LUKE LITTLER will hit a new career-high ranking following his spectacular PDC World Darts Championship glory.
But he is still miles off the No1 spot despite beating Michael van Gerwen at Ally Pally.
The Warrington teenager blitzed past MVG 7-3 in an emphatic final in North London.
It meant Littler went one step further than 12 months ago when he lost to Luke Humphries on debut.
Tonight’s memorable win over Van Gerwen saw Littler, 17, pocket the cool £500,000 jackpot.
And that saw him boost his earnings by 50 per cent and now he will fly up the PDC Order of Merit.
He started the tournament in fourth with £618,500 – nearly £200,000 behind third-placed Mighty Mike.
But his stunning run to the world title lifts Littler up to second thanks to his extra half-a-million.
However, he remains a long way short of dominant No1 Humphries.
That is despite Littler winning the Premier League, World Series of Darts, Grand Slam of Darts and now the World Darts Championship – although the Premier League and World Series do not count towards the rankings.
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The PDC Order of Merit is based on prize money won over a two-year period in ranking tournaments.
In that time, since 2023, Humphries has reigned supreme in the World Grand Prix, Grand Slam, World Matchplay and the Players Championship Finals twice on top of the World Championship.
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But the updated rankings will see Michael Smith plummet down.
He went into the 2025 World Champs as the No2 – helped by his success against MVG in the 2023 final.
But with that victory – including the greatest leg when he hit a nine-darter – now coming more than two years ago, it drops off his ranking prize money.
To make matters worse, Bully Boy lost his opening match at Ally Pally in this tournament, crashing out 3-2 in round two to Kevin Doets.
Stephen Bunting’s fine run to the semis sees him leap up to No5.
