"I didn’t want to be here": Gerwyn Price was 'forced' into playing Players Championship double header due to ranking pressure

Gerwyn Price showed in Hildesheim why he is one of the toughest darters in the world. The Welshman crowned himself the winner of Players Championship 26, his fourth title of the season, on Tuesday by beating Gian van Veen 8-5 in the final. It was a victory that symbolized the intransigence of "The Iceman," who has balanced along the edge of the abyss several times.

Price started strong with a 108 average against Dom Taylor, but then followed a series of predicaments. In the second round he faced a 5-1 deficit against James Hurrell and even survived five match darts. Also against Andy Baetens, Wessel Nijman and William O'Connor he had to reverse a deficit each time. Yet time after time he managed to peak at the right moment.

In the semifinals against O'Connor the curtain seemed to fall again at 6-4, but Price forced a deciding leg and seized his chance there after all. With that he qualified for the final match against Van Veen.
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In the final, Price seemed to be storming toward a monster score. He won the first six legs in a row, including a 122 and 129 finish, to lead 6-0. However, Van Veen fought back and came back to 6-5 with a series of impressive finishes, including a masterful 164-checkout. Price felt the pressure increasing, but managed to break the spell with a sublime 11-darter. In the end he decided the final with a 15-darter and ended the tournament with an average of 109.28 and no less than 13 maximum scores.

"Against James Hurrell, I probably should have lost. He missed three darts, I think he had eight left to put me out 6-1 in the second round, and yeah, I could have been back in the hotel early. But after that, I thought I battled every single game. I just kept thinking about that game. I could have lost against Willie O’Connor, against Andy Boulton, I could have lost against him as well, but I just seemed to find something right at the end," Price admitted honestly afterwards.

In the final, Price seemed headed for a walk-over. He got off to a flying start and led 6-0 in no time. Yet Van Veen did not give up and fought his way back to 6-5.

"I wanted it. I was probably thinking about that a little bit too much – I wanted it too much. But towards the end, what did he take out, 164? I was thinking, “Here we go again.” I missed a couple of doubles towards the back end."

Price finally managed to stop Van Veen's run with a handsome 11-darter. "I thought I outplayed him but just couldn’t take my chances. Pretty much like the weekend – I was outscoring him, missing doubles, and he was pinning them last dart. That happened a couple of times today as well."

Remarkably, Price had not originally wanted to compete in Hildesheim at all. "Well, I didn’t want to be here today and tomorrow. I missed last weekend’s European event with the infection in my hand, and I missed the Pro Tours before that. So yeah, I was kind of forced to come to these because I don’t want to miss too many – it can catch up with you at the back end of the year, as Nathan [Aspinall] is finding out now. I don’t think he’s in the Players Championship Finals yet. If you miss too many, it can catch up with you, and it’ll do the same next year as well. I won a couple early on, but then I’ll be defending quite a bit, so it’s hard."

With his fourth Players Championship title of 2025 and the recaptured lead position on the Order of Merit, Price made another statement. "Exactly, that’s what you’ve got to do. You’ve got to try and win as much as you can, as early as you can. Then at the back end of the year – which is now – you can miss a couple. But obviously, I’ve missed the last two weeks, so yeah, this one was frustrating. I’m glad I won it, I’m glad I’m here – but I didn’t want to be here."