Michael Smith has become the new PDC world number one after claiming World Championship glory for the first time. Smith…
- Watch The Masters streamed here
- Bet £10 and Get £50 in Free Bets when you register
PDC Order of Merit following the 2022/23 World Darts Championship
Michael Smith clutches the Sid Waddell Trophy (Photo by Taylor Lanning/PDC)
Michael Smith has become the new PDC world number one after claiming World Championship glory for the first time.
Smith realised his darting dream by lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy at Alexandra Palace on Tuesday courtesy of a 7-4 victory over Michael van Gerwen in the final.
The St Helens star produced an historic nine-darter en route to the title, having seen Van Gerwen miss double 12 for a nine-darter of his own in the same leg.
The triumph came just months after Bully Boy had landed his first major title at the Grand Slam, ending a run of eight consecutive defeats in televised finals.
Smith scooped £500,000 in prize money to storm into the world number one spot, leapfrogging Van Gerwen, Peter Wright and Gerwyn Price.
In doing so, he becomes the 12th different world number one in PDC history and the first Englishman to top the rankings since Phil Taylor in 2014.
Price’s shock Quarter-Final exit at the hands of Gabriel Clemens sees him drop to fourth, having won the title two years ago, while last year’s champion Wright trails Smith by around £100,000 in second spot.
A third defeat in a World Championship final for Van Gerwen sees him end the season in third position, despite picking up the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix and Players Championship Finals titles.
Meanwhile, Dimitri Van den Bergh’s superb run to the Semi-Finals sees him climb four places to 11th, while Jose de Sousa rises three places to 14th after reaching the Last 16.
Clemens’ ground-breaking run to the Semi-Finals, becoming the first German in PDC history to do so, sees him storm six places to 19th and in contention for a Premier League spot this year.
James Wade’s shock Second Round exit means he drops two places to tenth, while Dave Chisnall tumbles six places to 18th, having made the Semi-Finals two years ago.
Gary Anderson, World Championship runner-up in 2021, plummets eleven places to 22nd – his lowest end of season ranking since 2010 – following a Third Round defeat to Chris Dobey.
World Cup winner Damon Heta ends the season inside the world’s top 16 for the first time, with European Champion Ross Smith rising two places to 17th and just £7,000 adrift of the Aussie.
Stephen Bunting falls three places to 24th despite his impressive run to the Quarter-Finals, having reached the semis two years ago, but will occupy the 24th and final spot in The Masters later this month.
Daryl Gurney and Vincent van der Voort drop two places to 26th and 30th respectively, while Raymond van Barneveld ends the season in 29th after notably reaching the Semi-Finals of the Grand Slam.
Alan Soutar’s run to the Last 16 for the second successive year at Ally Pally sees him end the campaign inside the world’s top 32 for the first time.
Mensur Suljovic drops out of the top 32 despite a terrific showing against MVG in the Third Round, while 2010 runner-up Simon Whitlock also drops three places to 38th.
Josh Rock’s astonishing debut season as a Tour Card holder ends with the 21-year-old ranked world number 36, having reached the Last 16 at Ally Pally, as well as winning a ProTour event and making the Last 16 of the Grand Slam.
Andrew Gilding climbs five places to 41st, with Martijn Kleermaker up four places to 40th and Ryan Meikle and Ritchie Edhouse also up three places apiece.
Ian White’s failure to qualify for the World Championship means he drops a further five places to 43rd, with Ryan Joyce down four places to 44th and Jermaine Wattimena sinking eight places to 47th.
Ricky Evans, who defeated Fallon Sherrock before losing out to Joe Cullen, drops six places to 48th, while German ace Florian Hempel surges ten places to 50th.
Challenge Tour star Scott Williams, who picked up a Players Championship title in 2022 despite not holding a Tour Card, ends the year in 57th after losing out to Rob Cross in a high quality Second Round contest.
Devon Petersen, who failed to secure a spot in the sport’s show-piece, tumbles 15 places to 58th and will be battling to retain his Tour Card this coming season.
