Following any PDC major event, there’s naturally a fair bit of movement within the good old Order of Merit rankings.
While the Players Championships and European Tour events shift players around marginally, it’s the biggies – like the World Matchplay – where the ranking ladder can be properly shaken up.
The Asp Tumbles:
Nathan Aspinall was the biggest casualty this time around. As the 2023 champion at the Winter Gardens, The Asp was defending £200,000. In simple terms – unless you go and lift the thing again, a large chunk of that money is coming off. And as it turned out, Nathan went out in the first round and dropped a whopping sixteen places to number 23.
Clearly, that’s not a fair reflection of his ability – there certainly aren’t almost two dozen players on the planet better at chucking darts than The Asp. A few, maybe, right now – but not that many. Still, that’s how the system works. He can now commiserate with Michael Smith about how the hell did I end up here?
Clayton Clings On:
Jonny Clayton – a semi-finalist this weekend in Blackpool – also dropped a few spots, sliding from fifth to eighth. That was down to a combination of defending £100k from his 2023 final loss to Aspinall and the superb run of James Wade, who nearly went all the way this time. The Machine’s march caused a reshuffle, including leapfrogging the Welsh maestro he denied another final appearance. Wadey is now up to number five – his highest ranking since 2021.
Naturally, those who flopped two years ago and excelled this time around moved in the opposite direction. One such name is Gerwyn Price. He only made the second round in 2023 but added an extra win this year, which basically stuck another £15k onto his total. The Iceman climbs three spots to sixth.
Josh Rockets Up The Ladder:
Unsurprisingly, the biggest jumper was Josh Rock. The Northern Irish World Cup winner leapt six places after going from a first-round exit two years ago to a semi-finalist this year. He’s now knocking on the door of the top ten – which is one house up from where he currently resides.
News of the Lukes:
The top four remain unchanged. Despite Luke Humphries going out in the first round, he’s still safe – he won’t have to defend his 2024 winnings for another year. Littler sits second – he wasn’t even involved two years ago, so he could add the maximum £200k in ranking points by winning the whole thing. Which, of course, he did.
As for Michael van Gerwen and Stephen Bunting – both fell at the first hurdle in 2023, but this year they made it further and banked a few extra quid. Not a huge haul, but they at least got to hang around for a second match – or in Bunting’s case, a third.
Unless it’s the annual World Cup, José de Sousa has rarely been spotted on TV lately – in fact, he’s like the anti–Holly Willoughby, who’s on virtually every channel. The Special One is not feeling particularly special in the rankings either, slipping further to number 55. But that’s the least of his worries. As far as hanging onto professional status goes, he’s in bigger trouble on the Tour Card race – languishing down in 83rd. He’ll need a miracle – or one hell of a turn of form – in the next five months to save himself.
——ENDS—–
Images: PDC
