Andrew Gilding stuns Michael van Gerwen to win UK Open in Minehead
Appearing in his first televised final aged 52, Gilding came back from 9-7 down and survived a missed match dart to win 11-10, stunning world number three Van Gerwen at Butlin's Minehead Resort.
'Goldfinger' threw seven 180s and held a 95.46 average while boasting a 40.74 per cent checkout success rate in Sunday's final.
"I can't believe it," Gilding told the PDC, who was beaten by Van Gerwen in the UK Open semi-finals in 2015.
"I didn't expect to win that game. I played steady all weekend, but I didn't feel like I played particularly brilliant darts.
"The crowd were absolutely amazing. I have been practising more, working hard and it's paying off. Now I've got to win all of these major titles!"
Gilding's maiden title will now see him climb to 25th in the world rankings and has earned him a qualification spot for the Grand Slam of Darts in November.
His route to the final saw him take down the likes of Brendan Dolan, Ricky Evans and Martin Schindler while he beat fellow outsider and Czech prodigy Adam Gawlas 11-6 in the semi-finals.
For Van Gerwen, it was disappointment in his bid to land a fourth UK Open under his belt after battling through a tough run to the final.
The 33-year-old Dutchman opened his tournament by edging past Dave Chisnall before defeating compatriot Martijn Kleermaker and world number six Luke Humphries to book his place in the last eight.
Van Gerwen then claimed comprehensive victories over Nathan Aspinall and Dimitri Van den Bergh to reach the final but was unable to convert when it mattered at the final hurdle against Gilding.
