NORTH AMERICAN QUARTET CONFIRMED AS DARTS STARS PREPARE FOR MADISON SQUARE GARDEN DEBUT

Jeff Smith, Danny Baggish, Matt Campbell and Jules van Dongen will all compete in the Bet365 US Darts Masters at Madison Square Garden in June, with four further spots for north American players on offer in May's CDC Qualifiers.

The World Series of Darts will visit New York for the first time on June 3-4, with the US Darts Masters being played alongside the North American Championship in two days of top-class action in the Hulu Theater at MSG.

CDC Continental Cup winner Smith (New Brunswick, Canada) and top-ranked American ace Baggish (Florida), both former North American Championship winners, will headline the eight regional representatives who take on eight PDC stars on the MSG stage.

They are joined by two new 2022 PDC Tour Card Holders, Dutch-born, Missouri-based Van Dongen - with "The Dutch Dragon" having won through Qualifying School in January - and Canadian thrower Campbell (Ontario), who starred on the Challenge Tour last year to secure his spot on the professional circuit.

A further four places in both the US Darts Masters and North American Championship will be on offer in the CDC Qualifiers.

All eight north American players will compete in the US Darts Masters, which is held on June 3-4, as well as in the afternoon session on June 4 in the North American Championship.

"With just over three months to go until we visit New York, it's great to be able to confirm the first four north American competitors for the Bet365 US Darts Masters," said PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter.

"Having four players from north America as PDC Tour Card Holders shows the strength of the sport now in the US and Canada, and it's been encouraging to see the progress which emerging players have made in recent years.

"With the US Darts Masters and North American Championship having been effectively on hold for the past two years, we're all even more excited to be finally heading to Madison Square Garden in June and I know that expectation is shared by the competing players."

The open qualifying events will be staged on Friday May 13 ahead of the opening weekend of the 2022 Championship Darts Circuit.

Two individual qualifying events will take place on May 13, costing $30 each to enter, with the winner from each event qualifying by right to compete in New York, alongside the top two players from an Order of Merit based on the two events.

Entry information will be released via champdarts.com in due course.

"The last few years have been fantastic for North American darts," said Peter Citera, CEO of Championship Darts Corporation.

"Our players keep getting stronger and stronger and I'm confident that anyone who takes the stage in the Big Apple will have the ability to go on a deep run in the World Series event.

"Don't be surprised if it's one of ours holding the big trophy on Saturday night!"