PDC Order of Merit#Previous World Number Ones

File:PDC World Darts Championship 2016.jpg offers the highest amount of prize money of any event contributing to the Order of Merit.]]

The Professional Darts Corporation adopted the current Order of Merit system in 2007. In this system, the total prize money won in PDC ranking events over the eligibility period is counted. For PDC Tour Card holders, this eligibility period is either the previous two years or since the player was awarded a tour card, whichever is shorter. The PDC World Darts Championship is considered last event of the season, after which the year-end Order of Merit is calculated and players in the top 64 offered a Tour Card for the following year. New Tour Card holders start on £0, even if they held a Tour Card in the previous season but failed to make the top 64, resulting in them having to regain their Tour Card through the qualifying tournament, Q School. Players without Tour Cards who earn money in ranking tournaments (such as Luke Littler in the 2024 PDC World Darts Championship) are eligible to be ranked during the season,{{Cite web |last=Wood |first=Kieran |date=4 January 2024 |title=PDC Order of Merit after World Darts Championship 2024: Luke Humphries new number one, Luke Littler and Scott Williams into top-32, Peter Wright down to 8th |url=https://dartsnews.com/pdc/pdc-order-of-merit-after-world-darts-championship-2024-luke-humphries-new-number-one-luke-littler-and-scott-williams-into-top-32-peter-wright-down-to-8th |access-date=21 June 2025 |website=Darts News}} though if they fail to reach the top 64 at the end of the year, their ranking money is reset to £0. If two players are tied and need separating for seeding or event qualification, the tie is broken by player with the highest total earnings across the previous four ranking tournaments. If this fails to break the tie, players' prize money is counted back from the most recent event until a tie can be broken, with the possibility of a play-off if this cannot break the tie.

The PDC holds ranked and unranked tournaments. Ranking tournaments are those which all PDC Tour Card holders are eligible to participate in or qualify for, while unranked tournaments are invitational and do not count toward the Order of Merit. Currently, the Premier League, World Series of Darts events and the World Cup of Darts are the only unranked PDC tournaments with Tour Card Holder participation outside of the secondary tours.

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File:2025-04-03 Premier League Darts Berlin 2025 by Sandro Halank–104.jpg, the current PDC world number one]]

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In addition to the main two-year Order of Merit, the PDC also operates three Orders of Merit for subsets of the PDC Tour and four Orders of Merit for secondary tours. These rankings offer qualification to televised events and are the basis for seeding in tournaments. Additionally, some secondary tours offer Tour Cards. These are secondary Orders of Merit are the:

• Pro Tour Order of Merit, which counts money earned in Players Championships and European Tour events over a 12-month rolling period. In addition to qualification for televised tournaments, this ranking determines the seedings for Players Championship events.{{cite web |title=ProTour Order of Merit |url=https://www.pdc.tv/order-of-merit/protour-order-of-merit |website=PDC |access-date=7 January 2021}}
• European Tour Order of Merit, which counts money earned in European Tour events during the calendar year. The top 32 on this ranking list qualify for the European Championship at the end of the year, where all players are seeded according to their European Tour ranking.{{cite web |title=2020 European Tour Order of Merit |url=https://www.pdc.tv/2020-european-tour-order-merit |website=PDC |access-date=7 January 2021}}
• Players Championship Order of Merit, which counts money earned in Player Championship events during the calendar year. The top 64 on this ranking qualify for the Players Championship Finals. Similarly to the European Championship, all players are seeded according to their rank.{{cite web |title=Players Championship Order of Merit |url=https://www.pdc.tv/order-of-merit/players-championship-order-of-merit |website=PDC |access-date=7 January 2021}}
• Challenge Tour Order of Merit, which counts money earned in a calendar year on the Challenge Tour, a secondary tour open to players without Tour Cards that participated in the most recent Q-School. Top ranked players at the end of the year may qualify for televised tournaments and receive Tour Cards, depending on their rank.{{cite web |title=Challenge Tour Order of Merit |url=https://www.pdc.tv/order-of-merit/challenge-tour-order-merit |website=PDC |access-date=7 January 2021}} The Challenge Tour Order of Merit also acts as a reserve list for Pro Tour events.
• Development Tour Order of Merit, which counts money earned in a calendar year on the Development Tour, a secondary open to some Tour Card holders and players without Tour Card aged 16–23. Top ranked players at the end of the year may qualify for televised tournaments and receive Tour Cards, depending on their rank.{{cite web |title=Development Tour Order of Merit |url=https://www.pdc.tv/order-of-merit/development-tour-order-of-merit |website=PDC |access-date=7 January 2021}}
• Women's Series Order of Merit, which counts money earned in a calendar year on the Women's Series, a secondary tour for female players. Top ranked players at the end of the year may qualify for televised tournaments and receive Tour Cards, depending on their rank.{{cite web |title=2024 PDC Women's Series Order of Merit |url=https://www.pdc.tv/WomensSeriesOOM |access-date=15 October 2023}}
• Women's World Matchplay Order of Merit, which counts money earned on the Women's Series earned over an approximately 12-month period prior to the Women's World Matchplay, to the which the top 8 players are invited.

