Josh Rock has surged to the summit of the European Tour Order of Merit following his 8–6 victory over Kevin Doets in the Austrian Darts Open final in Graz. The Northern Irishman claimed his first PDC ranking title of the year and the second European Tour title of his career, having previously won the Dutch Darts Championship in 2024. With the win, Rock has now earned £61,000 on the European Tour this season, leapfrogging previous leader Wessel Nijman.
Nijman, who won the European Darts Trophy earlier this year but was eliminated in his opening match in Graz, now sits second, trailing Rock by £8,000. Gerwyn Price completes the top three, having skipped the Austrian event to play exhibitions alongside Nathan Aspinall, Luke Humphries, and Luke Littler. Price, who already won the European Darts Grand Prix this year, is £11,000 behind Rock but remains in a strong position. Aspinall and Humphries occupy fourth and fifth places respectively, both having won a European Tour event earlier this year and also absent from Graz.
Kevin Doets, after reaching the final, jumps to tenth place. The Dutchman has had a superb week, winning his maiden ProTour title and reaching a European Tour final, catapulting himself into the higher echelons of the ranking. Luke Littler remains in the top ten despite playing very few tournaments, sitting eighth with £40,000 in prize money, mainly thanks to his victory at the Poland Darts Open.
Further down the order, several big names are in trouble. Dave Chisnall currently sits 34th, outside the qualification spots. James Wade is 35th, one place ahead of Ryan Searle. Peter Wright is down in 61st place, with the signs he has shown in recent months offering little encouragement. Raymond van Barneveld also looks bleak, sitting in 88th.
The European Tour continues on the weekend of May 22, 23, and 24 with the International Darts Open in Riesa. Stephen Bunting begins the tournament as defending champion after defeating Aspinall 8–5 in last year’s final.
