Jonny Clayton has criticised the Grand Slam of Darts qualification process, arguing that the world's top players are not guaranteed a place and comparing the system to the FA Cup without Premier League clubs.
Top 16 players should be in every tournament
The world No.5 was at risk of missing the tournament for the second time in three years because of the obscure requirements to be one of the 48 players competing for the £150,000 winners' prize money. Clayton secured his place by beating Luke Humphries 8-4 in the Swiss Darts Trophy this month, confirming his spot in Wolverhampton.
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Star Sport, via AskGamblers, Clayton said: “To be honest, I've got different opinions on this because I get what they're doing. If you get to a major final, a TV final, yes, obviously you get in. You win on the European Tour, you can get in on that.
“But I do also think that as a top 16 player, you work your a*** off all year, and you miss out on a lot of things, but you work hard. You have to play well to be in the top 16 in the world, so I don't get why the top 16 aren't in every tournament. It's like doing the FA Cup without the Premier League teams in it.
Qualification criteria under scrutiny
Players qualify through performances in TV finals, winning regional PDC Championships, Players Championship events and women's ranking tournaments. The final spots are then settled by Pro Tour Holder qualifiers, which could see the likes of Gary Anderson miss out.
Clayton added: “I'm a little bit on edge with that because we do work hard. It's not easy to be in the top 16 in the world. You give up a lot of things to get where you are and to stay where you are.
“And I think every tournament, in whichever sport that you play in, should have your top players in.”
Clayton's route to Wolverhampton
Clayton no longer needs to worry about qualification after beating Humphries in the final in Basel. The win marks his first ranking title of the year and the fourth European title of his career.
He beat Gian van Veen in the semi-final 7-4 after knocking Karel Sadlacek out in the quarter-final 6-4. He can now look forward to playing in the Grand Slam next month in Wolverhampton.
