TV broadcasts of darts often feature the so-called Order of Merit. This is the official world ranking of the PDC .
This PDC Darts World Ranking is primarily about prize money earned . The Order of Merit also includes the PDC money rankings for the past two years .
But which tournaments actually count toward this Order of Merit, and which players are included ? There are also other money rankings within the PDC. We'd like to clarify which PDC ranking serves which purpose.
PDC Order of Merit: What is it all about?
The most well-known of all rankings is certainly the PDC Order of Merit. The PDC Darts World Rankings indicate which players have earned prize money over the past two years . Below is a current excerpt (as of May 2022):
position | Player name | Prize money |
---|---|---|
1 | Peter Wright | £1,204,000 |
2 | Gerwyn Price | £1,191,250 |
3 | Michael van Gerwen | £663,500 |
4 | Michael Smith | £608,000 |
5 | James Wade | £580,500 |
6 | Gary Anderson | £481,500 |
7 | Jose de Sousa | £467,000 |
8 | Dimitri van den Bergh | £440,500 |
9 | Jonny Clayton | £440,000 |
10 | Rob Cross | £395,500 |
It's clear that the top 10 players have each earned well over £300,000 in the past two years. Michael van Gerwen, the current world number one, still holds a huge lead over Rob Cross.
Incidentally, Adam Huckvale occupies last place on the Order of Merit. He earned £1,000 and is ranked 196th on the Order of Merit—along with 32 other players.
In total, the prize money from eight major PDC tournaments falls into the Order of Merit, as do the smaller tournaments on the European Tour and the Players Championship Events .
Important: Tournaments from other associations, such as WDF Dart, do not count towards the PDC Order of Merit.
When will the PDC Order of Merit be updated?
It's important to note that the list is updated daily . It always covers the past two years . Anyone interested in darts history will discover some interesting information they might not have expected.
Which tournaments do not count towards the Order of Merit?
Tournaments such as the World Cup, the Premier League, the Champions League, the Masters or the World Series of Darts do not count towards the Order of Merit.
These are so-called invitational tournaments for which regular players cannot qualify. However, every player must, in principle, have the chance to qualify for a PDC Darts World Ranking tournament.
This is the main requirement for prize money from a tournament to fall under the Order of Merit.
4 more PDC darts tournaments
There are various PDC world rankings. However, the PDC rankings differ significantly from one another. There are also differences in the PDC money rankings , as you can see from the information below. We have listed additional dart records for you in various articles.
1. PDC Pro Tour Order of Merit
The PDC Order of Merit, the official darts world ranking, isn't the only one in darts. Another is the PDC Pro Tour Order of Merit. The Pro Tour ranking serves as the basis for qualifying for major PDC tournaments , such as the World Matchplay, the World Grand Prix, or the next Darts World Championship.
Unlike the PDC Order of Merit, the Pro Tour Order of Merit only considers the previous year. Therefore, only one year's prize money is taken into account instead of two years.
For example, the top 16 players in the Pro Tour Order of Merit are eligible to participate in the World Matchplay, provided they have not already qualified for the tournament in another way.
2. Challenge Tour Order of Merit
All players of the Professional Dart Player Association (PDPA) who do not have a Tour Card are eligible to participate in the Challenge Tour.
Only the two players who finish at the top of the standings receive the highly coveted Tour Card. This entitles the players to participate in all Pro Tour tournaments for two years during that period. However, the players who finish third to eighth are given the opportunity to participate in the PDC Qualifying School free of charge.
The Challenge Tour, in which largely unknown players participate, includes a whopping 20 competitions over five weekends . Only a few winners of these competitions ultimately break into the world's top stars. The road to that point is a long one.
3rd PDC European Tour Order of Merit
The third PDC money ranking is the PDC European Tour Order of Merit. This determines the participants for the so-called European Championship .
The top 32 players in this ranking automatically qualify for the European Championship . Please note: Any player from any nation can participate in the qualifying tournaments.
The question often arises as to why, for example, Australian Simon Whitlock is participating in a European Championship. The reason is that Whitlock can, of course, play in all the qualifying tournaments in Germany.
This means that if he makes it into the top 32, he is also eligible to play in the European Championship.
Infobox: Unlike in football, for example, nationality plays no role in the European Darts Championship .
The results of the PDC European Tour Order of Merit are also included in the PDC Order of Merit and the PDC Pro Tour Order of Merit.
4. Development Tour Order of Merit
To help young players become professional players, there is the so-called Development Tour. Only players between the ages of 16 and 23 are eligible to participate.
The ranking in this PDC money list offers the same reward as in the Challenge Tour Order of Merit. The top two players receive a two-year Tour Card , while places 3 to 8 qualify for Qualifying School.
After all, this series offers a whopping £190,000 in prize money . Added to that is another £50,000 at stake at the Junior World Championships. Here, too, a total of 20 competitions will take place over five weekends .
Many PDC rankings – but only one really counts at the end of the day
For newcomers, junior players, or semi-professional darts players, the "smaller" PDC rankings are also of great importance. At the end of the day , however, only the PDC Order of Merit, which is used to determine the world ranking, counts for the professionals . It is therefore considered the official PDC Darts World Ranking.
However, it should never be forgotten that certain tournaments do not count towards the money list at all. These are the tournaments in which only seeded players in the world rankings are allowed to participate.
As already mentioned, the most well-known example of this is the Premier League. Considering that the top players earn additional prize money through these tournaments, it's clear that at least the world's top 32 can make a very good living from darts .
If you want to watch all official PDC darts tournaments live on TV, it's worth getting the free trial month on DAZN.
Conclusion
As you can see from this article, there are different lists. While some of these are very relevant for individual players , ultimately only one PDC world ranking counts for the professionals: the PDS Order of Merit .
This is used to determine the world ranking position , which is why professionals only bet on this.
The same applies, of course, to the PDC money rankings. There are actually tournaments here that aren't included in any of the various PDC rankings. Therefore, in this article, we've given you some insight into the different PDC rankings and PDC money rankings so you'll be fully informed in the future.
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