Taylor Back On Top

PHIL TAYLOR has reclaimed the world number one position following the Blue Square UK Open, while Gary Mawson's run to the final of the event sees him move up to 33rd in the PDC Order of Merit.

Taylor was overtaken at the head of the PDC Order of Merit by Raymond van Barneveld in January following the Ladbrokes.com PDC World Darts Championship.

However, van Barneveld's failure to retain the UK Open title this weekend saw him fail to defend the prize money he won two years ago in Bolton, and means Taylor's recent run of success paid dividends.

Taylor won £5,000 for reaching the quarter-finals of the UK Open, where he lost to van Barneveld, and he has also enjoyed seven victories on the PDC Pro Tour.

Van Barneveld slips to second, with UK Open champion James Wade closing the gap from third place after claiming the £35,000 title.

Andy Hamilton moves up above Adrian Lewis to sixth in the rankings, while Dennis Priestley held on to the 12th and final automatic qualifying place for the PartyPoker.net Las Vegas Desert Classic.

Barrie Bates, the UK Open runner-up two years ago, drops from 14th to 23rd in the rankings following his last 32 exit in Bolton, with semi-finalist Vincent van der Voort now up to 22nd.

Mawson's run to the final of the UK Open, which earned him £15,000, saw him break into the world's top 50 and move up to 33rd, while Chris Thompson jumped 21 places to 55th after his run to the quarter-finals.

Click here to see the latest PDC Order of Merit