Luke Humphries won the World Masters on Sunday (Image: Harry Murphy/Getty Images)
Former world champion Luke Humphries is closing in on a new darts record following his triumph at the PDC World Masters. earned a dramatic 6-5 win over Jonny Clayton to clinch the title in Milton Keynes.
The 29-year-old recorded dominant wins over top 20-ranked Josh Rock, Damon Heta and Danny Noppert on his way to the World Masters final. It was an for Humphries, who recently suffered an early exit at the Dutch Masters, coupled with his round of 16 defeat against Peter Wright at the World Championship.
The £100k prize money at the World Masters helped Humphries extend his lead in the PDC Order of Merit despite his recent setbacks. The world rankings are calculated by a rolling two-year prize money total from ranked events, and Humphries could become the first player to reach the £2million mark by winning the upcoming UK Open.
“I better win the UK Open now, hadn’t I?” Humphries quipped to . “It obviously would be really nice to do that. It’s not like a goal that you’re looking at and thinking I need to do that.
“The prize money in the world of darts is just going to go up and up over the next few years. Soon it will be a common thing, so someone is going to reach £2million whether I do it or not. But I’d like to be the first one to do it.”
Humphries’ total currently stands at £1.9m, with new world champion second in the rankings, having earned £1.1m during his short time on the PDC circuit. Former world No.1 , who is ranked third with £825,000, is proof of darts’ rising prize money; he became only the second player to reach the £1m mark in 2015, with Phil Taylor being the first to reach the milestone.
Luke Humphries celebrating with the World Masters trophy (Image: Getty)
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Having earned £10,000 for his efforts at the 2023 UK Open, Humphries could surpass the £2m mark by winning the tournament for the first time and pocketing the £110,000 prize. Despite potentially setting a new record later this month, new champion Littler regularly garners the most attention across the sport, but Humphries is unfazed by the situation.
“I mean, his name is always going to be in the headlines because he [Luke Littler] is absolutely incredible. So, for me, it doesn’t bother me,” Humphries explained. “I say it so many times, and I’m not going to keep saying it, but yeah, it doesn’t bother me.
“My name has always been great in the headlines. I don’t think I’ve not got the respect. I feel like everyone does put my name on there. It’s nice, obviously, to put up your name in the headlines, of course. But for me, I don’t care about that.
“I just care about winning major titles, and when I’m away from my family, I’ll make it worthwhile. It’s a fantastic win, and that is what means the most, more than being in headlines.”
Last year, Humphries lost to Dimitri Van den Bergh in the UK Open final. The 2025 tournament will begin on February 28 in Minehead.