Players Championship Order of Merit after PC 29 – Michael van Gerwen slips to 90th, Luke Littler drops outside the top 64, while Luke Humphries edges back inside the qualifying spots.

The 29th Players Championship of the year wrapped up yesterday in Leicester, with Ross Smith once more proving his pedigree on the floor circuit. In a nail-biting final, the 35-year-old Englishman edged past Josh Rock 8–7, claiming his second Players Championship title of the season after his earlier triumph at PC 16.

With only five events remaining before the Players Championship Finals (Nov. 21–23, Butlin’s Minehead), the battle for the top 64—and the golden ticket to this PDC major—is heating up. The margins are thin, the pressure is mounting, and familiar names find themselves under increasing scrutiny.

Despite a narrow 6–5 defeat to Darryl Pilgrim in round two, Gerwyn Price remains top of the Players Championship Order of Merit. The Iceman has already banked four floor titles this season and leads the standings with £99,500 in earnings. His cushion, however, has shrunk to £5,500, with Smith’s latest success elevating him to second.

Dutchman Gian van Veen continues to underline his breakthrough year. The 23-year-old from Poederoijen sits third after a narrow 6–5 loss to fellow countryman Niels Zonneveld in the last 32. Jermaine Wattimena joins him in the top 10, sitting seventh despite a disappointing early exit to Ian White.

In the top ten we find one more Dutchman with Jermaine Wattimena. 'The Machine Gun' - who lost 6-4 to Ian White in his opening match yesterday - is currently seventh and will probably start as one of the series leaders at the Players Championship, just like Van Veen.

The big mover of the day was Luke Humphries. From a perilous 68th pre-tournament, Cool Hand Luke surged into the quarter-finals before narrowly falling 6–5 to Gary Anderson. The 2023 Players Championship Finals winner now sits safely in 56th, firmly back in the conversation. Having already lifted the World Masters and Premier League this year, Humphries has a genuine chance to add a third major in 2025.

By contrast, Luke Littler’s absence once again proved costly. Despite already capturing the World Championship, UK Open, and World Matchplay in a stunning debut season, The Nuke has slipped to 68th and outside the provisional top 64. He still holds as much prize money as Lukas Wenig in 64th and could rescue his Minehead chances with one strong floor run. Former major champion Nathan Aspinall also languishes in 73rd and faces a similar uphill climb.

Perhaps the biggest shock of the season remains Michael van Gerwen’s plight. Mighty Mike, a seven-time winner of the Players Championship Finals, is languishing in 90th place despite a run to the last 16 in Leicester, where he was whitewashed 6–0 by Smith. The 36-year-old Dutchman sits £6,500 adrift of the cut and must deliver results in the final five events if he is to avoid missing one of his traditional strongholds.

On the Belgian front, Mike De Decker (28th) and Mario Vandenbogaerde (41st) look safe, but the picture is far bleaker for their compatriots. Kim Huybrechts (80th), Andy Baetens (87th), and former World Matchplay finalist Dimitri Van den Bergh (115th) are staring at an early winter break unless fortunes change quickly.

The Players Championship continues today with PC 30, before the final stretch takes place on October 14–15 and October 29–30. With qualification on the line, Minehead hopes will be secured—or shattered—in the coming weeks.