PDC Order of Merit Update: Michael van Gerwen drops to lowest position since 2012 as Ross Smith soars into world's top-6 and Luke Humphries loses best of the rest status

The European Championship has caused major changes to the PDC Order of Merit. Ross Smith was the tournament’s biggest winner in Dortmund. The Englishman claimed the European title for the second time in his career and climbed to sixth in the world rankings thanks to the £150,000 winner’s prize. Gian van Veen and Martin Schindler also made gains, while Michael van Gerwen, Danny Noppert and Gary Anderson were among those who slipped significantly.

The PDC Order of Merit is based on the prize money players earn at ranking tournaments over a two-year period. That means the latest European Darts Championship results count, while prize money from the edition held two years ago drops off the rankings. This has had a significant impact on several high-profile players.

No one benefited more from the European Darts Championship than Ross Smith. The Englishman began the tournament ranked 14th in the world, but after winning the title, he is the new sixth-ranked player in the PDC Order of Merit. ‘Smudger’ has reached the highest position of his career, and a place in the 2027 Premier League Darts is now within reach.

Smith enjoyed an excellent run in Dortmund. He beat Karel Sedlacek in the first round, then overcame Damon Heta and Luke Woodhouse. He defeated Gerwyn Price in the semi-finals before beating Martin Schindler in the final.

The victory earned Smith his second European title and the third major title of his career. The Englishman also collected a cheque for £150,000. That top prize lifted him eight places in the world rankings and returned him to the top ten.

Runner-up Schindler can also look back on his run in Dortmund with satisfaction. ‘The Wall’ made history as the first German player ever to reach a PDC major final. Although Smith proved too strong in the final, Schindler took home £80,000 for his efforts.

The prize money moved Schindler up three places in the world rankings. The German climbed from 23rd to 20th, putting him back among the world’s 20 highest-ranked players.

There has been little change at the very top of the world rankings. Luke Littler remains the undisputed world number one, with more than £3.1 million in prize money. ‘The Nuke’ hoped to add the only major title missing from his collection in Dortmund, but Krzysztof Ratajski stunned him in the quarter-finals.

There has, however, been a significant change just behind Littler. Gian van Veen has climbed to second place, moving ahead of Luke Humphries. The Englishman withdrew from the European Darts Championship through illness and could not add any prize money to his ranking total.

Van Veen was unable to defend his European title. The Dutchman, who won his first major title in Dortmund last year, lost 10-6 to Luke Woodhouse in the second round. Despite that early exit, he takes second place in the world rankings from Humphries.

Stephen Bunting and Nathan Aspinall also gained ground in the top ten. Bunting reached the quarter-finals in Dortmund, where Gerwyn Price beat him 10-3. His run lifted him four places, making ‘The Bullet’ the world number nine.

Aspinall also moved up, although by a smaller margin. ‘The Asp’ climbed one place and completes the top ten of the PDC Order of Merit as the new world number ten.

While Van Veen made valuable gains, Michael van Gerwen’s position in the world rankings continued to worsen. The three-time world champion began the European Darts Championship ranked tenth, but has since slipped to 13th.

His early exit in Dortmund had major consequences for ‘Mighty Mike’. Van Gerwen needed to defend the prize money he earned by reaching the semi-finals two years ago, but this time he lost in the first round. As a result, he dropped three places.

His 13th-place ranking is also his lowest in the PDC Order of Merit since 2012. Van Gerwen, who topped the world rankings for years, now sits outside the top ten.

Danny Noppert also took a significant hit. ‘The Freeze’ was seventh before the European Darts Championship but has dropped four places to 11th. Like Van Gerwen, Noppert had to defend the prize money from a semi-final appearance two years ago. His first-round exit means a substantial amount has now come off his ranking total.

Gary Anderson is the third major faller among the former top ten. The Scot failed to qualify for the European Darts Championship and therefore could not earn any new prize money. ‘The Flying Scotsman’ dropped five places, from ninth to 14th.

One notable climber outside the top ten is Kim Huybrechts. The Belgian initially looked set to miss the European Championship, having failed to qualify automatically. However, after Luke Humphries withdrew, ‘The Hurricane’ received a last-minute opportunity to compete in Dortmund.

Huybrechts made the most of his chance. He caused an upset in the first round, beating Ryan Searle by a convincing 6-1 scoreline. A second surprise proved beyond him, as Stephen Bunting won their second-round match 10-3.

Even so, the tournament earned Huybrechts £20,000 in prize money. That sum has lifted him significantly in the world rankings. The 40-year-old Belgian has climbed nine places, moving from 55th to 46th.

Ritchie Edhouse has suffered the biggest fall in the PDC Order of Merit. The Englishman caused a major upset two years ago by winning the European Championship in Dortmund, but was unable to defend his title this time.

Edhouse failed to qualify for this year’s event. As a result, the full £120,000 top prize he earned two years ago has now dropped off his ranking.

The consequences are significant. ‘Madhouse’ began the tournament in 33rd place but has now fallen to 55th in one stroke. Having dropped 22 places, he is the biggest loser of the European Championship weekend.

Source: dartsrankings.com.