Luke Littler climbed to career-high of 25th on the PDC Order of Merit following his NEO.bet Austrian Darts Open triumph on Sunday.
Littler celebrated his second PDC European Tour crown with a memorable victory in Graz, defeating Joe Cullen 8-4 in Sunday’s showpiece to clinch his fourth title of 2024.
The teenage phenom also overcame Zoran Lerchbacher, Damon Heta, Krzysztof Ratajski, Danny Noppert and Ross Smith across the weekend on his way to scooping the £30,000 top prize at the Steiermarkhalle.
Littler’s latest triumph elevates him above Poland’s number one Ratajski, with Austrian Darts Open runner-up Cullen moving level with Dirk van Duijvenbode in 15th position on the Order of Merit.
Ross Smith – a runner-up at the European Darts Grand Prix – continued his terrific form with a run to the semi-finals in Austria, which sees him climb to a career-high of world number 14.
Martin Schindler has moved above James Wade into 22nd, averaging 111 in his opening round win over the left-hander, before dumping out reigning champion Jonny Clayton to advance to his third European Tour quarter-final of 2024.
Gian van Veen continued his march towards the top 32 with a quarter-final showing in Austria, rising to 37th following wins over Jose de Sousa, Ryan Searle and Ritchie Edhouse.
Edhouse also enjoyed a landmark weekend in Graz, progressing to Finals Day for the third consecutive European Tour event to break into the world’s top 50.
Elsewhere, Dom Taylor and Danny Lauby moved into the world’s top 100 after marking their European Tour debuts with victory, defeating Christian Goedl and Ryan Joyce respectively in Friday’s first round.
The PDC Order of Merit comprises prize money won over a two-year period by players in PDC ranking events - click here to view the full PDC Order of Merit.
The PDC Order of Merit will next be open to change next week as Players Championships 9-10 take place in Hildesheim - watch live on PDCTV.
