32 of the European Tour will qualify for the European Championship.

No.	Date	Venue	Location	Winner	Legs	Runner-up	Ref.
1	12–14 February	Dutch Darts Masters	Venray, Evenementenhal	(112.26) Michael van Gerwen	6 – 2	Daryl Gurney (96.89)	[36]
2	26–28 March	German Darts Masters	Munich, Ballhausforum	(92.72) Michael van Gerwen	6 – 4	Peter Wright (93.20)	[37]
3	6–8 May	Gibraltar Darts Trophy	Gibraltar, Victoria Stadium	(103.89) Michael van Gerwen	6 – 2	Dave Chisnall (103.19)	[38]
4	13–15 May	European Darts Matchplay	Hamburg, Inselparkhalle	(92.71) James Wade	6 – 5	Dave Chisnall (93.55)	[39]
5	10–12 June	Austrian Darts Open	Vienna, Multiversum Schwechat	(97.34) Phil Taylor	6 – 4	Michael Smith (92.82)	[40]
6	29–31 July	European Darts Open	Düsseldorf, Maritim Hotel	(104.06) Michael van Gerwen	6 – 5	Peter Wright (100.44)	[41]
7	2–4 September	International Darts Open	Riesa, SACHSENarena	(95.15) Mensur Suljović	6 – 5	Kim Huybrechts (93.89)	[42]
8	9–11 September	European Darts Trophy	Mülheim, RWE-Sporthalle	(106.77) Michael van Gerwen	6 – 5	Mensur Suljović (101.26)	[43]
9	16–18 September	European Darts Grand Prix	Sindelfingen, Glaspalast	(105.38) Michael van Gerwen	6 – 2	Peter Wright (102.36)	[44]
10	14–16 October	German Darts Championship	Hildesheim, Halle 39	(97.48) Alan Norris	6 – 5	Jelle Klaasen (89.19)	[45]

The PDC Unicorn Challenge Tour was open to all PDPA Associate Members who failed to win a Tour Card at Qualifying School. The players who finished first and second received two-year Tour Cards to move onto the PDC Pro Tour in 2017 and 2018. In addition, the players who finished from third to eighth will receive free entry to the 2017 PDC Q-School.

No.	Date	Venue	Winner	Legs	Runner-up	Ref.
1	Saturday 19 March	Wigan, Robin Park Tennis Centre	Chris Quantock	5 – 3	Rob Cross	[46]
2			Barry Lynn	5 – 4	Rob Modra	[46]
3	Sunday 20 March		Ritchie Edhouse	5 – 0	Mark Dudbridge	[47]
4			Bryan de Hoog	5 – 4	Peter Hudson	[47]
5	Saturday 28 May		Nick Fullwell	5 – 1	Rob Cross	[48]
6			Adam Hunt	5 – 3	Jamie Bain	[48]
7	Sunday 29 May		Ryan Searle	5 – 2	Mark Dudbridge	[49]
8			Scott Taylor	5 – 4	Barry Lynn	[49]
9	Saturday 25 June	Milton Keynes, Arena MK	Matt Padgett	5 – 4	Lee Evans	[50]
10			Rob Cross	5 – 2	Mark Dudbridge	[50]
11	Sunday 26 June		Richie Burnett	5 – 2	Ryan Searle	[51]
12			Kelvin Hart	5 – 3	René Eidams	[51]
13	Saturday 10 September	Wigan, Robin Park Tennis Centre	Rob Cross	5 – 1	Michael Barnard	[52]
14			Richie Burnett	5 – 1	Arron Monk	[52]
15	Sunday 11 September		Rob Cross	5 – 0	Martyn Turner	[53]
16			Ryan Searle	5 – 1	Barrie Bates	[53]

The PDC Unicorn Development Tour is open to players aged 16–23. The Development Tour is expanded from 16 to 20 tournaments, where event number 20 is the PDC Youth World Championship from the Last 64 onwards. The players who finish first and second on the Order of Merit will receive two-year Tour Cards to move onto the PDC Pro Tour in 2017 and 2018. In addition, the players who finish from third to eighth will receive free entry to the 2017 PDC Q-School.

