The Baltic Sea Darts Open in Kiel has reshuffled the European Tour Order of Merit, with Luke Woodhouse jumping to fourth place after claiming his first European Tour title. Woodhouse defeated fellow Englishman Ryan Joyce 8–4 in the final, earning a £55,000 prize money total so far. The victory propelled the 37-year-old up the rankings, now sitting £20,000 behind leader Ross Smith.
Ross Smith, winner of the International Darts Open earlier this year, still leads the Order of Merit despite losing his opening match in Kiel. 'Smudger' holds a £9,000 advantage over second-placed Wessel Nijman, having earned £75,000 in prize money. Nijman closed the gap slightly with a quarter-final run, while third-placed Josh Rock trails Smith by £14,000 after not competing in Kiel. Gerwyn Price, absent last weekend, completes the top five, £25,000 behind the leader.
Luke Littler remains just outside the top 10 in 11th place with £40,000, despite having played very few European Tour events this year. The newly crowned Premier League Darts champion won the opening tournament in Poland but has not played since. Ryan Joyce, after his runner-up finish, moves up seven spots to 12th with £39,500. Gian van Veen sits 14th after reaching the third round, two places ahead of Michael van Gerwen, who did not play in Kiel.
Other notable movers include Damon Heta, who rose 11 places to 19th after a successful run, and Dave Chisnall and Ricky Evans, who climbed to 30th and 36th respectively. The biggest leap came from Jimmy van Schie, who had never played on the European Tour before and now sits 49th after his heroics in Kiel.
