Michael van Gerwen wins Players Championship 15, almost sets new PDC record

Michael van Gerwen recorded a 122.34 average on his way to winning Players Championship 15 on Tuesday.

The Dutchman went into the competition having not won a PDC floor event since the back end of 2024, but he ended a 22-tournament wait in this format to secure an impressive victory in Leicester.

Van Gerwen's standout moment came in the semi-finals when he trounced Martin Schindler by a 7-0 scoreline.

A sequence of 12, 12, 15, 11, 12, 13 and 11 darts was produced to end with a 122.34 average, marginally short of Gary Anderson's 123.83 which remains as the highest average ever recorded in a live streamed match on the PDC Pro Tour.

That performance set Van Gerwen up for a showdown with compatriot Dirk van Duijvenbode, who beat Chris Dobey, Josh Rock and Stephen Bunting in successive matches to reach the final.

VAN GERWEN WINS PC15! ?

Michael van Gerwen wins his first ranking title since April 2025 ?

The three-time World Champion defeats Dirk van Duijvenbode 8-5 in a thrilling final, recording another stellar average of 106.57 ? pic.twitter.com/DckDe4i2WZ
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 12, 2026

However, it was Van Gerwen who prevailed from a high-quality showpiece, one which saw Van Duijvenbode average 101.86 in an 8-5 defeat.

?️ "I love what I do, and especially when I play like this, I love it even more!"

Michael van Gerwen assesses his fantastic Players Championship 15 campaign, where he scooped his first floor title since October 2024 ? pic.twitter.com/phiyBJdI2R
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 12, 2026

From the fourth leg onwards, every leg was in 15 darts or fewer, and back-to-back 11-darters from Van Gerwen after being pegged back to 5-5 ultimately proved to be the difference.

Gian van Veen and Beau Greaves were defeated by Van Gerwen by 6-4 and 6-2 scorelines respectively before he whitewashed Schinder.

PDC Order of Merit update

Van Gerwen's victory sees him established a near-£50,000 advantage over Jonny Clayton in fourth spot in the PDC Order of Merit.

Meanwhile, Van Duijvenbode is back up to 27th position, a marginal yet important jump for a player who has dropped down the world rankings.

Greaves' run to the quarter-finals see her move into fourth place in the Players Championship rankings.

Nevertheless, she remains £15,000 adrift in the race for a World Matchplay spot. There are nine Players Championship events remaining before the tournament in Blackpool.