UK Open Darts 2017: Dates, Draw, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview
Mark Webster's match against Stephen Bunting is the marquee game of the draw for the early rounds of the 2017 UK Darts Open at the Butlins resort in Minehead, England, on Friday.
Webster is set to face Bunting in the second round, where the two former semi-finalists will be joined by Robert Thornton. The Thorn will enter at the second round and knows his potential opponent, having been drawn to play the winner of the all-amateur clash between Nicky Bell and Kevin Bambrick.
Preliminary, first- and second-round matches will take place during the afternoon session on the opening day. The heavy hitters will join the tournament later on Friday, meaning two-time winner and defending champion Michael van Gerwen will take to the oche.
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However, there will be one notable omission among the stars of the PDC, with Phil Taylor not scheduled to appear. The Power "continues to scale down his playing commitments ahead of retiring," according to Sky Sports Darts.
For the full draw for the opening two rounds, go to Darts.TV.
Here is what the order of play looks like, followed by viewing info and a preview:
| Date | Time | Session | Round |
| Friday, March 3 | 11:45 a.m./5 p.m. | Afternoon | Preliminary, First and Second |
| Friday, March 3 | 7 p.m./11 p.m. | Evening | Third |
| Saturday, March 4 | 12:30 p.m./5 p.m. | Afternoon | Fourth |
| Saturday, March 4 | 7 p.m./11 p.m. | Evening | Fifth |
| Sunday, March 5 | 12:45 p.m./5 p.m. | Afternoon | Quarter-finals |
| Sunday, March 5 | 7 p.m./11 p.m. | Evening | Semi-finals and Final |
TV: ITV Sport
Live Stream: PDCTV
Preview
Taylor's omission means there will be one less star capable of ending Van Gerwen's dominance. The Dutchman was pushed all the way by the Power in the semi-final of last year's event.
Van Gerwen survived before going on to beat Peter Wright in the final for the second year in a row. Snakebite may have been an annual runner-up recently, but he's playing some fine darts in 2017, having made a strong start in the Premier League.
The other big names from the Coral UK Open Order of Merit set to join in late on Friday include Gary Anderson, perhaps the player currently closest to Van Gerwen in talent. The Flying Scotsman has the ability to cause an upset.
Elsewhere, Adrian Lewis and James Wade will be among those sure to still be in the tournament during its later stages.
Thornton will aim to be in the mix once the big names arrive, as will Vincent van der Voort. The Dutchman will spend the early part of the afternoon session keeping a keen eye on the match between Gary Eastwood and James Wilson, with the winner drawn to face Van Der Voort in Round 2.
In all honesty, though, those in attendance at Minehead will likely be counting the minutes until the third round and its stars gets under way. When that happens, the focus will be on finding out if anyone can finally end Van Gerwen's stranglehold over this competition.
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