Players Championship Finals Records & Statistics: Most titles, most 180s, highest average, 9-dart legs & more
Delve into some of the records and statistics from the Players Championship Finals, where the top 64 players from the Players Championship Order of Merit battle it out for TV silverware at Minehead.
Most Players Championship Finals Titles
- Michael van Gerwen - 7
- Phil Taylor - 3
- Luke Humphries - 2
Minehead has been the scene of Michael van Gerwen domination with the three-time world champion claiming seven Players Championship Finals titles in his career.
The Dutchman opened his account in 2013 and won the event three years in a row between 2015 and 2017.
His streak was ended in the 2018 final by Daryl Gurney but MVG returned to triumphant form in the subsequent years before adding his seventh success in the competition in 2022, where he conquered Rob Cross in the final.
The early years of the Players Championship Finals belonged to Phil Taylor as "The Power" won the inaugural edition in 2009 before adding two more titles in 2011 and 2012.
Most final appearances in Players Championship Finals
Michael van Gerwen (nine)
Having reigned supreme on seven occasions, Michael van Gerwen has made the final of the Players Championship Finals on nine occasions.
His two defeats came courtesy of Daryl Gurney in 2018 and Luke Humphries in 2023, in which MVG averaged over 100 in both.
Phil Taylor ranks second in the number of finals appearances with four. "The Power" was victorious in his first three finals before he was conquered by Van Gerwen in 2013.
Most Players Championship Finals Appearances
- Michael van Gerwen - 16
- Mervyn King - 16
- Gary Anderson - 15
Only two players have featured in every edition of the Players Championship Finals since the competition was launched in 2009 and that's Michael van Gerwen and Mervyn King.
King has reached the final twice - in 2010 and 2020 - and finished runner-up on both occasions.
Highest Players Championship Finals Tournament Average
105.58 - Luke Littler (2025)
105.42 - Gary Anderson (2018)
Before this years instalment of the Players Championship Finals no player has been able to better Gary Anderson's 105.42 tournament average from the 2018. But in true Luke Littler fashion, he has ticked off yet another tournament record. Narrowly eclipsing Gary Andersons 105.42.
On his quest to the final, Littler demolished Jeffery de Graaf, Ricardo Pietreczko, Ross Smith, Chris Dobey, Gerwyn Price and Nathan Aspinall in the final. All with ton-plus averages, although the most eye catching of the six was Littler's highest tournament average of 108.48 against 'The Iceman'.
Highest Players Championship Finals Match Averages
- 118.52 - Michael van Gerwen v Ross Smith (L32, 2023)
- 112.73 - Luke Littler v Rob Cross (L64, 2024)
- 112.27 - Josh Rock v Gabriel Clemens (L32, 2023)
- 112.05 - Dirk van Duijvenbode v Ryan Searle (L16, 2022)
Michael van Gerwen's superiority in the Players Championship Finals was further enhanced by his record-breaking 118.52 average against Ross Smith in 2023.
The Dutchman was in scintillating form as he dispatched Smith 6-1, who was just happy to get a leg on the board as MVG demonstrated why he is one of the world's best.
Interestingly, the top four highest averages have all been recorded in the previous three editions of the tournament.
UK Open Darts 9-Dart Finishes
There have been a total of 4 perfect legs in Players Championship Finals history, with Michael van Gerwen responsible for three of them.
However, the honour of being the first player to land perfection at the Players Championship Finals belonged to Alan Norris, who produced nine perfect darts on his way to a first round victory over Michael Smith in 2016.
Van Gerwen added his name to the honour board in 2019 as he delivered a nine-dart finish on his way to defeating Adrian Lewis.
MVG's next two both came in finals. He conquered Rob Cross in 2022 before achieving darting perfection again when opposing Luke Humphries a year later - although on that occasion he was defeated, with "Cool Hand" coming out on top.
Player: | Method: | Year: |
Alan Norris (v Michael Smith) | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | 2016 |
Michael van Gerwen (v Adrian Lewis) | 3 x T20; 2 x T20, T19; 2 x T20, D12 | 2019 |
Michael van Gerwen (v Rob Cross) | 2 x T20, T19; 3 x T20; 2 x T20, D12 | 2022 |
Michael van Gerwen (v Luke Humphries) | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | 2023 |
