PDC World Darts Championship 2017: Winner, Prize Money, Final Scores and Results

Order of Merit leader Michael van Gerwen won his second PDC World Darts Championship title on Monday at the Alexandra Palace in London, beating defending champion Gary Anderson 7-3.

The two put on a great show in the first four sets before the Dutchman shifted gears, showing why he's considered the best darts player in the world. Anderson's two-year reign at Ally Pally was impressive, but with the way Van Gerwen is playing, he could be set for a run for the ages of his own.

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Per the PDC's official website, Mighty Mike will receive £350,000 for his efforts, with a total of £1.65 million distributed among the competitors.

Van Gerwen started the final in emphatic fashion, taking out 122 on the bull in the opening leg.

PDC Darts shared the highlight: 

Anderson held his own, however, forcing a decider in which Mighty Mike landed a 180 on his way to the advantage, despite averaging nine fewer points than his opponent.

Van Gerwen missed three darts to break throw to start the second set, but a 116 checkout pulled him back level. Another decider followed, and this time, the Flying Scotsman squeezed in tops for an 80 finish.

Football star Toni Kroos was watching and backed the defending champion to edge his opponent:

Anderson broke throw to start the third, but Van Gerwen answered right back. Mighty Mike landed seven perfect darts but somehow lost the leg to Anderson, which highlighted how close this match was during the opening sets.

In the decider, the Order of Merit leader missed two darts for the set, and Anderson took the gift, edging ahead.

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Once again, it was almost impossible to separate the two in the fourth, which led to yet another decider. Anderson threw for a 3-1 lead, but Mighty Mike grabbed the break with a 86 checkout.

The Flying Scotsman missed a chance to break and watched as Mighty Mike cleaned up 94 to double his advantage before breaking again to move ahead.

As Live Darts shared, his numbers were staggering:

Van Gerwen broke throw in the third leg of the next set and eventually doubled his lead, taking the first real advantage. He also broke throw in the seventh, closing with a fantastic 125 finish to grab a commanding 5-2 lead.

Not everything went the Dutchman's way, however. He wasted no less than nine darts on the doubles to lose the first leg of the eighth set, giving Anderson a lifeline. Van Gerwen fired back, however, and another ton checkout moved him within a single set of the title.

Betting company Paddy Power couldn't help itself on Twitter:

Anderson missed three crucial darts to break throw in the first leg of the ninth set, but he didn't give in, taking out tops to tie things up in the following leg. Van Gerwen was seemingly unstoppable at this point, but even a stage intruder couldn't stop Anderson from recording a tournament-record 65th 180 and forcing a decider.

Per the PDC, the two also set a new record for maximums in a single match along the way:

In the decider, the Flying Scotsman landed 81 to keep the match alive, although his chances of a comeback for the ages were slim.

Anderson took the lead in the following set, but a 100 checkout had Van Gerwen on the verge of the title once again. This time, he kept his nerve, finding the bull to end Anderson's two-year reign.

Per Live Darts, the winner was ecstatic:

The top darts players in the world will take some time off before the start of the Premier League in February, when Van Gerwen and Anderson will once again be among the favourites for the title.