Has Gerwyn Price lost his killer instinct? Three semi-finals and two finals in 2026, but major drought nears four years ahead of the World Grand Prix
PDC
Gerwyn Price keeps reaching the business end of majors. Winning one again is proving far harder. Three semi-finals and two finals in 2026 suggest his near four-year wait cannot last much longer, but every missed opportunity leaves the same nagging doubt: does The Iceman still have the killer instinct to finish the job?
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At his peak, Price made a habit of taking his biggest chances. He won all three Grand Slam finals he contested, his only World Championship final and his first two World Series Finals. The first of those Grand Slam victories made him Wales’ first PDC major champion, while his Alexandra Palace triumph in 2021 sent him to world number one.
His second World Series Finals title in 2022 was his seventh individual major. It remains his most recent.
Price’s latest near-miss against Ross Smith in Amsterdam brought that wait into focus on DartsNews Podcast #11, where host Kieran Wood was joined by Nicolas Gayer and Samuel Gill.
Five majors, five visits to the last four
Price has reached at least the semi-finals of every individual TV major staged during the 2026 calendar year.
| Tournament | Result |
| World Masters | Semi-final: lost 5-4 to Luke Littler |
| UK Open | Semi-final: lost 11-8 to James Wade |
| Premier League | Semi-final: lost 10-9 to Luke Littler on Finals Night |
| World Matchplay | Runner-up: lost 18-9 to Luke Littler |
| World Series of Darts Finals | Runner-up: lost 11-5 to Ross Smith |
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Price’s matches at the 2026 PDC World Championship were played in December 2025 and are therefore excluded from the calendar-year sequence.
“Price’s wait for a PDC major is now approaching four years,” Wood said. “In that time, 14 different players have won an individual major title.”
That group includes former world champions Michael van Gerwen, Michael Smith and Peter Wright, alongside first-time major winners such as Andrew Gilding, Mike De Decker, Ritchie Edhouse and Gian van Veen. Smith became the 14th by beating Price in Amsterdam.
@kieranwoodmedia Gerwyn Price has gone FOUR YEARS without a major. In that time, 14 different players have won one. Could Nic and Sam name them all? 👀 See how many you can get before they do… More darts quizzes on the page 🎯 Player Photos: PDC #Darts #PDC #GerwynPrice #DartsQuiz #DartsTok @DartsUpToDate ♬ original sound - Kieran Wood: Sports Journalist
“He just seems to walk into these TV finals”
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Price reached the Amsterdam final after successive averages above 103, beating James Wade 10-7 in the quarter-finals and Jonny Clayton 11-7 in the last four.
“The level was so, so good. It was another very good run by Gezzy, who just seems to walk into these TV finals now without making any big headlines,” Gayer said.
“We talk so much about all the stuff happening away from the oche. He is injured, then he makes Premier League Finals Night. He has health issues and pulls out of the World Cup and many events, then makes the World Matchplay final.
“We talk about a rollercoaster year for him, and now he is in the World Series of Darts final again. It seems like we always talk about the stuff happening away from the oche, but on it he is one of the best players this year. He looks in good shape to make another mark in the coming weeks.”
Price has still collected trophies in 2026. He thrashed Andrew Gilding 8-1 to win Players Championship 6 before beating Smith 8-6 in the European Darts Grand Prix final to secure a tenth European Tour title. On the major stage, the final step has remained out of reach.
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“The scar tissue of not being able to get over the line”
Those scars were not all created this year. Price also lost the 2023 Premier League and World Grand Prix finals, meaning his four appearances in a major final since last lifting a title have all ended in defeat.
“I think he just needs to get over the line. He has this issue where he keeps getting to major finals and never gets over the line,” Gill said. “He keeps talking about being at the best point in his career, but he knows himself and has said it previously: he is just not winning majors when a player of his ability should be.
“Once Littler was out, you should look at a final between Ross Smith and Gerwyn Price and think Price will win. But I thought Ross Smith was going to win because of the scar tissue of not being able to get over the line in finals.”
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Some of those defeats could hardly have been closer. Price took Littler to a deciding set at the World Masters and fought back from 9-4 down to force a final leg against him at Premier League Finals Night.
