Gerwyn Price has landed a wild card spot at the UK Open Pool Championship, but there’s a catch – the tournament runs from May 26-31, which creates a direct clash with the Premier League Darts Play-Offs at The O2 on May 28.
The Welshman, who finished as runner-up in the 2023 Premier League, will be heading to the Brentwood Centre for the prestigious pool event.
It’s quite the competition too, featuring 256 players from over 50 countries battling it out for a share of the impressive £167,500 prize pot.
Whether ‘The Iceman’ actually ends up facing this scheduling dilemma depends entirely on how his darts campaign unfolds over the coming weeks.
Gerwyn Price is set to take part in the UK Open Pool Championship
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Price’s form has dipped noticeably in recent weeks, and he now finds himself in a proper scrap for a play-off berth.
The Markham man has lost three quarter-final matches on the bounce, leaving him just five points clear of fifth spot heading into tonight’s action in Aberdeen.
He faces Stephen Bunting this evening at the P&J Live, with a semi-final place on the line.
It’s worth noting that Price isn’t exactly a stranger to the pool table either.
He competed at last year’s Mosconi Cup and took part in an exhibition Pro-Am event at Alexandra Palace, where he partnered with Milan Patel.
Gerwyn Price returns to the Premier League on Thursday night | PA
The pair beat Ade Oladipo and Hugo Boyle, with Price sinking the winning shot before unleashing his famous celebration scream.
The PDC has confirmed that Price doesn’t need any special permission to take part in the pool championship.
A statement read: “Gerwyn does not require any special dispensation to participate. PDC players are free to take part in non-darts events outside of their playing commitments.”
As for what happens if he does make the play-offs, organisers reckon they know which way he’d lean.
“We are not sure if Gerwyn would play if he were to qualify for Premier League Play-Offs night, but we believe he would choose the darts in the event of a clash!”
Price has always been a multi-sport athlete at heart, having previously turned out in the Welsh Premiership and even enjoyed a brief stint with Glasgow Warriors in the United Rugby Championship.
