Michael Smith has boosted his Premier League playoff hopes by winning Week 13 in Leeds.
The reigning world champion has struggled for consistency in the 2023 edition of this tournament, beginning Thursday evening outside of the top four.
However, Smith is now back in third after superb victories over Chris Dobey, Peter Wright and Gerwyn Price.
After posting 6-1 and 6-2 triumphs over the first two players, Smith produced a 104.86 average to see off Price by a 6-4 scoreline in the final.
Smith now holds a four-point lead over fifth-placed Jonny Clayton with three weeks remaining, heaping the pressure on the Welshman to reach another final as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Price was able to extend his advantage at the top of the table to four points after Wright got the better of Michael van Gerwen by a 6-3 scoreline in the quarter-finals.
Despite that success, Wright remains one point adrift at the bottom of the standings, yet he now only trails sixth-placed Dimitri van den Bergh by two points.
Having overcome the Belgian in the last eight, Nathan Aspinall moved three points clear of Clayton in the race for a top-four position. body check tags ::