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Prior to 2007, a ranking point system was used where ranking points were awarded according to the stage reached in a tournament and the relative prestige of the tournament.{{Cite web |title=Planetdarts : The Official Site of the Professional Darts Corporation Ltd. |url=http://www.planetdarts.co.uk:80/article.asp?id=102097&Nv=4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030627080633/http://www.planetdarts.co.uk:80/article.asp?id=102097&Nv=4 |archive-date=2003-06-27 |access-date=2025-06-24 |website=www.planetdarts.co.uk}} There was no limit on the number of tournaments which counted to the tally, which meant that the top-ranked players were not necessarily the best-performing in the major tournaments. For instance, Colin Lloyd was the world number one player in the PDC for most of 2005 and 2006, despite most of the major titles being shared between Phil Taylor, Raymond van Barneveld and John Part.{{Cite web |title=PDC Roll of Honour, Darts Championships - PDC |url=https://www.pdc.tv/players/pdc-roll-honour |access-date=2025-06-24 |website=www.pdc.tv}}

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13 players have held the position of World Number One since the World Darts Council started new rankings in 1993. Seven different players held the position in the old points system, and seven players have held the position since the PDC switched to the two-year earnings based Order of Merit system in 2007, with Phil Taylor being the only player to have been number one in both eras.

| Incarnation of the WDC

|{{age in days|1 Jan 1993|6 November 1994}} days{{efn-ua|name=unk}}

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|{{PDCFlag|Dennis Priestley}}

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|1994 Lada UK Masters

|{{age in days|6 Nov 1994|10 Apr 1995}}

|{{cite web |title=Darts Database Player Stats |url=https://www.dartsdatabase.co.uk/PlayerStats.aspx |website=Darts Database |access-date=14 November 2020}}

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|style="text-align: center;" | {{sort|03|3}}

|{{PDCFlag|Rod Harrington}}

|{{dts|format=dmy|1995|April|10}}

| 1995 UK Matchplay

|{{age in days|10 Apr 1995|1 Aug 1996}} days{{efn-ua|name=unk}}

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|{{PDCFlag|Phil Taylor}}

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|{{PDCFlag|Alan Warriner}} (2)

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|{{PDCFlag|Rod Harrington}} (2)

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| 1998 World Matchplay

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|{{PDCFlag|Phil Taylor}} (2)

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| 2000 World Matchplay

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|{{PDCFlag|Peter Manley}}

|{{dts|format=dmy|2000|September|24}}

| 2000 Windy City Open

|{{age in days|24 Sep 2000|28 Oct 2001}} days

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|{{PDCFlag|Alan Warriner}} (3)

