Las Vegas Desert Classic VII
RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD will begin the defence of his PartyPoker.net Las Vegas Desert Classic title against Matt Clark, while Phil Taylor meets Kevin Painter in the first round at Mandalay Bay.
Dutchman van Barneveld claimed the trophy with a defeat of Terry Jenkins in Las Vegas last year, and meets Manchester-based Clark in round one on Thursday.
World number one Taylor, a three-time Desert Classic winner, will take on Kevin Painter in a rematch of their classic 2004 World Championship final.
The televised stages of the tournament kick off on Wednesday when two-time World Champion Dennis Priestley faces Co Stompe, who came through to qualify for his debut in a major PDC tournament less than a month after joining the PDC circuit.
Jenkins drew Ireland^s Mick McGowan, while Wayne Mardle faces Adrian Gray and World Champion John Part takes on Mervyn King before Taylor and Painter come head-to-head.
PDC US Open finalist Colin Lloyd will play Sam Rooney, a qualifier from Hampshire, while Roland Scholten and Barrie Bates meet before Wednesday^s play concludes with US number one Darin Young clashes with Crawley^s Martin Burchell.
Canadian qualifier Shawn Brenneman kicks off Thursday^s play against number six seed Andy Hamilton, while American Bill Davis and Canada^s Gerry Convery meet Mark Walsh and Jelle Klaasen respectively.
Another newcomer to the PDC, Robert Thornton, will meet Adrian Lewis before van Barneveld and Clark face off.
Number three seed James Wade begins his bid for back-to-back titles, following his UK Open triumph last month, against Dennis Smith, while 2003 Desert Classic winner Peter Manley takes on Steve Maish.
Thursday^s final game sees Larry Butler, the 1994 World Matchplay champion and number two from the American rankings, face in-form Alan Tabern.
The tournament will then proceed in a bracket format.
PartyPoker.net
Las Vegas Desert Classic VII
First Round Draw & Bracket
Phil Taylor (1) v Kevin Painter
Dennis Priestley v Co Stompe
Colin Lloyd (8) v Sam Rooney
Wayne Mardle v Adrian Gray
John Part (4) v Mervyn King
Darin Young v Martin Burchell
Terry Jenkins (5) v Mick McGowan
Roland Scholten v Barrie Bates
Raymond van Barneveld (2) v Matt Clark
Larry Butler v Alan Tabern
Adrian Lewis (7) v Robert Thornton
Peter Manley v Steve Maish
James Wade (3) v Dennis Smith
Bill Davis v Mark Walsh
Andy Hamilton (6) v Shawn Brenneman
Gerry Convery v Jelle Klaasen
PartyPoker.net
Las Vegas Desert Classic VII
First Round Schedule of Play
Wednesday 2 July
Dennis Priestley v Co Stompe
Terry Jenkins v Mick McGowan
Wayne Mardle v Adrian Gray
John Part v Mervyn King
Phil Taylor v Kevin Painter
Colin Lloyd v Sam Rooney
Roland Scholten v Barrie Bates
Darin Young v Martin Burchell
Thursday 3 July
Andy Hamilton v Shawn Brenneman
Bill Davis v Mark Walsh
Gerry Convery v Jelle Klaasen
Adrian Lewis v Robert Thornton
Raymond van Barneveld v Matt Clark
James Wade v Dennis Smith
Peter Manley v Steve Maish
Larry Butler v Alan Tabern