VAN GERWEN SLAMMED AFTER SKIPPING PROTOUR EVENTS
21/05/2026 By Aaron Nijjar
MICHAEL VAN GERWEN has been warned he is “not in a position at all” to skip ranking events.
The Dutchman was a surprise absentee from Players Championship 17 and 18 in Leicester this week despite mounting pressure over his position on the Order of Merit.
Mighty Mike picked up his first floor title since October 15, 2024, at Players Championship 15 earlier this month.
But former UK Open finalist Vincent van der Voort admits he cannot understand why his close friend chose to sit out the crucial Pro Tour events that followed.
He told the Darts Draait Door Podcast: “I have an opinion about that too.
“You want him to realise that he was on an upward trajectory. But he chose to skip these tournaments again.”
Van der Voort revealed Van Gerwen’s exhausting travel schedule may have influenced the withdrawal.
He added: “We talked about it, but he was also away from home for a week and a half, from the Pro Tours in Hildesheim up to and including the Euro Tour in Graz and the Premier League.
“He noticed that his energy was depleted. Right after that win, things were bad again. He had stayed in eight different hotels in 13 days; that’s not ideal either.
“He will only be judged on what he has done over the past two years after the World Championship.
“Until then, there isn’t much to worry about. But there really need to be some standout performances this year, otherwise he will drop significantly.
“Just look at how far behind he is compared to other players—more than a hundred thousand on some. Just try catching up.”
Van Gerwen has struggled on the big stage this season, with his best televised run coming at the UK Open, where he reached the sixth round.
The world No.4 also failed to qualify for Premier League Finals Night for just the third time in his career.
Van der Voort questioned whether Van Gerwen fully appreciates the urgency of his current situation.
He continued: “You do see some signs of improvement, but you miss the urgency of him realising that he is not in a position at all to skip tournaments.
“You hope that he sees the importance of such a ranking tournament. He reasons it this way: he feels he has to win ten Pro Tours to earn the prize money for one major.”
Van der Voort pointed to fellow compatriot Wessel Nijman as the perfect example of why the floor circuit matters so much.
Nijman has already claimed FIVE Players Championship titles in 2026, banking over £100,000 in prize money from ProTour events alone to surge into the world’s top 16.
He said: “Michael is so good; if he sets his mind to it, he’ll be back in no time.
“But he needs to realize that there are so many players who are more consistent and better than him.
“That shouldn’t be a blow to his pride, and he should want to turn that around.”
Image by Taylor Lanning.
