DAWSON MURSCHELL spoke of his love for Las Vegas and his big ambitions in the sport ahead of his return to 'the entertainment capital of the world' in July.
Murschell, who famously made his mark in PDC darts by knocking James Wade out of the 2017 US Darts Masters, will be aiming to secure his big-stage return in the 2019 US Darts Masters and North American Championship.
The 23-year-old is amongst the entries for the qualifiers on July 2-3 at the Mandalay Bay Casino and Resort, from which eight North American players will secure spots in the US Darts Masters and North American Championship.
"I love Vegas, that's my city when it comes to darts," said Murschell, who reached the quarter-finals of the US Darts Masters in both 2017 and 2018.
"I just love everything that comes with playing there; the atmosphere and having everybody around who I grew up with in the darts scene.
"It's massively important for North American players to get the chance to play against the big names of the PDC.
"It gives North Americans the chance to show what we can do on TV and on a stage.
"By winning a few games it shows we can compete, which will in turn encourage darts to grow in America and Canada."
Following his landmark win over Wade, Murschell won a PDC Tour Card for the first time in January 2018, but is yet to make it past the Last 32 stage of a ProTour event.
Starring in his second World Cup of Darts earlier in June, the Canadian youngster defeated Michael van Gerwen in a singles tie as he reached the quarter-finals alongside Jim Long, and Murschell is hoping that win is a sign of things to come.
"It's like shooting an arrow, you have to pull it back before it can fly," Murschell added.
"There have been some tough times for me since I moved to the UK to play on the ProTour, I've suffered a number of setbacks and had some lonely times.
"But since I've moved closer to Ted Evetts and a few other friends I've enjoyed myself more and feel my best form is coming because of it.
"If anything my expectations have risen since I first started on the ProTour.
"There's no qut in me. It's not 'if' I make a big impact it's 'when' and I believe Vegas could be the platform for me to achieve something big."
Murschell will be joined in the North American Championship and potentially the US Darts Masters by the Canadian contingent of three-time World Champion John Part, reigning North American Championship winner Jeff Smith and World Cup star Jim Long.
US legend Larry Butler will be in action, along with 2019 World Championship qualifier Chuck Puleo and his American World Cup team-mate Darin Young.
Entries for the US Darts Masters and North American Championship Qualifiers will close on Friday June 28 at 1600 BST.
Eligibility For Entry
The US Masters and North American Darts Championship is open to players over the age of 16 who hold a valid USA or Canada passport (regardless of residence in the USA or Canada) OR players who reside in the USA or Canada and have done so for a continuous period of three years immediately dating back from the day of the event. Residency is defined as having their main place of residence registered in the territory.
All players who did not compete at the 2019 PDC Qualifying School need to register their details with the new PDC Online Entry System via THIS LINK.
Once you have registered and you receive an email to confirm that your account has been approved, you can enter via THIS LINK.
Entry costs £70 per event (approx $100) and all events will be played under DRA Rules. Players can enter as many or few of the Qualifiers as they wish. Entries close at 1600 BST (UK time) on Friday June 28 2019.
Players who enter a minimum of two Qualifiers will receive two complimentary tickets to each session of the stage events on July 4-5.
2019 US Darts Masters/North American Darts Championship Schedule
Tuesday July 2 - North American Qualifiers One and Two
Wednesday July 3 - North American Qualifiers Three and Four
Thursday July 4 - US Masters Last 16 (1200 start) and North American Darts Championship (1800 start)
Friday July 5 - US Masters Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and Final (1200 start)
2019 US Masters/North American Darts Championship Tickets
On sale now via www.axs.com
Thursday July 4
1200 Start
US Darts Masters Last 16 (8x matches)
Tickets: $58.50 (inc LET and FMF)
1800 Start
North American Darts Championship (Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals & Final)
Tickets: $47.60 (inc LET and FMF)
Friday July 5
1200 Start
US Darts Masters Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals & Final
Tickets: $69.40 (inc LET and FMF)