Tension rises on PDC Development Tour Order of Merit; Van Veen, Littler and Nijman on course for top prizes

After 20 of the 24 tournaments on the PDC Development Tour, the tension at the top of the standings is beginning to rise.

The ranking is currently led by Gian van Veen, who has already won five tournaments on the Development Tour in 2023. The number one gets to compete at the Grand Slam of Darts and the World Darts Championship and also receives a Tour Card for the next two seasons. However, the latter two prizes also apply to the number two on the Development Tour Order of Merit.

However, Van Veen seems to have already qualified for the World Darts Championship via the Pro Tour and already has a Tour Card in his pocket, so the Dutchman is only playing for a spot at the Grand Slam of Darts. The World Championship starting ticket and Tour Card thus shifts to the number three.

Luke Littler is shortly behind Van Veen in second place, while Dutchman Wessel Nijman currently holds the third spot. Nijman may therefore dream of competing at Alexandra Palace later this year. The final four tournaments of the PDC Development Tour 2023 will be played on 18 and 19 August.

The PDC Development Tour is considered the training institute of the PDC. Talented players have the opportunity to further develop their gift on this circuit.

Players may enter as soon as they reach the age of 16. They may then compete up to and including the season in which they turn 24.

Today, the Development Tour circuit consists of 24 tournaments. These are spread over five weekends. One of those five weekends is played in Hildesheim, Germany, the other four in the United Kingdom.

A PDC Youth World Championship is organised every year. This season, it will take place on 20 August. The best players from the Development Tour are allowed to compete in it. They play a tournament until two players remain. The final is traditionally on the final night of the Players Championship Finals on 26 November.

The reward for the youth world champion is a £10,000 cheque, entry to the World Darts Championship and qualification for the Grand Slam of Darts the following season. By the way, the latter also applies to the runner-up of the PDC World Youth Championship.

But there are even more rewards to be earned through the Development Tour. The numbers one and two of the final ranking get to compete in the World Darts Championship and receive a PDC Tour Card for the following two years. The number one on the Development Tour Order of Merit is also allowed to compete at the Grand Slam of Darts in the current season.

If one or more players from the top-2 of the PDC Development Tour Order of Merit have already secured placement for a specific TV tournament, they will advance to the next player on the ranking list. The same applies to the distribution of Tour Cards.