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| 2001 World Grand Prix

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|{{flagdeco|ENG}} {{sortname|Alan|Warriner-Little}} (4) and {{sortname|Phil|Taylor|Phil Taylor (darts player)}} (3)

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| 2002 World Championship

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|{{PDCFlag|Alan Warriner}} (5)

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| 2002 Eastbourne Open

|{{age in days|2 Feb 2002|1 May 2002}} days{{efn-ua|name=unk}}

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|{{PDCFlag|Phil Taylor}} (4)

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|{{PDCFlag|John Part}}

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| 2003 World Championship

|{{age in days|4 Jan 2003|26 Jul 2003}} days

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|{{PDCFlag|Phil Taylor}} (5)

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| 2003 Bobby Bourn Memorial Trophy

|{{age in days|26 Jul 2003|27 Feb 2005}} days

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|style="text-align: center;" | {{sort|07|7}}

|{{PDCFlag|Colin Lloyd}}

|{{dts|format=dmy|2005|February|27}}

| 2005 West Tyrone Open

|{{age in days|27 Feb 2005|11 June 2006}} days

|{{cite web |title=Lloydy on top of the World |url=https://www.pdc.tv/news/lloydy-on-top-of-the-world |website=PDC |date=3 August 2005 |access-date=13 November 2020}}

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|{{PDCFlag|Phil Taylor}} (6)

|{{dts|format=dmy|2006|June|11}}

| 2006 UK Open

|{{age in days|11 June 2006|18 June 2006}} days

|{{cite web |title=Taylor Regains Number One Spot |url=https://www.pdc.tv/news/taylor-regains-number-one-spot |website=PDC |access-date=13 November 2020 |date=12 June 2006}}

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|{{PDCFlag|Colin Lloyd}} (2)

|{{dts|format=dmy|2006|June|18}}

| 2006 Players Championship 3

|{{age in days|18 June 2006|1 Jan 2007}} days

|{{cite web |title=Lloyd Confirmed As Number One |url=https://www.pdc.tv/news/lloyd-confirmed-as-number-one |website=PDC|date=20 June 2006 }}

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|{{PDCFlag|Phil Taylor}} (7)

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| 2007 World Championship

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|{{PDCFlag|Raymond van Barneveld}}

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| 2008 World Championship

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|{{PDCFlag|Phil Taylor}} (8)

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| 2008 UK Open

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|{{cite web |title=Taylor Back on Top |url=https://www.pdc.tv/news/taylor-back-on-top |website=PDC |access-date=13 November 2020 |date=9 June 2008}}

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|style="text-align: center;" | {{sort|09|9}}

|{{PDCFlag|Michael van Gerwen}}

|{{dts|format=dmy|2014|January|01}}

| 2014 World Championship

|{{age in days nts|1 Jan 2014|3 Jan 2021}} days

| {{cite web |last1=Walters |first1=Mike |title=Michael van Gerwen is Ladbrokes PDC World Darts Champion after beating Peter Wright |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/darts/ladbrokes-pdc-world-championships-michael-2979439 |website=Mirror |access-date=13 November 2020 |date=1 January 2014}}{{cite web |last1=Allen |first1=Dave |title=A number one hit! Price joins exclusive list to top rankings |url=https://www.pdc.tv/news/2021/01/04/number-one-hit-price-joins-exclusive-list-top-rankings |website=PDC |date=4 January 2021}}

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|{{PDCFlag|Gerwyn Price}}

|{{dts|format=dmy|2021|January|03}}

| 2021 World Championship

|{{age in days|3 Jan 2021|6 Mar 2022}} days

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|style="text-align: center;" | {{sort|11|11}}