Jim Williams enjoyed a fine run to the Last 32 and subsequently climbs 18 places to 59th, followed by fellow Welsh star Lewy Williams – who rises ten places to 60th.
Czech youngster Adam Gawlas is up 11 places to 62nd, with Ron Meulenkamp and Keegan dropping out of the Tour Card places.
LATEST DARTS FREE BET OFFERS (18+ | T&Cs apply | Be Gamble Aware)
- Bet £10 and get £20 in Free Bets when you register here
- Bet £10 and get £40 in Bonuses when you register here
- Bet £10 and get £50 in Free Bets when you register here
PDC Order of Merit following the 2022/23 World Darts Championship
| Position | Name | Prize Money |
| 1 | Michael Smith | £1,243,500 |
| 2 | Peter Wright | £1,144,500 |
| 3 | Michael van Gerwen | £1,050,750 |
| 4 | Gerwyn Price | £726,750 |
| 5 | Luke Humphries | £526,000 |
| 6 | Rob Cross | £512,000 |
| 7 | Jonny Clayton | £482,750 |
| 8 | Danny Noppert | £449,750 |
| 9 | Nathan Aspinall | £441,500 |
| 10 | James Wade | £440,000 |
| 11 | Dimitri Van den Bergh | £411,750 |
| 12 | Joe Cullen | £367,750 |
| 13 | Dirk van Duijvenbode | £350,250 |
| 14 | Jose de Sousa | £340,000 |
| 15 | Ryan Searle | £327,500 |
| 16 | Damon Heta | £311,250 |
| 17 | Ross Smith | £304,750 |
| 18 | Dave Chisnall | £294,000 |
| 19 | Gabriel Clemens | £286,250 |
| 20 | Krzysztof Ratajski | £281,750 |
| 21 | Chris Dobey | £274,000 |
| 22 | Gary Anderson | £235,750 |
| 23 | Callan Rydz | £233,500 |
| 24 | Stephen Bunting | £232,750 |
| 25 | Brendan Dolan | £219,750 |
| 26 | Daryl Gurney | £195,250 |
| 27 | Martin Schindler | £189,250 |
| 28 | Mervyn King | £174,250 |
| 29 | Raymond van Barneveld | £165,750 |
| 30 | Vincent van der Voort | £165,750 |
| 31 | Kim Huybrechts | £163,750 |
| 32 | Alan Soutar | £161,500 |
| 33 | Mensur Suljovic | £157,500 |
| 34 | Adrian Lewis | £139,750 |
| 35 | Madars Razma | £138,500 |
| 36 | Josh Rock | £129,000 |
| 37 | William O’Connor | £124,000 |
| 38 | Simon Whitlock | £123,500 |
| 39 | Martin Lukeman | £122,500 |
| 40 | Martijn Kleermaker | £119,000 |
| 41 | Andrew Gilding | £113,500 |
| 42 | Keane Barry | £110,500 |
| 43 | Ian White | £106,250 |
| 44 | Ryan Joyce | £104,250 |
| 45 | Ryan Meikle | £97,000 |
| 46 | Ritchie Edhouse | £96,750 |
| 47 | Jermaine Wattimena | £96,250 |
| 48 | Ricky Evans | £95,000 |
| 49 | Luke Woodhouse | £92,500 |
| 50 | Florian Hempel | £86,000 |
| 51 | Rowby-John Rodriguez | £82,750 |
| 52 | Darius Labanauskas | £82,250 |
| 53 | Mike De Decker | £80,500 |
| 54 | Boris Krcmar | £80,500 |
| 55 | Steve Beaton | £80,000 |
| 56 | Jamie Hughes | £75,000 |
| 57 | Scott Williams | £73,000 |
| 58 | Devon Petersen | £69,250 |
| 59 | Jim Williams | £68,250 |
| 60 | Lewy Williams | £67,000 |
| 61 | Steve Lennon | £65,000 |
