Luke Humphries needs a big performance at the World Darts Championship or he could risk losing £500,000 from his rankings. This is because it is now two years since his big win at Ally Pally, so this prize money would be removed from the Order of Merit.
The English darts star has had a successful year, earning his first Premier League title and securing the PDC Triple Crown, which includes the World Championship and the World Matchplay. However, he recently lost his world number one ranking to rival Luke Littler, who defeated him at the Grand Slam. Humphries will now be solely focused on reclaiming his World Championship title, which he also lost to Littler at the beginning of the year.
Should Cool Hand Luke fail to at least equal his performance at the Ally Pally, then he will see up to £500,000 lost from his ranking total. An early exit in the first or second round carries a loss of up to £485K and even a run to the quarter-finals will still see Humphries down by at least £400K.
In simple terms, the 30-year-old is in a position where he needs another major performance just to stand still and avoid a massive drop down the world rankings.
The £500,000 isn’t literally removed from his bank account but it is erased from his ranking total, which is essential for qualifying for future major tournaments and maintaining a high seeding.
Humphries isn’t worried though. The Englishman believes he is performing ‘better than ever’ and has a real shot at going all the way at Ally Pally. He said: « I feel like I’m playing better darts than I ever have.
« I think my stats from the World Grand Prix, European Championship and the Grand Slam were the best I’ve ever had in those tournaments. At this year’s Grand Slam, my numbers were better than the year I won it in 2023.
« It was the same at the World Grand Prix, and my stats from the European Championship were the best they’ve ever been. »
Source link
