PDC Stats Analyst Christopher Kempf assesses the top ten PDC stars - based on their last 200 legs played - following the conclusion of the Betfred World Matchplay in Blackpool.
#1 Averages - Luke Humphries
#1 OChE - Luke Humphries
#1 Doubles - Dom Taylor
#1 171-180 - Luke Littler
#1 99, 101+ Checkout - Krzysztof Ratajski
Luke Humphries has extended a run of dominance in TV ranking events unmatched in history by all but two darters, having won 39 of his last 42 matches in those events.
His prospects for extending that run, moreover, look good, as he has now surpassed the pre-Matchplay #1, Jonny Clayton, to become the most in-form player in the PDC.
In becoming one of only five players to win every match in a successful campaign with a 100+ average, Humphries has opened up a lead of more than 1.3 points over Clayton in a leap of 1.7 points since before this year's World Matchplay.
Of the 118 legs played by Humphries in Blackpool, the World Champion won 56 in 15 darts or fewer, pushing his OChE rating up to 63.53 on a 58% conversion rate of those five-visit legs.
Furthermore, with so many of his wins coming in big TV matches, Humphries will dominate the Order of Merit for years to come even if those excellent percentages drop in the rest of 2024.
World Matchplay runner-up Michael van Gerwen can rewatch his performance in the final and identify one clear deficiency which cost him the title - doubles.
In his three long format matches last weekend, Van Gerwen needed 155 attempts to hit 48 doubles, contributing to his 62nd-highest doubles percentage among the 128 Tour Card Holders.
On 13 out of 39 occasions - including in the last two legs of the final - the three-time former champion could not check out given three darts at a double.
The Dutch number one remains in the top 10 in both averages and OChE rating, but reclaiming the #1 spot will depend on recovering his abilities as a clinical finisher.
Even Humphries and Rob Cross, who had otherwise excellent performances in Blackpool, have checkout percentages in their last 200 legs barely in the top 50% of PDC pros.
However, Dom Taylor - the current #1 finisher in the PDC - did not qualify for the World Matchplay, therefore independent of scoring, that statistic is not determinative of success in darts.
The indefatigable James Wade is a top-ten form player for the first time in 2024, after enjoying a 1.5 point improvement to his 200-leg averages thanks to authoritative defeats of Ross Smith and defending champion Nathan Aspinall.
No other player active in Blackpool has a perfect record of checking out in 21 darts or fewer, with 108 checkouts in 108 attempts, and his consistent 42% doubles accuracy puts him nearly in the top ten for the PDC.
A player not usually known for his high averages, Wade exceeded all expectations to finish the tournament as the #8 form player in the PDC at the midway point of the 2024 season.
Will we also be marvelling at the 2007 champion's longevity and endurance in 2034?
*OChE (Ordinal Checkout Efficiency) explained:
OChE is a metric designed to evaluate the efficiency at which players convert their averages into legs won.
The statistic is the % of legs a player would expect to win on the ProTour, calculated from a weighted average of 4,5, 6 & 7 visit checkout rates.
Follow Christopher on Twitter @ochepedia