Year-to-date Order of Merit update: Littler sits supreme at the top, Clayton and Humphries closely follow while van Gerwen languishes lower down

The Year-to-date Order of Merit is based on the performance of all players in the year 2025. So this ranking from Dartsrankings.com, unlike the general PDC Order of Merit which is over a 2-year period, includes only the prize money players have won and played together this season.

This does not include the World Darts Championship 2025. This gives a good picture of which players are currently in the best shape and for whom the alarm bells are slowly starting to ring. In this article you will read which players have performed best so far this year.

It probably won't come as a surprise to many that Luke Littler is well ahead in these rankings. The 18-year-old is having a great year and managed to win several major titles after his first World Cup title in January. In total, he already won 3 major majors titles this year. The UK Open, the World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix were all won by 'The Nuke'.

In addition, he also managed to win two World Series tournaments coming in the form of the Australian Darts Masters and the New Zealand Darts Masters, and he also managed to take two titles on the European Tour with the Belgian Darts Open and the Flanders Darts Trophy. Finally, he recently won his first Players Championship tournament of the year at the 32nd event, earning a total of £572,000 already this year. With the European Darts Championship, the Players Championship Finals, Grand Slam of Darts and the World Darts Championship still ahead, the 18-year-old can only improve on his impressive year.

In second place, we see a surprising name in Jonny Clayton. With £307,000 earned, he is well behind Littler, but above Luke Humphries. Although 'The Ferret' did not manage to win a major title this year, he performed so consistently at all majors that he is equally second. At the World Masters, he made it to the final, but eventually lost to Luke Humphries in a deciding leg. Then at the UK Open he managed to reach the semifinals, but went down against eventual winner Luke Littler.

Following that in July came the World Matchplay, where he again managed to reach the semifinals. However, there it was James Wade who was just too strong for the Welshman, who clinched victory 20-18. Finally, at the most recent major, the World Grand Prix earlier this month, he again made it to the semis. There, however, Littler again stood in Clayton's way. But with 3 semifinals and a final in all the majors played so far, it is not so surprising to see Clayton in the second spot of the Year-to-date Order of Merit.

Luke Humphries follows shortly behind Clayton with £292,500. 'Cool Hand Luke' is having a shaky year, but did manage to win two major tournaments. He won the World Masters and the Premier League Darts, but the latter does not count for the Order of Merit. He also reached the final of the World Grand Prix, but lost 6-1 in sets to Littler. The world number one did win the U.S. Darts Masters and the Czech Darts Open.

James Wade, who has rebounded this year, is handsomely in fourth place with £279,500. 'The Machine' owes this in part to his final places at the UK Open and the World Matchplay. Behind him in fifth place is Gerwyn Price with £240,500.

It has been a remarkably consistent year for Stephen Bunting, who had picked up two European Tour titles, two Pro Tour triumphs and a brace of major quarter-finals in the World Masters and World Grand Prix. This sees him sit in sixth with £238,000, while World Cup winner Josh Rock sits a whisker behind him in seventh with £237,500. A title on the floor, back-to-back European Tour final appearances with the semi-finals at the UK Open and World Matchplay have got a lot of people taking about the Northern Irishman, with him being touted to win a major before the year climaxes.

The impressive Gian van Veen follows in eighth with £209,000, with the king of the European Tour Nathan Aspinall sitting in ninth. Three titles in Europe have boosted him up into this position, with £205,000 earnt so far. Recent World Grand Prix semi-finalist Danny Noppert caps off the top 10 with £204,000.

Outside the top 10, Martin Schindler (£183,500), Damon Heta (£178,500) and Ross Smith (£177,500) sit just ahead of the vastly improved Cameron Menzies, who is the number one Scottish darts player this year in terms of money earnt. He boasts £166,000 in prize money won this year while Gary Anderson (£159,000) and Peter Wright (£100,500) trail Cammy in the standings. Premier League stars Chris Dobey (£140,500) and Rob Cross (£114,000) find themselves in a disappointing 19th and 24th respectively.

However, the Dutchman who perhaps stands out the most on the Year-to-date Order of Merit is Michael van Gerwen, and not in a positive sense. He is in a paltry 28th place with £106,000. 'Mighty Mike,' partly due to personal problems, is having a very disappointing 2025. Van Gerwen won only one Euro Tour tournament and the World Series of Darts Finals this year, but the latter's prize money does not count toward the Order of Merit.

Especially at the major tournaments it was very disappointing this year for 'MVG'. At the World Masters he lost in the last 16, after which he went down in the last 32 at the UK Open. Then came the World Matchplay, where he lost to Josh Rock in his second match. And finally, earlier this month he was eliminated in the first round at the World Grand Prix by compatriot Dirk van Duijvenbode. And also in the Premier League darts, he was in fifth place after 16 rounds of play, missing out on the final night.

Things did not go much better for Van Gerwen at the Players Championship tournaments. The three-time world champion skipped several tournaments, and the ones he did attend he underperformed. As a result, he is currently 95th on the Players Championship Order of Merit. There are still two tournaments to play, but due to a planned vacation Van Gerwen will not be present there. This means he can no longer enter the top-64 and will have to miss the Players Championship Finals for the first time since 2008.

This perfectly sums up the volatile and disappointing year of Michael van Gerwen, who must gradually look down on the overall PDC Order of Merit as well. With the most important tournaments ahead in the coming period, it is make or break for 'Mighty Mike'. Either he manages to regain his form and confidence, or he is slowly sinking further and further down the Order of Merit.