An Irish care worker has pulled off one of darts’ biggest upsets, defeating three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen in the third Players Championship of 2025.
Michael Flynn, a social care worker from County Limerick, was added to the PDC tournament registration list on Sunday after several withdrawals.
The 32-year-old immediately packed his belongings before making the three-hour trek to Dublin Airport to catch a flight to Rosmalen, Netherlands, for the third Players Championship.
On his approach to the arena, it was announced that Flynn would meet Michael van Gerwen on the Autotron oche, a match-up that many expected to be over before it ever started.
However, in a shocking upset, the player rated 11th on the Challenge Tour stunned world number three ‘Mighty Mike’ in the first round 6-4.
Michael ‘the Flyer’ Flynn spoke to BBC Sport after the match about beating one of the world’s finest players.
“MVG wasn’t the name you want to see as your first opponent – you’d hope for an easier game,” he explained. “I knew my form was good coming into the tournament but to beat a three-time world champion is a massive moment in my career.”
In terms of numbers, Flynn averaged 92.41 compared to Van Gerwen’s 97.01, but his doubles performance helped achieve a remarkable victory in Rosmalen.
“When you are playing someone like Van Gerwen you have to tune in from the get-go,” he claimed.
“It kind of opened my eyes to the professional circuit, and the quality you have to meet from the start if you want to win. It will boost my confidence moving ahead and demonstrate that my game is there if I can keep it up and return to the Challenge Tour.
Despite his early success, Flynn lost 6-4 against Tytus Kanik of Poland in his second round encounter.
๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐๐ก๐๐๐ฅ ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ง๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐๐โฆ ๐ฏ
The Limerick native knocks out the World No.3 by a scoreline of 6 legs to 4.
Heโll face either Tytus Kanik or Dominik Gruellich in the Last 64. #PDCProTour pic.twitter.com/jE9KL5xJBU
— Irish Darts Updates (@updates_irish) February 17, 2025
The circumstances within the Autotron arena were a major talking point during the most recent Players Championship event.
After his performance, Daryl Gurney, a two-time World Championship quarter-finalist, expressed his views.
“Really disappointed with the playing conditions today in Rosmalen,” stated the player. “The arena is chilly, and there is no concern for the location of the players. The PDC made a horrible judgement, and the players deserve better.
