THE 2018 European Tour has produced some magnificent moments so far, with memorable first-time victories, emerging new talent and all-round stunning darts thrown.
Last weekend's Gibraltar Darts Trophy marked the passing of the half-way stage on this year's tour, with the race to qualify for the 2018 Unibet European Championship remaining tight heading into the final six European Tour events of the year.
Here we take a look back at our top five memorable moments so far from this year’s European Tour ahead of Friday’s inaugural Danish Darts Open.
5. Irish Eyes Smiling For Lennon
Rising Irish star Steve Lennon enjoyed an incredible run to the final of the Dutch Darts Masters in Zwolle, confirming his emergence as one of the top prospects in the sport.
Playing in just his ninth European Tour event, the 24-year-old beat Mensur Suljovic in style in the quarter-finals with a magnificent 143 finish to win it.
Lennon then defeated former Dutch Darts Masters champion Kim Huybrechts 7-5 in the semis, hitting two stunning ton-plus finishes in the crucial final two legs to wrap up the biggest victory of his career to date.
The Irish ace performed well in the final against Michael van Gerwen in front of a passionate Dutch crowd but went down 8-5 to the world number one.
SO CLOSE | Rob Cross threw EIGHT perfect darts in leg seven of his win over Vincent van der Voort.
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 5, 2018
The quest for a nine-dart leg on the European Tour goes on... pic.twitter.com/jxFJPo3pTA
4. Cross So Close To Perfection
World Champion Rob Cross came tantalisingly close to hitting a nine-dart leg at the European Darts Grand Prix in Sindelfingen.
The world number three hit eight perfect darts in his second round clash with Vincent van der Voort, missing double 18 for a 144 finish.
Cross won the titanic tussle 6-5 but his miss means ‘the curse of Ross Smith’ will rumble on, with Smith hitting the most recent nine-dart leg on the European Tour in Gibraltar in 2013.
Will we see perfection on the European Tour in 2018?
3. Van Gerwen In Phenomenal Form
Van Gerwen described his performance at the European Darts Grand Prix as his ‘best ever tournament’, which gives an indication of the sublime darts thrown by the Dutchman at The Glaspalast.
The winner of five European Tour events this year produced an astonishing Sunday evening display, hitting three 110-plus averages in his quarter-final, semi-final and final matches.
Van Gerwen swept past Alan Tabern, Darren Webster, Dave Chisnall, Michael Smith - in just over ten minutes with a semi-final whitewash - and James Wade to rack up his third Euro Tour crown of the year.
The world number one has since added two more titles to his tally to make it 25 European Tour crowns in his astonishing career to date.
Can ‘The Green Machine’ be stopped in the second half of the year?
2. Ferret’s First Euro Tour Title
Jonny Clayton landed his maiden European Tour title with an 8-5 win over fellow-Welshman Gerwyn Price in the Austrian Darts Open final in Graz.
The tournament's first visit to the Steiermarkhalle in Graz had looked set to see a home victory as Austria's Mensur Suljovic soared into the semi-finals.
Clayton, though, denied the Champions League of Darts winner with a gutsy 7-6 triumph in their last four meeting, before overcoming Price in the final.
The triumph was a huge one in the Welsh star’s career, propelling him into a qualifying position for a number of televised tournaments, along with making his Wales debut in the World Cup of Darts.
The moment Max Hopp made history in Saarbrucken...
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) April 16, 2018
He becomes the first German to win a PDC ranking event, and in some style too! pic.twitter.com/iAszhKVCGT
1. History-Maker Hopp Delights German Crowd
Max Hopp made history at the German Darts Open in Saarbrucken, as he became the first ever German player to win a senior PDC title.
Since making his European Tour debut five years previously, Hopp has been his country’s major darting hope throughout that period.
With the sport continuing to grow in Germany, pressure was growing on the 21-year-old to succeed, and he duly delivered with a sparkling performance that lifted the roof off the Saarlandhalle.
Hopp snatched an 8-7 victory over Michael Smith in a thrilling final to delight the 3,000-strong passionate German crowd.
The European Tour continues with the first ever Danish Darts Open in Copenhagen, Denmark from June 22-24 and will be broadcast throughout the weekend for PDCTV-HD Subscribers, and through a series of bookmakers' websites worldwide. For tickets, visit www.pdc-europe.tv.
The 2018 Unibet European Championship will be held from October 25-28 at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, Germany, live on ITV4. For tickets, visit www.pdc-europe.tv.