Kammala jumla mai zuwa: A wasan karshe na gasar zakarun 'yan wasa a watan Disambar 2011, Painter ya doke Colin Osborne, Gary Anderson, Mervyn King, da Scott Rand don isa babban wasan karshe na farko tun bayan gasar zakarun duniya a 2004. Nasara a kan Rand ya gan shi ya farfado daga 9<unk>6 a cikin mafi kyawun wasan 19 kuma ya tsira daga darts biyu a wasan na goma sha bakwai. Sa'an nan kuma Painter ya doke Mark Webster 13<unk>9 a wasan karshe don lashe gasar farko ta farko a talabijin. Wannan nasarar ta dawo da shi zuwa saman 10 a cikin PDC Order of Merit a karon farko tun 2006. A cikin
2012 PDC World Championship, Painter ya ci Arron Monk da Mark Walsh kafin ya sake rasa John Part ta hanyar saiti hudu zuwa biyu.