Charlie Manby has made a significant move in the Players Championship Order of Merit after his title triumph in Den Bosch, skyrocketing up to 21st and gaining over 20 positions in a very productive day. The win has put him in a strong position to qualify for the Players Championship Finals, which take place in Minehead at the end of November.
Maik Kuivenhoven, who was not at his best in the final, is also on the rise in 16th, and both players have no concern about featuring at the Finals. However, the same cannot be said for Luke Littler, who was again a no-show at these floor events, and Josh Rock, who also did not turn up. With just two tournaments left in Leicester after the completion of this double-header in the Netherlands, Nathan Aspinall, Scott Williams, Peter Wright, Ricky Evans and Raymond van Barneveld all exited in the early stages and are in danger of missing out.
Gary Anderson has been bumped down to the precarious position of 64th, the last qualifying spot. Mike De Decker's quarter-final run got him into a qualifying spot, while Gerwyn Price and Michael Smith are not totally out of the woods yet. Wessel Nijman still holds an insurmountable lead over Kevin Doets, with Luke Woodhouse, Chris Dobey and Andrew Gilding rounding out the top five. Beau Greaves is in seventh after losing to the eventual champion, Manby, in the semi-finals.
The Players Championship series comprises a total of 34 tournaments, which take place over Hildesheim, Wigan, Leicester, Milton Keynes, and, for 2026, a trip to Den Bosch. It sees the top names, including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, and Gian van Veen, in action over the course of the year, with the PDC ProTour being seen as the so-called Bread and Butter tournaments that help towards qualifying for most majors, including the PDC World Darts Championship. The top 64 players over the course of the season qualify for the Players Championship Finals, determined based on total prize money won by each player in the Players Championship events throughout the year.
The current standings see Wessel Nijman leading with £151,500, followed by Kevin Doets on £110,250 and Chris Dobey on £103,750. Luke Woodhouse (£88,000) and Andrew Gilding (£79,500) complete the top five. Jermaine Wattimena is sixth on £79,250, with Beau Greaves seventh on £68,750. Ross Smith (£65,500), Sebastian Bialecki (£62,000) and Karel Sedlacek (£61,250) round out the top ten.
