PDC Order of Merit: Michael van Gerwen rises despite deception; monster jump beckons for Luke Littler

We are only past the group stage at the Grand Slam of Darts, but already it is clear that the world rankings are going to be completely upended. In the top-32 of the PDC Order of Merit, hardly any players remain in the same position as prior to the major tournament in Wolverhampton.

One of the few players who has maintained his position is, of course, Luke Humphries, who has a lead over his competitors. 'Cool Hand Luke' will not be able to outrun him further, however, as the defending champion was one of the top players who did not make it past the group stage.

For Michael van Gerwen and Michael Smith, their participation also came to an end in the group stage. For Smith, this had quite an impact, as he won the Grand Slam of Darts in 2022. The amount (£150,000) Smith earned then disappears from his ranking after the tournament. As a result, 'Bullyboy' also lost his second spot in the world rankings to Van Gerwen.

Stephen Bunting and Dimitri van den Bergh seem to be making a nice jump. They are now virtually on seven and eight respectively, a progression of +3 for both. Nathan Aspinall, on the other hand, has lost quite a few places. 'The Asp' did not qualify for the Grand Slam of Darts and drops anyway from seventh position to twelfth. Peter Wright has also dropped two spots and is now in 16th place. 'Snakebite' threatens to fall out of the top-16 of the world rankings for the first time since 2013.

Luke Littler has secured a position in the top-16 of the world rankings for the first time. 'The Nuke' started the tournament as No. 18 in the world and is virtually in the 15th spot. Littler is currently considered the big favorite for the title at the Grand Slam of Darts and would rise to fifth place on the PDC Order of Merit in the event of a final victory.

Other contenders for the title are Danny Noppert, James Wade and Gary Anderson. Noppert has currently moved up to 11th place, a gain of one position. With a final spot, Noppert settles firmly into the top-10, while with a title he could become the world's number five. Wade and Anderson can also advance to the fifth spot in the event of a title.