| 62 | Adam Gawlas | £64,250 |
| 63 | Joe Murnan | £57,000 |
| 64 | Jeff Smith | £56,750 |
| 65 | Ron Meulenkamp | £56,750 |
| 66 | Keegan Brown | £56,250 |
| 67 | Maik Kuivenhoven | £54,250 |
| 68 | Karel Sedlacek | £51,500 |
| 69 | Niels Zonneveld | £51,000 |
| 70 | Scott Mitchell | £50,000 |
| 71 | William Borland | £49,500 |
| 72 | Geert Nentjes | £48,500 |
| 73 | Danny Jansen | £48,250 |
| 74 | Cameron Menzies | £47,750 |
| 75 | Matt Campbell | £47,750 |
| 76 | Nathan Rafferty | £45,750 |
| 77 | Mickey Mansell | £44,250 |
| 78 | Jason Lowe | £44,250 |
| 79 | Adam Hunt | £42,500 |
| 80 | Glen Durrant | £41,500 |
| 81 | Jason Heaver | £41,000 |
| 82 | Andy Boulton | £40,750 |
| 83 | John Henderson | £38,500 |
| 84 | Danny Baggish | £37,500 |
| 85 | John O’Shea | £36,500 |
| 86 | Jeffrey de Zwaan | £33,000 |
| 87 | Gordon Mathers | £31,750 |
| 88 | Boris Koltsov | £31,750 |
| 89 | Max Hopp | £31,250 |
| 90 | Scott Waites | £26,750 |
| 91 | Berry van Peer | £26,500 |
| 92 | Jimmy Hendriks | £26,000 |
| 93 | Danny van Trijp | £25,500 |
| 94 | Peter Hudson | £24,750 |
| 95 | Kevin Doets | £24,500 |
| 96 | Sebastian Bialecki | £24,000 |
| 97 | Steve West | £23,750 |
| 98 | Jose Justicia | £23,000 |
| 99 | Ricardo Pietreczko | £23,000 |
| 100 | Eddie Lovely | £22,250 |
| 101 | Richie Burnett | £22,000 |
| 102 | Ted Evetts | £22,000 |
| 103 | Gian van Veen | £22,000 |
| 104 | John Michael | £21,000 |
| 105 | Mario Vandenbogaerde | £20,250 |
| 106 | Leonard Gates | £20,000 |
| 107 | Connor Scutt | £19,500 |
| 108 | Jon Worsley | £19,000 |
| 109 | Geert De Vos | £19,000 |
| 110 | Krzysztof Kciuk | £18,000 |
| 111 | Brian Raman | £17,500 |
| 112 | Rusty-Jake Rodriguez | £17,250 |
| 113 | Wesley Plaisier | £16,750 |
| 114 | Radek Szaganski | £16,500 |
| 115 | Brett Claydon | £16,500 |
| 116 | Jack Main | £16,500 |
| 117 | Robert Owen | £15,500 |
| 118 | George Killington | £15,250 |
| 119 | David Cameron | £15,000 |
| 120 | Grant Sampson | £15,000 |
| 121 | Lourence Ilagan | £15,000 |
| 122 | James Wilson | £15,000 |
| 123 | Shaun Wilkinson | £14,750 |
| 124 | Daniel Larsson | £14,500 |
| 125 | Luc Peters | £13,000 |
| 126 | Lee Evans | £12,750 |
| 127 | Christian Perez | £12,500 |
| 128 | Fallon Sherrock | £12,500 |
| 129 | Lisa Ashton | £12,500 |
| 130 | Damian Mol | £12,250 |
| 131 | David Evans | £11,750 |
| 132 | Lukas Wenig | £11,750 |
| 133 | Tony Martinez | £11,250 |
| 134 | Bradley Brooks | £11,250 |
| 135 | Jamie Clark | £11,000 |
| 136 | Zoran Lerchbacher | £10,750 |
| 137 | Kevin Burness | £10,250 |
| 138 | John Brown | £10,250 |
| 139 | Ross Montgomery | £9,750 |
| 140 | Jake Jones | £9,250 |
| 141 | Stephen Burton | £9,250 |
| 142 | Jules van Dongen | £8,750 |