At the World Matchplay, Price averaged 104.92 in the final and still lost 18-9 as Littler produced a record-breaking 111.53. “Luke is one in a million,” Price admitted afterwards. “I threw everything at him. I think I played pretty decent that game.”
Amsterdam offered less comfort. Smith won the final six legs from 5-5 as Price finished with only 26 per cent on his doubles.
Gill also looked at the price Price may be paying for such a stop-start season.
“With him not being in good health or fitness, it halts him because he cannot play as much darts as he wants. Then you do not get into the run of form you want at the end of the season,” he said.
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“You might lose in the first round or get to a final and run out of gas compared with players who have been well through the year and perhaps taken more time off. Price cannot really do that because he is injured or has health issues. He might get to the latter end of a tournament and fail, like he did this weekend.
“But he certainly had a good weekend and is one to watch for the rest of the year.”
Price fell to defeat against Luke Littler in the 2026 World Matchplay final
Does Price really no longer care?
Price tore into his Amsterdam performance before playing down what another missed major meant to him.
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“I was absolute rubbish in that final, but don’t take anything away from Ross. He was brilliant,” he told ITV4. “I’m playing some good darts, I’m earning some good money. If I never win a major again I really don’t care as long as I’m doing well."
“Obviously I’m gutted now I’ve lost, but if I never win another major, I’ve got a good family and I’ve invested all my money," the Welshman added. "I don’t mind. I’m absolutely gutted today, but I’m doing well.”
Gayer was not buying it. “I don’t really believe any top sportsman if they say they don’t care about winning or losing,” he said.
World Grand Prix brings the next opportunity
Monday brings another chance at a major Price knows how to win. He lifted the World Grand Prix title in 2020 before returning to the final in 2021 and 2023, losing to Jonny Clayton and Luke Humphries respectively.
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Price opens against Sebastian Bialecki at Leicester’s Mattioli Arena. Notably, Ross Smith faces Cameron Menzies in the same section of the draw. If both Amsterdam finalists survive the opening round, they will meet again just eight days later.
Kieran WoodDarts Journalist
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.
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- And why should he listen to you?Deduce635807-11-2026
- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026
- Probably i will receive a lot of backlash and hate for this reaction, but well, so be it. I am more than sick and tired of those lies of you Barry Hearn. How dare you defend yourself over the back of Fallon’s son! He has a disability and not an illness, so let me correct that for you! I know because I have the exact same disability. I have tried to reach out to Fallon in the past, and offered her to help her and her son, because I was struggling with the same problems, and I understood the boy. I wanted him to have finally someone who understood him. However she told me that she did not want my help, and I have respected Fallon’s choice. I have never asked Fallon for money. They don’t need money in that case. I only ever wanted the best for Fallon and Rory, but I have to be honest about the situation. Fallon should tell the true story and not be forced to tell lies. I don’t hate Fallon, and I don’t begrudge or envy a single penny that she gets, but this situation/case is just not fair. I hate the lies and the dishonesty and injustice. I don’t want Fallon to be hated because there is an unfair disadvantage created. Don’t proclaim your false lies over the back of Rory! I only stand for integrity and justice. I am precisely the one who always sticks up for Fallon. And you don't, you don't give a damn about them. You were never there for them, and now you only want to save your own position! You are just trying to talk your way out of your own bad behavior at the expense of someone with a disability. And to Fallon, I don’t know if this may ever reach you, and you read it, but I want you to know I love you and I love your son Rory very much, I am sorry how things developed and went. I hope you and Harriet are still friends. I am sorry if I were too persistent to you, or you experienced it that way, but it was never my intention. Please understand I have autism as well. As Barry Hearn would say, I am only just a human being too, and I also make mistakes and misjudge things sometimes. I promise you I did everything out of the deepest love and care for you and Rory. If I were you, I should just keep all the money, only please never be dishonest or tell lies anymore for Barry Hearn, or anyone else. I hope you have the best life, and I wish nothing more than the best for you. I have always loved the two of you. Farewell.Hiddo05-11-2026
- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026