No.	Date	Venue	Winner	Legs	Runner-up	Ref.
1	Saturday 26 March	Wigan, Robin Park Tennis Centre	Callum Loose	4 – 0	Rowby-John Rodriguez	[54]
2			Steve Lennon	4 – 2	Kurt Parry	[54]
3	Sunday 27 March		Josh Payne	4 – 1	Rowby-John Rodriguez	[55]
4			Adam Hunt	4 – 2	Dean Reynolds	[55]
5	Saturday 23 April	Mülheim, Harbecke Sporthalle	Max Hopp	4 – 2	Steve Lennon	[56]
6			Ross Twell	4 – 2	Adam Hunt	[56]
7	Sunday 24 April		Kenny Neyens	4 – 1	Callum Loose	[57]
8			Dean Reynolds	4 – 3	Rowby-John Rodriguez	[57]
9	Saturday 14 May	Wigan, Robin Park Tennis Centre	Dean Reynolds	4 – 3	Bradley Kirk	[58]
10			Ross Twell	4 – 2	Jimmy Hendriks	[58]
11	Sunday 15 May		Aden Kirk	4 – 3	Keegan Brown	[59]
12			Ross Twell	4 – 3	Luke Humphries	[59]
13	Saturday 3 September		Dean Reynolds	4 – 2	Aaron Dyer	[60]
14			Dimitri Van den Bergh	4 – 2	Steve Lennon	[60]
15	Sunday 4 September		Dean Reynolds	4 – 3	John de Kruijf	[61]
16			Dean Reynolds	4 – 1	Aden Kirk	[61]
17	Saturday 15 October		Dean Reynolds	4 – 3	Justin van Tergouw	[62]
18			Corey Cadby	4 – 2	Jeffrey de Zwaan	[62]
19	Sunday 16 October		Mike De Decker	4 – 3	Berry van Peer	[63]

The Scandinavian Pro Tour had eight events in 2016, with a total of €40,000 on offer. The top player and the runner-up on the SDC Order of Merit 2016 will play in the 2017 World Championship preliminary round.

Leading the overall table, Kim Viljanen and Magnus Caris won their places in the 2017 World Championship.^[64]

No.	Date	Venue	Winner	Legs	Runner-up	Ref.
1	Saturday 30 January	Tuusula, Hotel Gustavelund	Per Laursen	6 – 4	Dennis Nilsson	[65]
2	Sunday 31 January		Kim Viljanen	6 – 3	Magnus Caris	[66]
3	Saturday 19 March	Copenhagen, Hotel Park Inn by Radisson	Daniel Larsson	6 – 5	Magnus Caris	[67]
4	Sunday 20 March		Kim Viljanen	6 – 1	Daniel Jensen	[68]
5	Saturday 27 August	Gothenburg, Apple Hotel	Madars Razma	6 – 0	Aaron Knox	[69]
6	Sunday 28 August		Kim Viljanen	6 – 2	Daniel Larsson	[70]
7	Saturday 8 October		Roland Lenngren	6 – 4	Per Laursen	[71]
8	Saturday 9 October		Magnus Caris	6 – 4	Cor Dekker	[72]

The 6 EADC Pro Tour events and the 2017 World Championship Qualifier were played at Omega Plaza Business Center, Moscow. Players from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine are eligible to play.

No.	Date	Venue	Winner	Legs	Runner-up	Ref.
1	Saturday 27 February	Moscow, Omega Plaza Business Center	Boris Koltsov	6 – 4	Aleksei Kadochnikov	[73]
2	Sunday 28 February		Roman Obukhov	6 – 3	Boris Koltsov	[74]
3	Saturday 26 March		Anton Kolesov	6 – 5	Roman Obukhov	[75]
4	Sunday 27 March		Boris Koltsov	6 – 1	Nikolai Mikhalin	[76]
5	Saturday 23 April		Boris Koltsov	6 – 3	Roman Obukhov	[77]
6	Sunday 24 April		Boris Koltsov	6 – 5	Roman Obukhov	[78]

The Australian Grand Prix rankings are calculated from events across Australia. The top player in the rankings automatically qualified for the 2017 World Championship.

Corey Cadby secured top spot in the Australian Grand Prix rankings and will qualify for the 2017 World Championship. David Platt also won a place in the 2017 World Championship by winning the Oceanic Masters and therefore he will join Cadby and DPNZ qualifier Warren Parry to compete in the World Championship.

