DARIN YOUNG has topped the 2008 North American Order of Merit, earning him a place in the PartyPoker.com Grand Slam of Darts and the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship.
Young's success in winning the inaugural North American Darts Championship and reaching the second round of the Las Vegas Desert Classic saw him pick up £9,075* in PDC tournaments in North America this year.
He also won prize money in the three Players Championship events held in August and September in Kitchener, Atlanta and Chicago.
Young, from Pennsylvania, will now represent America in November's PartyPoker.com Grand Slam of Darts at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall.
He will also be one of the trio of North Americans to compete in the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace, which begins on December 19.
"Darin deserves this reward for a strong year in the PDC's north American events,," said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn.
"He has consistently been a top player on the USA stage, and I'm sure he's looking forward to returning to the UK later this year."
Young will be joined by Bill Davis in the first round of the World Championship, while third-placed David Fatum - a paramedic firefighter from Arizona who was a semi-finalist in the PDC US Open in May - will play in the preliminary round.
Ray Carver's run to the quarter-finals of the Windy City Open Players Championship last weekend was not quite enough for him to overhaul Fatum - with a defeat to Mark Walsh seeing him finish £375 short of third place.
"We also congratulate Bill and David on their qualification for the World Championship," added Hearn.
"Bill has plenty of experience now in front of the television cameras but David has made a big impact this year and this will be his first taste of the biggest tournament in darts."
* Players who competed in the televised stages of the Las Vegas Desert Classic received 20 percent of their gross prize money on the North American Order of Merit.
Tickets for the PartyPoker.com Grand Slam of Darts and Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship are still available - click here for full details
2008 North American Order of Merit - Final Top Ten
| Position | Name | Total |
| 1 | Darin Young | £9,075 |
| 2 | Bill Davis | £5,725 |
| 3 | David Fatum | £5,475 |
| 4 | Ray Carver | £5,100 |
| 5 | Gary Mawson | £3,900 |
| 6 | Roger Carter | £3,600 |
| 7 | Brad Wethington | £3,500 |
| 8 | Chris White | £3,250 |
| 9 | John Kuczynski | £2,550 |
| 10 | Dan Lauby | £2,175 |