10 Best Darts Players In The World Today
1. 1. Michael Van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen was tipped for big things when he hit a televised nine-darter and won the World Masters while he was just 17 years of age and although he suffered blips on his way to the sport's summit, he has arrived now and it will take some player to dislodge him.
After an unsuccessful couple of years, the start of the PDC's Youth Tour provided the setting for Van Gerwen to regain both his form and belief and in 2012, he won his first PDC major at the World Grand Prix.
Since that moment, Van Gerwen has been on a continual rise to stardom. He has won every PDC televised tournament, earning 15 titles if you include the World Cup of Darts that he won for the Netherlands alongside Raymond van Barneveld in 2014.
The 26-year-old has also become the standard-setter in the sport, with his average of 123.40 against Michael Smith in February demolishing the previous highest televised average of 118.66 which had been set by Taylor.
The performance showed that a previous unthinkable level of darts was possible and it whetted the appetite of supporters who are waiting in anticipation of similar efforts from Van Gerwen or one of his rivals.
It is unrealistic to expect such a level to be produced on a regular basis but Van Gerwen is showing that while he probably won't ever eclipse Taylor's 16 world titles, he is capable of ending his career as statistically the best thrower to grace the sport.