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Major change to PDC World Darts as Luke Littler forced to go through Wimbledon style format to win £1million jackpot

Major change to PDC World Darts as Luke Littler forced to go through Wimbledon style format to win £1million jackpot

The Sun17-06-2025
LUKE LITTLER will have to win SEVEN games to claim a £1million jackpot – as darts chiefs adopt a Wimbledon-style draw for the next PDC World Championship.
And a minimum of four women will compete on the Alexandra Palace stage this Christmas at the sport's biggest ever tournament.
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A record 128 darts players will participate in the lucrative flagship event, which starts in December 2025 and runs until the first week of January 2026.
In a landmark move, the Professional Darts Corporation have increased the prize money for the winner of the Sid Waddell Trophy, doubling it from £500,000 to a record £1million.
The total prize fund will top £5million for the first time.
Littler – the sport's most high-profile figure – became the youngest world champion in history when he lifted the title aged 17 on January 3, beating 7-3 Dutchman Michael van Gerwen in the final at Ally Pally.
In previous editions, when it was a 96-player field, the top names were parachuted into the competition via the second round.
This time, however, it will be a straight 128-player draw with the top 32 in the world being seeded.
This is a similar structure to the men's and women's singles draws at Wimbledon.
Players ranked 33-64 will be drawn at random into the left-hand side of the draw against the remaining 64 qualifiers.
The top 40 players from the PDC Order of Merit following November's Players Championship Finals at Butlin's Minehead will qualify automatically.
The top 40 non-qualified players from the ProTour Order of Merit will also feature in this year's extravaganza – with the remaining 48 places allocated to international qualifiers.
As the illegal war rages in Ukraine, players from Russia and Belarus may only enter 'subject to certain special conditions' – but the PDC have yet to clarify what that entails.
Later this year, a historic Sky Sports £125million five-year TV deal will kick-in as more money than ever floods into the sport.
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Darts star Luke Littler tries out brand new sport and fans reckon they know where he learned his technique
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Darts star Luke Littler tries out brand new sport and fans reckon they know where he learned his technique
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The Sun

timean hour ago

  • The Sun

Darts star Luke Littler tries out brand new sport and fans reckon they know where he learned his technique

DARTS star Luke Littler turned his hand to GOLF during the middle of the World Matchplay. But his dismal technique saw him likened to hapless movie character Happy Gilmore by giggling fans. 4 4 Littler took a break from the oche after booking his place in the World Matchplay quarters with a stunning comeback against Jermaine Wattimena. The Nuke was 7-2 down before sealing a 13-11 victory to set up a clash against Andrew Gilding on Friday night. And to take his mind off the occasion, Littler decided to swap a darts board for a golf course. However, it was hardly The Open's Portrush course — with Littler instead opting for a game of crazy golf. The teen donned his best shorts-and-hoodie combo as he joined Sky Sports for a day on the whimsical green. But Littler showed why he should be sticking to darts with a dismal performance. Hilarious video footage showed him struggling to get past one hole, which involved hitting the ball through a miniature cabin. At one stage, Littler even managed to knock his ball off the green and into some paving stones. But just like his win over Wattimena, the world champion stayed strong and eventually bounced back by potting the hole successfully. However, some fans felt Littler's approach was less Scottie Scheffler and more Happy Gilmore. Luke Littler stuns World Matchplay Darts with one of his greatest ever comebacks against Jermaine Wattimena 4 4 The fictional character, played by Adam Sandler in 1996 and in a sequel released today, is a hockey player-turned-golfer who has little technique and gets by on his gigantic drive. One fan laughed: 'Littler holding a putter like he's Happy f*****g Gilmore.' Another declared: 'Never seen a putter before.' One noted: 'Mr Bean was better.' Another added: 'Golf isn't his game.'

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