Teenage darts superstar Luke Littler could become World No. 1 in darts today for the first time. Following his success at World Grand Prix of darts, the 18-year-old is only £52,500 behind World No. 1 Luke Humphries. In PDC (Professional Darts Corporation) world ranking, or Order of Merit, is decided by prize money won in official competitions in the last two years.
This week, the European Championships take place in Germany. The competition starts Thursday, and both Littler and Humphries are participating for a £120,000 first prize. That means that, if Littler wins, he would surpass Humphries in the World Order of Merit. Humphries currently has £1.73 million, and Littler has £1.68 million. Well behind is Michael van Gerwen, at £760,000.
Littler has not hidden his ambition of being World No. 1, after taking the world of darts by storm last year when he was still 17. If he doesn't win it this weekend (European Championships end on Sunday), he could still reach it in the Grand Slam of Darts (8-16 November), Players Championship Finals (21-23 November) and finally the World Championships on December 11.
Further reading: PDC World No. 2 Luke Littler defeated by WDF Women's World No. 1 Beau Greaves