MICHAEL VAN GERWEN moved up a career-high second in the PDC Order of Merit with his run to the semi-finals of the European Darts Trophy.
The Dutch sensation's success in Stuttgart, which saw him drop only three legs in four wins before he was knocked out in the last four by Paul Nicholson, has seen him leapfrog Adrian Lewis to second in the world rankings.
Only runaway world number one Phil Taylor now sits above van Gerwen, who has enjoyed a meteoric rise from 36th in the rankings just 16 months ago and has accumulated £349,500 in a two-year period.
"It's a dream for me," said van Gerwen. "I knew it was possible to move second when I travelled to Germany but to achieve it is a very special feeling.
"My next target's Phil Taylor now, but he's a long way ahead of me so I'll have to win a lot more tournaments to catch him!"
Lewis now sits on £349,300 in the Order of Merit, with James Wade fourth in the rankings on £337,500.
Wes Newton's victory in the European Darts Trophy has seen him close the gap on sixth-placed Andy Hamilton to just £100 in the rankings, while Paul Nicholson's run to the final has seen him move closer to 13th placed Robert Thornton.
Click here to see the latest PDC Order of Merit