Michael van Gerwen has once again placed himself in a very exclusive bracket. During the fifteenth Players Championship event of the year, the Dutchman averaged 122.34 in his 7-0 semifinal win over Martin Schindler, the fifth-highest average ever recorded since the Players Championship circuits have been officially tracked via DartConnect. It was another reminder of why Van Gerwen has been among the absolute world elite for so many years.
The impressive average by the three-time world champion also sits within an extremely select club. In roughly 31,000 matches played on the Players Championship tour, only ten averages over 120 have been registered. That underlines how exceptional such performances are in professional darts. An average above 120 means a player must all but eliminate errors over multiple legs, combining heavy scoring with exceptionally efficient checkouts.
The all-time record still belongs to José de Sousa. The Portuguese star posted a phenomenal 127.01 average at Players Championship 13 in 2021. In second place is Gary Anderson, who recorded a 123.83 average at Players Championship 15 in 2024. Peter Wright also ranks highly on the list, throwing a 123.53 average at Players Championship 29 in 2019, good for third place. Just ahead of Van Gerwen we find young superstar Luke Littler, who averaged 122.96 at Players Championship 5 in 2025, placing him fourth on the all-time list.
Although Van Gerwen therefore sits just outside the top four, his performance remains of exceptional calibre. Given the sheer volume of matches played on the floor each year, his 122.34 once more shows that the Dutchman is still capable of producing darts of a near otherworldly standard.