Jonny Clayton has reclaimed fifth place in the PDC Order of Merit after winning the Swiss Darts Trophy. The 52-year-old Welshman claimed his fourth European Tour title on Sunday, beating Luke Humphries 8-4 in the final in Basel. Clayton's victory was his first ranking title since the Dutch Darts Championship in May 2025. 'The Ferret' earned £35,000 in prize money, which lifted him back to fifth in the world rankings.
Humphries gave Clayton a stern test in the final, but the Welshman eventually secured a convincing 8-4 win. The result also avenged his defeat to the world number two in the Belgian Darts Open final last March. The victory also has important implications for the rest of Clayton's season. He is now fourth in the European Tour Order of Merit, having earned more than £80,000 across nine tournaments this year. His title also secured him a place in the Grand Slam of Darts. That is a major boost for Clayton, who failed to qualify for the prestigious televised event two years ago.
William O'Connor was another player to gain ground. The Irishman lost to Ross Smith in the second round of the Swiss Darts Trophy, but still climbed to 33rd in the world rankings. The 40-year-old O'Connor is now just outside the top 32. His rise reflects a consistent run of results over the past 12 months. Earlier this year, he reached a Players Championship final and made the quarter-finals of the Czech Darts Open. O'Connor has climbed ten places in total this season. Mike De Decker's situation is far less encouraging. The Belgian failed to qualify for the Swiss Darts Trophy and consequently dropped to 34th place. De Decker started the year 15 places higher, but has lost considerable ground in the world rankings since then.
Kevin Doets also benefited from the changes in the world rankings. Although the Dutchman went out in the second round in Basel, he climbed to 25th in the PDC Order of Merit. Doets is continuing an excellent season. He began 2026 in 38th place, but has since risen 13 spots and further strengthened his position among the world's top 32. The Dutchman won his first PDC ranking title in May and is also third in the ProTour rankings. His performances in recent months have helped him establish an increasingly secure place among the world's elite.
Karel Sedlacek was one of the players to make significant progress in Basel. The Czech reached the quarter-finals and rose two places to 46th in the PDC Order of Merit. His performance in Switzerland has also improved his chances of qualifying for the European Championship for the first time. Sedlacek is enjoying an excellent season overall. Last month, he won his first ProTour title at Players Championship 30, underlining the progress he has made over the past two years as a Tour Card holder.
Bradley Brooks also enjoyed a particularly successful weekend. The Englishman reached the quarter-finals of a European Tour event for the first time in his career and climbed to 61st in the world rankings. Brooks earned £8,000 in Basel, moving ahead of Rob Owen in the rankings. That is especially important in his bid to retain his PDC Tour Card. The Englishman beat Niels Zonneveld, Chris Dobey and Jeffrey de Graaf in succession. He then had three match darts against Gian van Veen in the quarter-finals, but could not convert them. Even so, Brooks has now extended his lead over players outside the top 64 to more than £10,000.
While several players improved their positions, Peter Wright continued to lose ground. The two-time world champion dropped to 38th in the PDC Order of Merit after the weekend. 'Snakebite' has qualified for just three European Tour events this season, and notable results have also eluded him on the Players Championship circuit. Across thirty Players Championship events this year, Wright has reached the fourth round just once. Since the start of 2026, the Scot has dropped seven places.
At the top of the PDC Order of Merit, Luke Littler leads with 3124 in prize money, followed by Luke Humphries on 1096 and Gian van Veen on 1039.75. Gerwyn Price sits fourth on 793, with Clayton fifth on 719. James Wade is sixth on 686.25, Josh Rock seventh on 618, Danny Noppert eighth on 615, Michael van Gerwen ninth on 608.5 and Gary Anderson tenth on 591.75.