No.	Date	Also known as	Winner	Legs	Runner-up	Ref.
1	Friday 5 February	Chester Hill Open 1	Corey Cadby	6 – 5	John Weber	[79]
2	Saturday 6 February	Chester Hill Open 2	David Platt	6 – 2	Harley Kemp	[80]
3	Sunday 7 February	Chester Hill Open 3	Gordon Mathers	6 – 2	Corey Cadby	[81]
4	Friday 4 March	Victoria Open 1	Corey Cadby	6 – 2	David Platt	[82]
5	Saturday 5 March	Victoria Open 2	Corey Cadby	6 – 5	Tyson Hoeful	[83]
6	Sunday 6 March	Victoria Open 3	Corey Cadby	6 – 2	Laurence Ryder	[84]
7	Saturday 19 March	DPA Perth Open 1	David Platt	6 – 3	Koha Kokiri	[85]
8	Sunday 20 March	DPA Perth Open 2	David Platt	6 – 4	Corey Cadby	[86]
9	Saturday 2 April	Warilla Bowls Club Open 1	Dave Marland	6 – 5	David Platt	[87]
10	Sunday 3 April	Warilla Bowls Club Open 2	Corey Cadby	6 – 5	Harley Kemp	[88]
11	Saturday 30 April	NDDA Open 1	David Platt	6 – 4	Tic Bridge	[89]
12	Sunday 1 May	NDDA Open 2	David Platt	6 – 1	Tyson Hoeful	[90]
13	Thursday 26 May	DPA Australian Singles	Corey Cadby	6 – 1	Darren Herewini	[91]
14	Friday 27 May	DPA Australian Open	Damon Heta	6 – 1	John Weber	[92]
15	Friday 24 June	Queensland Open 1	David Platt	6 – 2	John Matheson	[93]
16	Saturday 25 June	Queensland Open 2	Corey Cadby	6 – 3	Lucas Cameron	[94]
17	Sunday 26 June	Queensland Open 3	Corey Cadby	6 – 0	Steve MacArthur	[95]
18	Saturday 30 July	Sydney Masters Qualifier 1	Rhys Mathewson	6 – 5	Jeremy Fagg	[96]
19	Sunday 31 July	Sydney Masters Qualifier 2	Cody Harris	6 – 5	Warren Parry	[97]
20	Monday 1 August	Sydney Masters Qualifier 3	David Platt	6 – 4	Harley Kemp	[98]
21	Friday 4 November	Harrows Australian GP 21	Rob Szabo	6 – 0	Damon Heta	[99]
22	Saturday 5 November	Harrows Australian GP 22	Cody Harris	6 – 5	Rhys Mathewson	[100]
23	Sunday 6 November	Harrows Oceanic Masters	David Platt	6 – 0	Cody Harris	[101]
24	Sunday 20 November	Harrows Oceanic Classic	Warren Parry	6 – 4	Tony David

Stages One to Three will count towards the 2016 PDC World Cup of Darts, Stages Four to Seven for the inaugural 2016 Shanghai Darts Masters event and Stage Eight was a qualifier for the 2016 PDC World Youth Championship. Stage Thirteen was for the 2017 PDC World Darts Championship Qualification (see below at International Qualifiers).

No.	Date	Venue	Winner	Sets (Legs)	Runner-up	Ref.
1	Saturday 2 April	Qingdao	Dawei Zhang	2 − 1 (0 − 3, 3 − 1, 3 − 2)	Weihong Li	[102]
2	Saturday 9 April	Guangzhou	Bin Ouyang	2 − 1 (3 − 2, 1 − 3, 3 − 1)	Hu Ling	[103]
3	Saturday 23 April	Ningbo	Lihao Wen	2 − 1 (3 − 1, 2 − 3, 3 − 2)	Jianhua Shen	[104]
4	Saturday 14 May	Jinan	Yanlai Shi	2 − 0 (3 − 1, 3 − 0)	Weihong Li	[105]
5	Saturday 28 May	Hangzhou	Guanshou Ruan	2 − 0 (3 − 0, 3 − 2)	Yuyi Shao	[106]
6	Thursday 9 June	Chongqing	Chenhao Li	2 − 0 (3 − 1, 3 − 1)	Xuejie Huang	[107]
7	Friday 24 June	Shanghai	Qiang Wei	2 − 1 (1 − 3, 3 − 2, 3 − 1)	Fen Fiu	[108]
8	July	Qingdao	Zong Xiao Chen	6 − 4	Luming Zhao	[109]
9	Saturday 27 August	Shenyang	Chengan Liu	2 − 1 (1 − 3, 3 − 2, 3 − 2)	Yuanjun Liu	[109]
10	September	Changsha	Lihao Wen	2 − 0 (3 − 2, 3 − 2)	Wenge Xie	[110]
11	September	Yinchuan	Qiang Wei	2 − 1 (2 − 3, 3 − 1, 3 − 1)	Zong Xiao Chen	[110]
12	Saturday 29 October	Suzhou	Zong Xiao Chen	2 − 0 (3 − 1, 3 − 2)	Yuanjun Liu	[111]

The winner directly qualified for the first round, whereelse the runner-up and the two losers of the semi-finals entered the 2017 PDC World Darts Championship in the preliminary round.

Date	Venue	Winner	Score	Runner-up	Third	Fourth	Ref.
Monday 28 November	Wigan, Robin Park Tennis Centre	Mark Frost	5 − 2	Kevin Simm	Simon Stevenson	John Bowles	[112]