Luke Littler produced a brilliant performance in Wigan on Wednesday to win Players Championship 32, securing his place at next month’s Players Championship Finals and silencing doubts over his qualification.

The reigning world champion entered the final event under pressure, sitting 67th in the Order of Merit, but dominated throughout the day. He crushed Dutch newcomer Dennie Olde Kalter 8–2 in the final, averaging 110.73 and firing in ten 180s to claim his third PDC title of the year.

“We’re hurting from last week, but there’s a big desire to bounce back,” Littler said. “At the start of the day, it was just about getting through the early stages and believing in yourself.”

The 18-year-old averaged over 102 across seven matches, including a 109.45 in a semi-final win over Stephen Bunting, to comfortably book his spot at Minehead from November 21–24.

Meanwhile, Michael van Gerwen will miss the Finals for the first time after withdrawing from the Wigan double-header, slipping outside the qualifying places.