Jonny Clayton won his fourth Cazoo Premier League success of 2022 and secured a Play-Off place as he defeated Michael van Gerwen 6-3 in the Night 13 final in Glasgow.
The Welshman has been in imperious form this year during his title defence, and increased his lead at the top of the table to six points with victory in front of over 9,000 fans at the OVO Hydro.
With fifth placed Joe Cullen losing in the quarter-finals to Van Gerwen, Clayton has secured his qualification for the Play-Offs in Berlin on June 13 with three league nights remaining.
"It means a lot to see that 'Q' next to my name," said Clayton. "That was my aim, to make the top four.
"I would love to finish top, but the top four is what I wanted to be in. Hopefully I carry on winning games and can finish top.
"Part one is done, but part two is to try and win the Premier League again. I played well tonight and I am really happy with my game."
The final started with six trades of throw, with the pair evenly placed at three-all in the bid to claim the £10,000 bonus.
After another hold, Clayton then capitalised on four missed darts from Van Gerwen to break throw and move to within a leg of victory.
Reigning champion Clayton then sealed the night win with a cool 68 checkout to round out a 6-3 victory.
His run to a sixth final of the year started with a 6-2 win over James Wade in a repeat of last Thursday’s Night 12 final in Dublin.
In a brilliant semi-final, he then ended the hopes of home favourite Gary Anderson with a 6-4 win.
Despite three ton-plus checkouts from Anderson, including a night high 150 finish, Clayton’s scoring proved too strong - with the Welshman also completing a 141 combination of his own.
Anderson had earlier seen off a lacklustre Peter Wright in the opening game of the night in an all-Scottish tie to open the Premier League's return to the OVO Hydro.
Van Gerwen’s run to the final started with a narrow 6-5 victory over Cullen, which was backed up with a win in another 11-leg tie against Michael Smith in arguably the game of the night.
Smith was looking the likelier of the two to reach the final as he led 4-2, but Van Gerwen recovered well with a 108 checkout to close the gap and then sealed his spot in the final with a 104 finish to break throw in the decider.
Van Gerwen's run to the final puts him 13 points ahead of Cullen in fifth, but with a maximum of 15 points left to play for over the next three league nights the Dutchman's Play-Off place is all but secured.
The action continues next Thursday in Sheffield at the Utilita Arena with Night 14, which includes Clayton's clash with Smith.
Other quarter-finals include Van Gerwen up against World Champion Wright, world number two Price taking on Anderson and Yorkshireman Cullen's tie with Wade.
See match stats with Sportradar at this link.
2022 Cazoo Premier League
Night 13 - OVO Arena, Glasgow
Thursday May 5
Quarter-Finals
Peter Wright 2-6 Gary Anderson
Jonny Clayton 6-2 James Wade
Gerwyn Price 3-6 Michael Smith
Michael van Gerwen 6-5 Joe Cullen
Semi-Finals
Gary Anderson 4-6 Jonny Clayton
Michael Smith 5-6 Michael van Gerwen
Final
Jonny Clayton 6-3 Michael van Gerwen
Night 14 – Utilita Arena, Sheffield
Thursday May 12
Quarter-Finals
Joe Cullen v James Wade
Gary Anderson v Gerwyn Price
Michael van Gerwen v Peter Wright
Michael Smith v Jonny Clayton
Format
Each night will see quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final played over the best of 11 legs (first to six). In all fixtures, the player named on the left of the draw will throw first in the opening leg, with the throw alternating from then on.
Each player will meet the other seven players twice over the course of the season in a quarter-final game, plus two further nights will feature additional fixtures in the same format.
League Points
Night Winner: 5 points + £10,000 bonus
Runner-up: 3 points
Semi-finalists: 2 points
Prize Fund
Winner: £275,000
Runner-up: £125,000
Semi-finalists: £85,000 each
Fifth in league table: £75,000
Sixth in league table: £70,000
Seventh in league table: £65,000
Eighth in league table: £60,000
Nightly winner bonus: £10,000 x16
Total: £1,000,000