Wessel Nijman spearheaded a strong Dutch showing as he, Niels Zonneveld and Jimmy van Schie progressed from the 2026 Winmau World Masters Preliminary Rounds in Milton Keynes on Wednesday.
A total of 120 players competed for eight places in the main event, which runs from Thursday January 29 to Sunday February 1 at Arena MK. Nijman emerged as the highest-ranked qualifier, producing a series of commanding displays to secure his spot in the 32-player field.
The 25-year-old eased past Stefan Bellmont and Niko Springer in straight sets before averaging close to 106 to overcome Gabriel Clemens, avenging his defeat to the German at last month’s World Championship. Nijman will now face 2025 runner-up Jonny Clayton in round one.
Zonneveld also impressed, defeating Jesus Salate and Henry Coates before seeing off Kim Huybrechts to earn a clash with two-time World Champion Gary Anderson. Van Schie marked his first PDC ranking event in style, eliminating Ritchie Edhouse and Scott Williams, along with Tytus Kanik, Chris Landman and Richard Veenstra, to set up a tie against Ross Smith.
James Hurrell delivered one of the standout performances of the day, averaging 111.33 against Joe Cullen en route to qualifying, and he will now meet Gerwyn Price. Swedish number one Jeffrey de Graaf advanced to face Stephen Bunting, while Madars Razma booked a showdown with James Wade.
Connor Scutt and Shane McGuirk completed the qualifiers and will take on Josh Rock and Nathan Aspinall respectively. Notably, former World Champions Peter Wright and Michael Smith exited early, while Jamai van den Herik landed a nine-darter despite failing to qualify.
The tournament will be played in a set format, with the champion set to claim £100,000 in prize money.
Source: PDC.TV
