Michael van Gerwen beaten by Irish care worker in one of darts' biggest ever upsets

An Irish care worker has pulled off one of darts' biggest ever upsets after beating three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen at the third Players Championship of 2025.

Michael Flynn, a social care worker from County Limerick, was only added to the PDC event's entry list on Sunday following a number of withdrawals.

The 32-year-old quickly packed his things before making the three-hour journey to Dublin airport to catch a flight to the Netherlands, where the Players Championship 3 took place in Rosmalen.

On his way to the venue, it was announced that Flynn would face Michael van Gerwen on the Autotron oche – a match-up many thought was over before it even began.

But in a huge upset, the man ranked 11th on the Challenge Tour defeated world number three 'Mighty Mike' in the first round with a 6-4 victory.

Speaking to BBC Sport after the match, Michael 'the Flyer' Flynn reacted to beating one of the world's best players.

"MVG wasn't the name you want to see as your first opponent - you'd hope for an easier game," he said. "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 the numbers, Flynn averaged 92.41 compared to Van Gerwen's 97.01 but his success on the doubles helped secure a memorable win in Rosmalen.

"When you are playing someone like Van Gerwen you have to tune in from the get-go," he added.

"It kind of opened my eyes to the professional circuit, the standard you have to be at from the off if you want to get a win. It will give me confidence moving forward and shows me my game is there if I can continue it and take it back to the Challenge Tour."

Despite finding early success, Flynn suffered a 6-4 defeat to Poland's Tytus Kanik in his second round match.

One of the big talking points from the latest Players Championship event was the conditions inside the Autotron venue.

Speaking after his performance, two-time World Championship quarter-finalist Daryl Gurney made his feelings clear.

"Really disappointed with the playing conditions today in Rosmalen," he said. "The venue is freezing, and no consideration of the location for players. A bad decision on the PDC’s behalf and the players deserve better."