THE Professional Darts Corporation will increase the prize money for the 2008 European Championship in the first phase of its expansion in Holland.
The inaugural European Championship, which will be staged in Holland from October 30-November 2 will now boast a 300,000 euro prize fund, with 60,000 euro to the winner.
The PDC also plan to stage a non-ranked Dutch Masters in the Spring of 2009, which will be a 16-man event featuring the top eight non-Dutch players from the PDC Order of Merit and the top eight Dutchmen from the PDC Order of Merit.
"We are committed to providing darts fans in Holland with the best quality darts available, and these two tournaments will do just that," said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn.
"This is the beginning of a new era of darts in Holland, with prize money never seen before and major tournaments played to and staged at the highest standards in the sport."
The top 16 players in the PDC Order of Merit on October 13 2008 following the SkyBet World Grand Prix will automatically qualify for the European Championship.
They will be joined by the top eight non-qualified players from the Players Championship Order of Merit on the same date, plus the top four players from the European Order of Merit, which is comprised of prize money won by non-UK European players in the following events:
Players Championship (Germany, 22 March)
Players Championship (Germany, 23 March)
Antwerp Darts Trophy (12 April)
Open Holland Masters (16 April)
German Players Championship (25 October)
The remaining four places will be open to PDPA members at a knockout qualifier to be held on Sunday October 26 in Germany, following the previous day's Players Championship.
The PDC can also announce that they are to increase the prize money from the £200,000 previously announced to 300,000 euro - with 60,000 euro to the winner.
The full breakdown of the new prize fund is:
|
|
euro |
£ * |
|
Winner |
60,000 |
44,450 |
|
Runner-Up |
30,000 |
22,225 |
|
3-4th |
17,000 |
12,600 |
|
5-8th |
12,000 |
8,900 |
|
9-16th |
8,000 |
5,920 |
|
17-32nd |
4,000 |
2,960 |
|
Total |
300,000 |
222,250 |