Notable: Van Barneveld and Nijman leave Ross Smith — and even Taylor and Van Gerwen — well behind in the race to achieve PDC ranking feat
PDC
Ross Smith has joined a rare club. The Englishman captured his tenth Pro Tour title last weekend, placing him among a select group to reach this impressive milestone. What stands out most is how long it took Smith to go from his first to his tenth title. That gap was just over five years, considerably longer than for several other big names in PDC history.
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Smith won the Hungarian Darts Trophy last weekend, taking his tally to ten Pro Tour tournament wins. Because there were more than five years between his first and tenth title, he sits only sixteenth in the historical ranking.
The fastest player to collect his first ten Pro Tour titles is Raymond van Barneveld. The Dutchman needed just eighteen months. ‘Barney’ did it more than three times quicker than Smith. It underlines how rapidly the man from The Hague developed into one of the dominant forces on tour in his peak years.
Wessel Nijman is also among the absolute pacesetters. The young Dutchman needed only 623 days between his first and tenth Pro Tour title. That puts him second in the historical overview. Gary Anderson completes the top three. The Scot required 771 days to jump from his first to his tenth Pro Tour victory.
Taylor only sixth
A striking name in the list is Phil Taylor. If you had to pick one favorite to top this ranking, you would likely land on ‘The Power’. The Englishman dominated professional darts for years and amassed a staggering haul of titles. Yet Taylor ranks only sixth when looking at the number of days between his first and tenth Pro Tour title.
It is important to place the numbers in proper context. The Pro Tour looked completely different in its early years. Only 25 events were staged in the first three seasons. Today, roughly twice as many Pro Tour tournaments are played in a single year. Current-generation players therefore get far more opportunities to lift a title and reach such a milestone more quickly.
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Michael van Gerwen ranks ninth in this historical overview
Van Gerwen just inside the top ten
Michael van Gerwen is another special case. ‘Mighty Mike’ sits only ninth in the ranking, mainly due to his peculiar Pro Tour start. There were three years between his first and second title. After that, though, it accelerated at breakneck speed. Van Gerwen became one of the most dominant players the PDC has ever seen and won fifteen titles in the 476 days that followed.
The contrast could hardly be greater. Where Van Gerwen initially had to wait years for his second Pro Tour win, the titles then arrived at an almost unrivalled pace. Even so, that long opening spell keeps him lower in this particular table.
It took Ross Smith a little over 5 year to win his first 10 Pro Tour titles, which is more than three times longer than Raymond van Barneveld, who achieved the feat in only 18 months. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/qYUNmMlnRI
— TheRedBit 🔴 (@TheRedBit180) September 1, 2026
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Simon Whitlock also deserves a special mention. The Australian ranks fifth and came closest to a remarkable feat: winning his first and tenth Pro Tour title on the same day. This ranking underlines that there are several ways to make history.
For Smith, his tenth Pro Tour title is a significant milestone. Although he is not among the fastest, he has firmly established himself among the Pro Tour’s big names. His road to ten titles took longer than Van Barneveld’s, Nijman’s, and Anderson’s, but the Englishman has now added an impressive chapter to his career.
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
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- 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
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026
- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
- And yet the PDC has decided to aggravate this problem by doubling the Players Championship Finals field from 2027. I can't imagine there will be fewer withdrawals next year with even less reason to turn up. I can only hope that a whole slew of Challenge Tour top-up players receive enough prize money in the absence of much of the elite, that some of the more complacent among them struggle to scrape into even a heavily diluted field! More semi-pro players will get to test their mettle, but the standard of competition will be much inferior. It could hardly be said that the Players Championship series will provide an opportunity for darts' second string to test their Tour Card credentials anymore, but at least it will underscore the achievements of those Challenge Tour players of current and previous years, who were able to prove themselves as more than capable of competing with, and beating, the elite of the sport on a consistent basis, and reaping the due rewards.Deduce635828-10-2026
- No point in being there? Champions want to win.Deduce635828-10-2026
- Littler lost to crabtree in the youth/junior/whatever you call it. He had no point in being there. He's unfortunately now got to the stage,he feels all he has to do is get on the stage to win. Well,I hope he realises part of his fear factor has gone. Happened to Taylor,then van gerwen,and it's causing him to realise pretty sharp,he isn't unstoppable. It's good for the sport,not 1 single player in my 60 years has ever,or will ever be, unbeatable.rick6725-10-2026
- I think it's great to see Mark Webster looking good,good ladrick6725-10-2026