King went into 2009 competing in the 2009 PDC World Darts Championship, and this turned out to be his best result in the PDC World Championship to date. He beat Barrie Bates in the quarter-finals before falling to Phil Taylor 2–6 with Taylor averaging 103.44. His performance in the World Championship meant that he moved up to 6 in the PDC Order of Merit and therefore qualified automatically for the 2009 Premier League Darts.