Luke Littler has made nearly £1million in prize money this year alone (Image: Getty)
has become a rich teenager by putting darting big shots to the sword over the past 11 months. Since his run to the final of the , the 17-year-old is up to almost £1million in prize money alone.
He added £150,000 to his haul on Sunday with a superb win at the Grand Slam of Darts, sealing his first major ranking PDC title. And while some young sports stars begin to lose their way when huge amounts of money fall into their laps, that does not appear to be the case with Littler.
At least that’s what darting legend seems to think after chatting with him at the headquarters of their mutual sponsor, Target Darts.
“I’ve seen players come and go over the years,” 14-time world champion Taylor told . “It’s a matter of being dedicated, you know, and money isn’t his motivation, believe it or not, he isn’t really that bothered.
“I was with him a couple of weeks ago down at Target, and he just plays on his game. He is a typical teenager, you know, and he isn’t motivated by prize money. It’s great, don’t get me wrong, and he’s secure. He’s more interested in looking after his mother and father in tournaments.
“It’s lovely to see, because I’ve seen so many players where they start earning money and that ruins their career then. But this lad, he just sits there, he’s quiet as a mouse, he’s lovely company to be with, to be honest.”
Phil Taylor says Luke Littler is ‘lovely company’ (Image: Getty)
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Littler banked £200,000 at the Ally Pally in January and a staggering £315,000 for winning Darts just five months later. Another £120,000 will be on offer at the Players Championship Finals in Minehead this weekend before attention turns back towards the worlds.
A stunning run of results from ‘The Nuke’ has catapulted him from obscurity to fifth in the PDC Order of Merit. The ranking system is based on prize money won at televised ranking events over a rolling two-year period.
Littler only began racking up prize money a year ago and he is already ahead of all bar four of the world’s best players. The youngster could go even higher when the Players Championship Finals are all said and done this weekend.
And he will be looking to add half a million pounds to his account at the Alexandra Palace, where Luke Humphries beat him in a stunning final last time out. This time round, Littler will carry the red-hot form into the tournament after his Grand Slam triumph.