The PDC Order of Merit is a world ranking system used by one of the darts organisations, the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Following the 2007 PDC World Darts Championship it superseded a world ranking system based on points being awarded for performances in ranking tournaments.
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How it works
The Order of Merit is similar to that employed in golf's European Tour. Prize money won during the previous two seasons is calculated and the rankings are determined from this money list. The Professional Darts Corporation adopted an Order of Merit system in 2007, which is based on prize money won over two years for the main Order of Merit and separate one-year rankings for other PDC Pro Tour events.
PDC Order of Merit
* Plays in 2017 Premier League Darts.
PDC ProTour Order of Merit
The ProTour Order of Merit counts prize money won in Players Championship events, UK Open Qualifiers and European Tour events over a 12-month period. It also is a main way to qualify to the major TV tournaments.
Player exemptions
The PDC rankings determine exemptions from the qualifying competitions from each major event:
Televised Ranking Tournaments
There is often a lot of confusion with televised tournaments and knowing which ones count towards the PDC Order of Merit. While a lot of televised tournaments are ranked, some are not, usually due to the tournament in question having restricted places e.g. Premier League.
Ranked Tournaments
European Tour (Ranked)
Un-ranked Tournaments
World Series of Darts (Un-ranked)
Pairs Tournaments (Un-ranked)
Note: Flags are of the nation in which the 2016 event is held.
Previous world ranking system
Under the previous ranking points system, 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. Although Lloyd also won two major titles, he often accumulated ranking points in the less prestigious non-televised events, in which Taylor did not always compete. Similarly, Alan Warriner was world number one on four separate occasions before ever winning his first and only PDC major, the 2001 Grand Prix, while Taylor won eight world championships and a host of other titles during that period.
First WDC/PDC rankings
Following the World Darts Council (now PDC) split from the British Darts Organisation during 1992-94 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.