WDF Men's Ranking Update: Jimmy van Schie remains firmly on top but Leonard Gates could benefit.

Jimmy van Schie is still number one on the WDF men's ranking by a wide margin. Moreover, by winning two WDF tournaments in Antwerp, he strengthened his number-one position but Leonard Gates could benefit.

Unlike the PDC, the WDF bases their world rankings on performance over the 52-week period. Every year the WDF organizes more than one hundred ranking tournaments for their players. The ten best results count toward the world rankings. So for example, if a player wins eleven tournaments over a 12-month period, the ten tournaments where the most points were earned count. The number of points per tournament depends on the status of the event on the WDF calendar.

Van Schie added 180 points to his world ranking last weekend by winning both the WDF Antwerp Open and the WDF Belgium Open. Both titles earned him 90 points, so he now leads the ranking with 754 points. The Dutchman will have to work hard in the coming months to maintain his spot, as he has to defend his best results in the fall, including a second place at the WDF World Open.

Someone who could benefit is Leonard Gates. The American played only nine WDF tournaments, but earned 596 points in the process. This total is good for second place. For now, however, Gates only plays WDF tournaments on his own continent. Number three on the ranking is Corné Groeneveld with 501 points. With him the chances are more realistic that he can still make strides, as Groeneveld only has to defend two results from 2024. However, that includes the World Masters, where he reached the semifinals last year, earning 103 points.

Panting on his neck is young Englishman James Beeton, the number four with 500 points. Further in the top-10 are Alex Spellman (454 points), Benjamin Pratnemer (442 points), Jason Brandon (420 points), Jonny Tata (403 points), David Fatum (399 points) and Danny Porter (396 points).

Francois Schweyen is next with 389 points, he is the number eleven. He racked up many points earlier this year (111) with a second-place finish at the Denmark Open, while his semifinal at Lakeside was also good for 103 points.

His compatriot Brian Raman is in 16th place with 370 points, showing that the differences in the sub-top are marginal. However, 'The Riddler' still has some points to defend this year, after winning the Italian Open last September and reaching the final at the Hungarian Masters a month later. Further behind are Andy Davidson (387 points), Raymond Smith (382 points), Peter Machin (379 points) and Jim McEwan (370 points).

In terms of the Lakeside now the rules have been changed with James Beeton leading the way with 480 points. Alex Spellman is next up with 438 points. Leonard Gates as per mentioned is third with 416 points. Jimmy van Schie is fourth with 402 points. David Fatum finished fifth with 399 points. These players currently qualify for Lakeside this way as opposed to being based on the current rankings.