Michael van Gerwen will defend his World Grand Prix title next month but Phil Taylor will not compete.
Taylor, an 11-time winner of the Grand Prix in Dublin, has opted against playing as he continues to wind down his career before retiring in January.
Taylor's absence has opened the door to Robert Thornton, the world No 17, who won the tournament in 2015 by upsetting Van Gerwen in the final.
The £400,000 Grand Prix pits the world's 16 highest ranked players against 16 qualifiers from the one-year ProTour Order of Merit.
Van Gerwen, Gary Anderson, Peter Wright, Adrian Lewis, Dave Chisnall, Mensur Suljovic, Michael Smith and Raymond van Barneveld will be the eight seeded entries.
The World Grand Prix is live on Sky Sports from Sunday October 1.
PDC Order of Merit Qualifiers (Seeding in brackets)
Michael van Gerwen (1), Gary Anderson (2), Peter Wright (3), Adrian Lewis (4), Dave Chisnall (5), Mensur Suljovic (6), Michael Smith (7), Raymond van Barneveld (8), Jelle Klaasen, James Wade, Daryl Gurney, Kim Huybrechts, Ian White, Benito van de Pas, Simon Whitlock, Robert Thornton.
ProTour Order of Merit Qualifiers
Rob Cross, Alan Norris, Joe Cullen, Mervyn King, Gerwyn Price, Steve Beaton, Kyle Anderson, Cristo Reyes, Darren Webster, Stephen Bunting, Christian Kist, John Henderson, Justin Pipe, Steve West, Richard North, Ronny Huybrechts.
The biggest names in darts will return to Dublin's Citywest Hotel from October 1-7 for the 2017 World Grand Prix and you will be able to watch all the action with us on Sky Sports
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