DART PLAYERS AUSTRALIA will follow the example of the Professional Darts Corporation in adopting an Order of Merit for the 2008 Australian Grand Prix.
The AGP features a series of events across Australia during each year, with the champion winning a place at the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship.
Currently, the system employs ranking points, with ten points for the winner of a tournament moving down to two points for reaching the last 16.
However, the DPA have announced that, from 2008 onwards, they will use prize money won in tournaments on the AGP circuit to determine their Order of Merit.
The new AGP season will commence on 1-2 December 2007 with the inaugural DPA Australian Singles tournament, which will be held in Unanderra, NSW.
The Order of Merit will also be used to select players for the Australian team which will play against top PDC players in the William Cross Pro-Am and also meet rivals New Zealand in an international clash during the 2008 Oceanic Masters.
Simon Whitlock currently heads the AGP rankings for this year, with four tournaments remaining.
The Inland Open in NSW on 15-16 September offers double points and is followed a week later by the first ever DPA Australian Open.
The Gaels Club Open in Penrith follows on 6-7 October and the final event is the Pine Rivers Open in Queensland on 13-14 September.
This year's Oceanic Masters is being held for the first time in New Zealand on 27-28 October at the Hornby & Cashmere Clubs in Christchurch.