THE Professional Darts Corporation is supporting the launch of the Australian Open, a new tournament to be staged from 21-23 September 2007 with the winner guaranteed a place in the inaugural Grand Slam of Darts.
The $47,500 Australian Open will be the richest ever in the history of Antipodean darts, and will be held at White Eagle House, Geelong, Victoria in September.
The top 12 players in the Australian Grand Prix rankings will qualify automatically for the tournament, along with four Wildcards, with the remaining 16 places coming from a series of qualifiers open to Australian Residents.
Eight players will qualify from a Friday Night Frenzy event on 21 September, with a further four coming from Saturday's Second Qualifier and the final four players coming from the Last Chance Qualifier later on Saturday.
The winner will receive $10,000 and a place in the Grand Slam of Darts, which is being staged at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall in November, as well as flights and accommodation worth $3,000.
The runner-up will be awarded $5,000, with the losing semi-finalists earning $2,000.
"This is another significant development for Australian darts," said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn.
"Dart Players Australia have shown their commitment to the sport with the expansion of the Australian Grand Prix, the Oceanic Masters and the William Cross Pro-Am.
"This event will give one of their leading players the chance to challenge the best in the world in the Grand Slam of Darts, and we are excited to see how they fare.
"I'm sure competition will be fiercer than ever on the Australian circuit this year for this event and places in the Ladbrokes.com World Championship."