Luke Littler has won nine PDC titles in a stunning breakthrough year, with the teenage darts sensation now up to 22nd in the Order of Merit
Luke Littler has racked up significant prize money following his remarkable darts breakthrough at the start of the year – but he’s not spending it all in one go.
The 17-year-old stunned the sports world by finishing as runner-up at the World Championship in January, losing to Luke Humphries in the final. He has since gone on to prove it was no fluke, with multiple tournament victories, including the Premier League and the World Series of Darts Finals.
Earlier this week, Littler clinched his ninth PDC title of the year at the Players Championship 20 event in Wigan, adding another £15,000 to his winnings.
He managed to fend off a strong comeback from Stephen Bunting to secure an 8-7 victory. This victory extended the teenager’s winning streak to 12 games, coming hot on the heels of his victory at the World Series of Darts in Amsterdam the previous weekend.
His consecutive victories resulted in a combined windfall of £95,000 for Littler. While some young sports stars might opt to splurge on luxury cars or designer clothes, Littler has shown that fame hasn’t changed his spending habits – with his most significant purchase being rather modest.
Following his victory in Wigan, Littler was asked about his most extravagant purchase since making it big. The 17-year-old said with a chuckle: “I bought myself a nice bag.”
This suggests that Littler is unlikely to rapidly deplete his growing wealth, which began with his £200,000 prize from the World Championship. The PDC Order of Merit is determined by prize money, and Littler currently ranks 22nd globally with £364,500 in winnings.
However, this doesn’t paint the full picture, as his Premier League triumph in May isn’t factored into those calculations. Littler earned £40,000 for his night wins during the campaign, and then pocketed an additional £275,000 after defeating Humphries in the final.
His recent World Series of Darts win, which netted him £80,000, is also not included in the PDC rankings. Earlier in the year, the teenager admitted to splurging some of his winnings on Ultimate Team, a popular feature in the EA FC games series (formerly known as FIFA), where gamers can spend cash on player packs to build top-notch teams.
As a Manchester United fan, Littler revealed his lineup to The Times, as he said: “My ultimate team? That’s what I spend my money on. Petr Cech, he’s good. This’ll go down well, then: [Vincent] Kompany and [Virgil] van Dijk at the back.
“Trent [Alexander-Arnold] at right-back. [Gianfranco] Zola, Thierry Henry, [Harry] Kane, [Michael] Essien. You’ve got to spend money to get that team. That’s what I’ve always done. When I win money, I just treat myself, buy some packs, get some good players.”
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