|{{PDCFlag|Peter Wright}}

|{{dts|format=dmy|2022|March|06}}

| 2022 UK Open

|{{age in days|6 Mar 2022|24 July 2022}} days

|{{cite web |title=Peter Wright is world number one darts player after Gerwyn Price fails to reach UK Open final |url=https://www.sportinglife.com/darts/news/peter-wright-is-world-number-one-darts-player-after-gerwyn-price-fails-to-reach-uk-open-final/198961 |website=Sporting Life |access-date=6 March 2022}}{{cite web |last1=Gorton |first1=Josh |title=Price denies De Sousa in Winter Gardens thriller to seal semi-final spot |date=22 July 2022 |url=https://www.pdc.tv/news/2022/07/22/price-denies-de-sousa-winter-gardens-thriller-seal-semi-final-spot |publisher=PDC |access-date=24 July 2022}}

|-

|style="text-align: center;" |

|{{PDCFlag|Gerwyn Price}} (2)

|{{dts|format=dmy|2022|July|24}}

| 2022 World Matchplay

|{{age in days|24 July 2022|9 Oct 2022 }} days

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|-

|style="text-align: center;" |

|{{PDCFlag|Peter Wright}} (2)

|{{dts|format=dmy|2022|October|9}}

| 2022 World Grand Prix

|{{age in days|9 Oct 2022|30 Oct 2022}} days

|{{cite web |date=31 October 2022 |last=Gill |first=Samuel |title=Price regains World Number One spot, Ross Smith into top 20 after maiden major win in updated PDC Order of Merit after European Championship |url=https://dartsnews.com/pdc/price-regains-world-number-one-spot-ross-smith-into-top-20-after-maiden-major-win-in-updated-pdc-order-of-merit-after-european-championship |website=Darts News |access-date=13 January 2023}}

|-

|style="text-align: center;" |

|{{PDCFlag|Gerwyn Price}} (3)

|{{dts|format=dmy|2022|October|30}}

| 2022 European Championship

|{{age in days|30 Oct 2022|03 January 2023 }} days

|{{cite web |title=Michael Smith beats Michael van Gerwen to win first world title with 'best leg of darts ever' |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/35376632/michael-smith-beats-michael-van-gerwen-win-first-world-title-best-leg-darts-ever |website=ESPN |date=4 January 2023 |access-date=13 January 2023}}

|- #

|style="text-align: center;" | {{sort|12|12}}

|{{PDCFlag|Michael Smith}}

|{{dts|format=dmy|2023|January|3}}

| {{nowrap|2023 World Championship}}

|{{age in days|03 January 2023 |03 January 2024}} days

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|- style="font-weight:bold; background:#DDFFFF;"

|style="text-align: center;" | {{sort|13|13}}

|{{PDCFlag|Luke Humphries}}

|{{dts|format=dmy|2024|January|3}}

| {{nowrap|2024 World Championship}}

|{{age in days |03 January 2024}} days

|{{cite web |last1=Wood |first1=Kieran |title=Luke Humphries the new world number one after World Darts Championships |date=3 January 2024 |url=https://dartsnews.com/pdc/luke-humphries-the-new-world-number-one-after-world-darts-championships |publisher=Darts News |access-date=5 January 2025}}{{cite web |last=Gill |first=Samuel |date=4 January 2025 |title=PDC Order of Merit Update: Luke Littler passes Michael van Gerwen but World Number One out of reach for now |url=https://dartsnews.com/pdc/pdc-order-of-merit-update-luke-littler-passes-michael-van-gerwen-but-world-number-one-out-of-reach-for-now |work=Darts News |access-date=5 January 2025}}

|}

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{{efn-ua|name=unk|Uses 1st of month where exact date unknown.}}

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;Key

{{Unreferenced section|date=January 2025}}

Following the World Darts Council split from the British Darts Organisation between 1992 and 1994, the WDC drew up its first ranking list in the run-up to its inaugural 1994 World Championship. Mike Gregory and Chris Johns later went back to the BDO set up, and Bobby George and many of the non-UK players never competed in the early days of the WDC.{{citation needed|date=August 2010}}

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.pdc.tv/pdc-order-of-merit Official PDC Order of Merit]

{{PDC Top 20}}

{{PDC Darts}}

{{Darts}}

{{Sport world rankings}}

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