| 143 | Jelle Klaasen | £8,000 |
| 144 | Beau Greaves | £7,500 |
| 145 | Ben Robb | £7,500 |
| 146 | Diogo Portela | £7,500 |
| 147 | Mal Cuming | £7,500 |
| 148 | Nobuhiro Yamamoto | £7,500 |
| 149 | Paolo Nebrida | £7,500 |
| 150 | Prakash Jiwa | £7,500 |
| 151 | Raymond Smith | £7,500 |
| 152 | Toru Suzuki | £7,500 |
| 153 | Vladyslav Omelchenko | £7,500 |
| 154 | Xicheng Han | £7,500 |
| 155 | Nick Fullwell | £7,250 |
| 156 | Darren Webster | £6,500 |
| 157 | Kenny Neyens | £6,250 |
| 158 | Pete Burgoyne | £6,000 |
| 159 | Dragutin Horvat | £6,000 |
| 160 | Thibault Tricole | £5,250 |
| 161 | Dennis Nilsson | £5,000 |
| 162 | Matthew Edgar | £4,250 |
| 163 | Gary Blades | £4,250 |
| 164 | Michael Unterbuchner | £4,250 |
| 165 | Jim McEwan | £4,000 |
| 166 | Johan Engstrom | £4,000 |
| 167 | Niko Springer | £4,000 |
| 168 | Scott Marsh | £3,250 |
| 169 | Darren Penhall | £3,250 |
| 170 | Stefan Bellmont | £3,000 |
| 171 | Nico Kurz | £3,000 |
| 172 | David Pallett | £2,750 |
| 173 | Graham Hall | £2,750 |
| 174 | Steve Haggerty | £2,250 |
| 175 | Stu Wilson | £2,250 |
| 176 | Nathan Girvan | £2,000 |
| 177 | Craig Galliano | £2,000 |
| 178 | Marko Kantele | £2,000 |
| 179 | Vitezslav Sedlak | £2,000 |
| 180 | Patrik Gosnak | £2,000 |
| 181 | Vladimir Andersen | £2,000 |
| 182 | Fabian Schmutzler | £2,000 |
| 183 | Dan Read | £1,500 |
| 184 | Jim Moston | £1,500 |
| 185 | Colin Osborne | £1,500 |
| 186 | Owen Roelofs | £1,250 |
| 187 | Dylan Duo Jr | £1,000 |
| 188 | Dyson Parody | £1,000 |
| 189 | Manuel Vilerio | £1,000 |
| 190 | Sean Negrette | £1,000 |
| 191 | Andy Baetens | £1,000 |
| 192 | Francois Schweyen | £1,000 |
| 193 | Remo Mandiau | £1,000 |
| 194 | Roberto Vandaele | £1,000 |
| 195 | Wouter Vanrolleghem | £1,000 |
| 196 | Andras Borbely | £1,000 |
| 197 | Franz Roetzsch | £1,000 |
| 198 | Levente Sarai | £1,000 |
| 199 | Pal Szekely | £1,000 |
| 200 | Arjan Konterman | £1,000 |
| 201 | Rene Eidams | £1,000 |
| 202 | Dennie Olde Kalter | £1,000 |
| 203 | Filip Sebesta | £1,000 |
| 204 | Martijn Dragt | £1,000 |
| 205 | Miloslav Navratil | £1,000 |
| 206 | Ondrej Plsek | £1,000 |
| 207 | Dietmar Burger | £1,000 |
| 208 | Michael Rasztovits | £1,000 |
| 209 | Rainer Sturm | £1,000 |
| 210 | Thomas Junghans | £1,000 |
| 211 | Danny Lauby | £1,000 |
| 212 | David Schlichting | £1,000 |
| 213 | Janos Vegso | £1,000 |
| 214 | Ryan Harrington | £1,000 |
| 215 | Wayne Jones | £1,000 |
| 216 | Christian Kist | £750 |
| 217 | Jurjen van der Velde | £750 |
| 218 | Thomas Lovely | £750 |
| 219 | Jeremy van der Winkel | £750 |
| 220 | Gavin Carlin | £750 |
| 221 | Carlo van Peer | £750 |
| 222 | Jacques Labre | £750 |
| 223 | Leighton Bennett | £750 |
| 224 | Steven Noster | £750 |
