The PDC Players Championship Finals is the culmination of the 33 Players Championship events throughout the year. The 64 top players on the Players Championship Order of Merit arrive at Butlins Minehead to duke it out for the last title before the World Championships in Ally Pally.
This high-pressure weekend, featuring the very best from the Players Championship circuit, consistently produces a load of huge three-dart averages, dramatic nine-darters and record-breaking performances.
For darts fans who love the numbers, below, we look at the numbers behind the finals to show you some amazing stats from this amazing tournament.
What Is the PDC Players Championship Finals?
The PDC Players Championship Finals is the season-ending event for the Players Championship series on the PDC ProTour. The field is made up of the top 64 players on the Players Championship Order of Merit, based entirely on prize money won in the floor events across the year.
The matches are decided by legs play, starting with best of 11 legs in Round One, increasing from the Quarterfinals, up to the best of 21 legs Final. We have seen some amazing upsets over the years, with some dangerous unseeded qualifiers capable of big upsets.
List of Players' Championship Finals Winners & Finals Records
The roll of honour at the Players Championship Finals reads like a who’s who of the modern PDC era. Multiple-time TV champions, World Champions, and ProTour kings have all lifted the trophy after surviving a brutal weekend schedule.
Michael van Gerwen leads the way with multiple Players Championship Finals crowns, underlining his dominance of both TV events and ProTour floor tournaments. His seven is four ahead of his next best rival at three wins. That accolade is held by another legend of the game, Phil 'The Power' Taylor, who was the first ever winner of the Players Championship back in 2009.
The repeated success in Minehead is the mark of a true elite player. The only other person to join MVG and Taylor on multiple finals championships is one of the most dominant players of recent times, Luke Humphries. His back-to-back wins in 2023 and 2024 make him the only player apart from MVG to retain his title.
Other winners have been Paul Nicholson, Gary Anderson, Kevin Painter, Daryl Gurney and Peter Wright, who have all won one title.
Most Finals’ Finals reached
A small group of players has appeared in multiple finals in Minehead, with some of the very best players having fallen at the final hurdle.
Van Gerwen has appeared in nine finals for the Players Championships - losing two - with Phil Taylor being in four and losing only one. Gary Anderson has been in two finals, with Mervyn King and Adrian Lewis, who both lost their two appearances. On the other side, Luke Humphries has a 100% record in finals, winning both times he has been in them.
Gerwyn Price, Kim Huybrechts, Dave Chisnal, Jonny Clayton, Robert Thornton, Rob Cross, Ryan Searle, Mark Webster and Luke Littler have all reached one final and all lost.
Nine Darters
There have only been four nine-darters thrown in the finals. The first was thrown in 2016 when Alan Norris threw a perfect leg in his last-64 tie against Michael Smith. Norris went on to win that match and fell in the last-16 to Darren Webster.
The other three nine-darters have been thrown by one man, and it can only be one man who has done this, as he dominates all the stats from the annual Minehead extravaganza. Yes, Michael van Gerwen.
MVG threw his first perfect leg in the Players Championship in the last-32 of the 2019 tournament against Adrian Lewis. He won the title that year.
His second was in the final of the 2022 tournament, where he would also win the title, defeating Rob Cross.
His third and final nine-dart finish was again in a final, the one he lost in 2023 against Luke Humphries.
Sadly, MVG will not have the chance to add to any of his accolades here as he has not made the 2025 tournament, finishing outside the top-64 on the Players Championship Order of Merit.
Highest Averages
There are two ways to look at high averages: your average per match or per the tournament.
The highest match average was 118.52, which Van Gerwen achieved in 2023 against Ross Smith. Second highest was Luke Littler, in his first Minehead appearance in 2024, who threw a 112.73 in a whitewash victory over Rob Cross. The third highest was Josh Rock in 2023, when he lost against Gabriel Clemens despite throwing a 112.27 average.
The highest tournament average is held by Gary Anderson at 105.42 in 2018, followed by Phil Taylor's 105.20 in 2014. Luke Littler is third with the 105.16 he got on his run to the 2024 final.
Other Stats about the Players Championship
Dave Chisnall holds the record for the most 180s in a singles finals tournament, hitting 38 in 2016. Gary Anderson is second on that list, bagging 37 back when he won in 2014. Michael van Gerwen is third on this list as he managed to find 26 180s in 2016 when he won, beating Chisnal in the final.
The recurring MVG has featured in all the statistics, so it will be no surprise that he features again on the list of most matches played at 65. Mervyn King is second with 40 matches played, and Gary Anderson is third at 39.
James Wade has made the most appearances at the finals with 17, as there were two finals in 2011. MVG and King are both on 16, along with Steve Beaton.