Two Titles in Twelve Days — Woodhouse's Extraordinary Fortnight
Twelve days ago, Luke Woodhouse walked off the stage at Leicester Arena having won Players Championship 18 — his first PDC title in nearly 400 main tour events, at the age of 37. Tonight, he has a second.
The Baltic Sea Darts Open is a European Tour event, meaning it counts toward the European Championship qualifying race as well as the main PDC Order of Merit. Woodhouse, ranked 19th in the world, will move significantly up both lists after back-to-back titles from two different competitions — ProTour and European Tour. It is not a streak that happens often. The last time a player won a ProTour event and a European Tour event in the same fortnight, it made headlines across the sport.
The Final: Woodhouse 8-4 Joyce
Both finalists are English — Ryan Joyce, ranked 25th in the world, is no easy opponent. Joyce averaged 94.46 in the final, hit nine 140+ scores (more than Woodhouse's seven), and was not outplayed in terms of scoring power. What separated them was conversion. Woodhouse hit 61.54% on doubles — eight from thirteen attempts — compared to Joyce's 44.44% (four from nine). At this level, that gap is decisive.
The standout moment was Woodhouse's 160 checkout — a massive finish requiring bull, bull, double top or similar. He also landed two 100+ checkouts across the match, showing composure in the scoring phases as well as on the doubles. His 98.61 average in a final — on a European Tour stage — reflects a player operating at the top of his game right now.
PC18: The Win That Broke the Drought
To understand why this fortnight matters, you need the context. Woodhouse debuted on the PDC main tour in 2013. He has reached the last 16 of the PDC World Championship in consecutive years. He had lost three Players Championship finals without winning one. Then, on 19 May in Leicester, he finally broke through — beating Greg Ritchie, Jimmy van Schie, and William O'Connor in the early rounds before seeing off Charlie Manby 6-5 in a deciding leg, Jonny Clayton 6-2 in the quarter-final, Harry Ward 7-3 in the semi, and Andrew Gilding 8-4 in the final.
"I've played some good stuff today," Woodhouse said after PC18. "To get that tag of the highest ranked player to not win a title off my back is lovely." He was the highest-ranked PDC player without a title. Not any more — and now he has two.
What This Means for Woodhouse's Ranking
Two titles inside a month will have a meaningful impact on Woodhouse's position on both the PDC Order of Merit and the European Championship Race. A European Tour win carries significant prize money, and those ranking points could push him into the top 16 — a threshold that opens doors to premier event seedings and invitations.
Woodhouse is also now a strong candidate for one of the World Cup qualifying spots for England, depending on how the standings settle ahead of Frankfurt. With the World Cup in June and the England team already confirmed as Littler and Humphries, that ship has sailed — but his form going into the summer majors is impossible to ignore.
A 37-Year-Old in the Form of His Life
There is a particular satisfaction in watching a player of Woodhouse's vintage hit form this late in a career. He has been a consistent presence on the PDC circuit for over a decade, making World Championships, grinding ProTour events, and narrowly missing finals. The breakthrough was always coming — and when it arrived, it arrived twice.
He is now ranked 19th in the world. On current form, that number will only go in one direction. Track his live standings on our Order of Merit page.