DAVE CHISNALL has broken into the top 16 of the PDC Order of Merit following his run to the final of the German Darts Championship on Sunday.
The St Helens thrower's brilliant form this year has seen him continue his rapid rise up the world rankings.
He has now overtaken Wayne Jones to move 16th in the Order of Merit having won £122,900 since moving onto the PDC circuit in January 2011 - meaning that he would now qualify automatically for next month's World Matchplay should he retain that place.
Jones, however, now sits £900 behind Chisnall on £122,000 and would need to lift himself up the ProTour Order of Merit in the next fortnight if he is to qualify to compete in the World Matchplay.
Colin Lloyd has also closed the gap on 16th place, having moved onto £121,800 following his run to the last 16 of the German Darts Championship.
Chisnall's rise has also affected the ProTour Order of Merit qualifying places for the World Matchplay, with the St Helens ace having been the leading player in the 16 qualifying spots for Blackpool going into last weekend's European Tour event.
Michael van Gerwen is now the current leading qualifier in the ProTour Order of Merit having won £16,700 this year in Players Championship, UK Open Qualifiers and European Tour events.
He sits £200 ahead of Belgium's emerging Kim Huybrechts, with Ronnie Baxter, Michael Smith, Andy Smith, Brendan Dolan, Ian White and Colin Lloyd also having topped £10,000 in prize money on the ProTour this year.
Dean Winstanley is in line to win a World Matchplay debut after winning £8,500 so far this year, while Richie Burnett, Mervyn King and Robert Thornton are all well-placed to qualify for Blackpool.
The final four provisional qualifying places are currently occupied by Jamie Caven, Joe Cullen (both £7,400), Steve Beaton (£7,000) and Peter Wright (£6,400) - but James Hubbard, Colin Osborne, Darren Webster, John Part are all within touching distance going into the remaining three events.
The two Players Championships in Crawley this weekend will be followed by the third European Tour event in Dusseldorf from July 6-8 before the World Matchplay qualifiers are confirmed - giving players three final chances to win a Blackpool spot.
The draw for the World Matchplay is expected to be made on Sunday July 8 following the confirmation of the 32 qualifiers at the end of the European Tour Event Three in Dusseldorf.
Current PDC Top 16
(Qualify Automatically For World Matchplay)
| 1 | Phil Taylor |
| 2 | Adrian Lewis |
| 3 | James Wade |
| 4 | Gary Anderson |
| 5 | Wes Newton |
| 6 | Simon Whitlock |
| 7 | Raymond van Barneveld |
| 8 | Andy Hamilton |
| 9 | Mark Webster |
| 10 | Terry Jenkins |
| 11 | Kevin Painter |
| 12 | Justin Pipe |
| 13 | Mark Walsh |
| 14 | Paul Nicholson |
| 15 | Vincent van der Voort |
| 16 | Dave Chisnall |
ProTour Order of Merit
Provisional World Matchplay Qualifiers
| 1 | Michael van Gerwen | £16,700 |
| 2 | Kim Huybrechts | £16,500 |
| 3 | Ronnie Baxter | £13,300 |
| 4 | Michael Smith | £13,200 |
| 5 | Andy Smith | £11,800 |
| 6 | Brendan Dolan | £11,000 |
| 7 | Ian White | £10,600 |
| 8 | Colin Lloyd | £10,300 |
| 9 | Dean Winstanley | £8,500 |
| 10 | Richie Burnett | £8,400 |
| 11 | Mervyn King | £8,400 |
| 12 | Robert Thornton | £8,000 |
| 13 | Jamie Caven | £7,400 |
| 14 | Joe Cullen | £7,400 |
| 15 | Steve Beaton | £7,000 |
| 16 | Peter Wright | £6,400 |
| Selected | Others | |
| James Hubbard | £6,200 | |
| Colin Osborne | £6,000 | |
| Darren Webster | £6,000 | |
| John Part | £5,800 | |
| Dennis Smith | £5,400 | |
| Co Stompe | £5,100 | |
| James Richardson | £4,900 | |
| Dennis Priestley | £4,000 | |
| Wayne Jones | £3,800 |
Click here to see the latest PDC Order of Merit
Click here to see the latest ProTour Order of Merit