"Bunting still has about £70,000 to make up" - Michael van Gerwen set to feel Order of Merit pressure but can 'The Bullet' catch him?

Michael van Gerwen may feel Stephen Bunting breathing down his neck in the world rankings, but “The Bullet” still has around £70,000 to make up if he’s to catch the Dutchman ahead of the World Championship.

That was one of the key discussion points on the latest Darts Draait Door podcast, where Damian Vlottes and Vincent van der Voort dissected everything from the shock absence of defending champion Ritchie Edhouse at the European Championship, to the dangers of the World Grand Prix format, and the form curves of the sport’s biggest names.

The biggest talking point came with confirmation that Ritchie Edhouse will not feature at the World Grand Prix and will also miss out on defending his European Championship crown. The Englishman is not entered for the final Euro Tour event and isn’t even on the reserve list.

“That’s highly remarkable for a reigning European Champion,” Van der Voort said. “Then you don’t get to defend the title in Germany. We don’t see that very often.”

The Dutchman added: “He just played above his capabilities for a while. Three very good months, that’s where he did it. After that it stalled pretty quickly, and then you don’t gather enough. These days it’s just not easy to get there.”

This led to a broader debate over whether reigning champions should automatically qualify to defend their titles. “On the one hand, I think you should always be able to defend your title,” Van der Voort said. “But this system doesn’t allow for that. The Euro Tours are leading, everyone starts at zero. And also how they draw it, 1 against 32 … where should you put a defending champion then? As a rule it should, but in this system it just can’t be done.”

Vlottes pointed out that the Grand Slam of Darts takes a different approach: “There, as a title holder, you get invited back anyway.”

The World Championship, meanwhile, is self-regulating. “If you win the World Championship and grab a million, you don’t just drop out of the top 40. You’re always in it.”

Attention then turned to Stephen Bunting’s surge up the rankings. Could he really close in on Van Gerwen before the World Championship?

Vlottes noted: “Bunting still has about £70,000 to make up towards the World Cup. That’s just a little too much, I guess?”

Van der Voort offered a cautious counterpoint: “It is possible if he does very well at the TV tournaments and Michael does not. But £70,000 is a lot. With the upcoming TV tournaments there are steps to make, only then Michael himself has to do nothing.”

That, of course, puts the spotlight firmly on the big TV events where the serious prize money lies. “Let’s hope Michael can show the form of the AFAS (World Series of Darts Finals) a few more times this year,” Van der Voort said hopefully.

With the World Grand Prix line-up confirmed, the focus shifted to potential clashes. All of the top 16 are seeded, which guarantees intriguing second-round encounters. Among the ties highlighted:

On Van Gerwen’s draw against Smith, both Vlottes and Van der Voort agreed: “Not the very worst possible draw for Michael.”

The standout tie? “Price against Rock, that’s a nice one. Two guys in good form, if they get through the first round.”

And therein lies the danger. The World Grand Prix opens with a short, brutal format – best-of-three sets, double-in double-out. “A bad start can be deadly,” Van der Voort warned.

Asked which section of the draw looked the most favourable, Van der Voort pointed to the top end. “Humphries, Schindler, Dobey and Cross. Dobey and Cross are not very consistent, Humphries has to defend a lot and feels pressure, and Schindler has not played great at the big majors very often. If you have to choose, then the top end.”

By contrast, Van Gerwen’s quarter includes Jonny Clayton and Damon Heta – hardly ideal. “That’s not where you want to be. Michael has won this tournament eight times, Clayton has won it once too, and Heta is in form.”

Vlottes argued there can even be benefits to facing a heavyweight early: “You’d almost rather have someone like Humphries in the first round than in the second. Shorter format, nerves, pressure of prize money to be defended – then you have a better chance of catching him.”

Last year’s surprise winner Mike De Decker also came under discussion. Should the Belgian be in the top 16 by now?

Van der Voort was measured: “Expected I don’t know, but I did expect him to be higher. It’s stalled, actually just before the World Championship. He calls it a ‘difficult season’ himself, and his development was lacking.”

Vlottes pointed to a few highlights: “A Euro Tour final, a World Series final in Australia … but overall he didn’t bring enough.”