Steve Davis earns tilt at 30th World Championship
Davis, 52, who beat Adrian Gunnell 10-4 at Sheffield's English Institute of Sport to earn a place in Thursday's first-round draw, said: "I'm delighted. I felt like a player today. I was really fired up and played half decent."
The six-time world champion, who lost in the first round to eventual semi-finalist Neil Robertson last year, said: "Every appearance is special. No-one can guarantee you'll ever be there again."
Fellow veterans John Parrott and Jimmy White failed to qualify this year while Ireland's Fergal O'Brien beat Scot Alan McManus to secure a berth.