Luke Littler and other participants will vie for a $200,000 (£149,000) prize if they can achieve a nine-dart finish followed by a ‘golden bull’ in Riyadh next week. This opportunity comes as the World Series of Darts makes its debut in Saudi Arabia, where eight PDC Tour players will face off against eight Asian Tour representatives in a lucrative two-day competition starting on Monday.
In this tournament, a player who hits a nine-dart finish will secure a $100,000 (£74,700) reward and then have the opportunity to double it by aiming for the bullseye with a ‘golden’ dart. This potential prize stands as the largest in the history of the sport for a nine-dart finish, with Littler, who recently won a record £1 million prize at the World Championship and secured a lucrative £20 million contract with his darts supplier, eagerly anticipating the challenge.
The incentive in darts mirrors the format adopted by the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship, featuring the “Riyadh Season golden ball” that can lead to a 167 break and a $1 million (£760,000) bonus. The golden ball is strategically placed at the start of each frame in line with specific spots on the table and remains until a maximum break is no longer achievable.
Notable darts figures, like former World Championship semi-finalist Mark Webster, have remarked on the allure of the prize money, emphasizing the potential for a player to earn $200,000 by hitting ten perfect darts. Littler will be competing alongside other top players like Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, Gian van Veen, Gerwyn Price, Stephen Bunting, Nathan Aspinall, and Danny Noppert at the upcoming event in Riyadh.
Currently participating in the Bahrain Masters, Littler and his counterparts are showcasing their skills following Littler’s recent World Championship victory. In a remarkable display, Littler executed a 170 ‘Big Fish’ check-out to advance to the quarter-finals, with other players like Humphries, Van Veen, Van Gerwen, Bunting, and Aspinall also progressing in the competition.