After an early exit from the European Championship and claiming the World Number One spot by default due to ranking money dropping, Gerwyn Price sent a statement by claiming Players Championship 29 in Barnsley defeating Gian van Veen 8-4 in the final with a 102 average.
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Five titles so far this year for 'The Iceman' with only his second ProTour title of the season and a return to the winners' circle on the floor that will give him a real confidence boost.
Especially against Van Veen who reached his maiden final but came up short as a non Tour Card holder who has only played eight tournaments and will take solace from having reached his maiden PDC ranking final albeit in a losing effort to Price.
Van Veen missed 160 for a hold but hit a superb double five on return with Price frustrated after missing the second double 20 for a 100 checkout.
A 72 checkout was pinned by Price to level up with Van Veen waiting to break. A 180 and 92 setup saw Van Veen pin 48 to hold at 2-1 up.
Both hit 180’s back to back but Price left 61 on his albeit messing up. But Van Veen was only able to make a dent in 161 and Price hit double four for 2-2.
Sat at a near 105 average, Van Veen though missed 63 in his first slip to hold allowing Price to hit 79 to break at 3-2.
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Van Veen missed 164 on the bull but Price didn’t rescue 78 and the Dutch ace was given a lifeline which he didn’t seal which allowed the World Number One a shot at double 20 to go 4-2 up.
The hopes of Van Veen were further dented with a 115 checkout from Price to break again at 5-2 up. His dominance continued as he went 6-2 up and headed two away from the finish.
Van Veen stopped the rot with a 60 checkout at 6-3 and looked for a comeback which was nearly shut down with Price missing double 12 for a 138 checkout and it was a superb 78 checkout to break at 6-4 down for the 20-year-old.
A 180 and 130 in a row saw Price left on 91 but he missed the chance for a 12-darter only to return with Van Veen unable to hit a second dart for 140 and it was double five for a 7-4 lead and this sealed his fate as Price claimed the win.
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.
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🏆 PRICE TAKES THE TITLE! 🏆
Gerwyn Price denies 20-year-old Gian van Veen a ProTour title as the world number one comes from behind to clinch an 8-4 success and the title at Players Championship 29!