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Darts sensation Luke Littler and his rivals are set to compete for an unprecedented prize in Riyadh next week, with a staggering $200,000 (£149,000) on offer for a perfect nine-dart finish followed by a ‘Golden Bull’.
The World Series of Darts makes its debut in Saudi Arabia, pitting eight PDC Tour representatives against eight from the Asian Tour.
The two-day tournament, commencing Monday, offers a unique financial incentive: a player achieving a nine-darter secures $100,000 (£74,700), which can then be doubled by successfully landing a single ‘golden’ dart into the bullseye.
This marks the largest prize ever offered for a nine-dart finish in the sport’s history.
The prospect will undoubtedly excite Littler, who recently secured a record £1m for winning the World Championship and signed a lucrative £20m, 10-year contract.
The 18-year-old already executed a nine-darter at the World Series event in Bahrain earlier in 2024, suggesting he will be honing his treble shots once more.
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Luke Littler successfully defended his World Championship crown earlier this month (John WAlton/PA) (PA Wire)
Former World Championship semi-finalist Mark Webster elaborated on the prize during ITV4’s coverage: If a player hits a nine-darter they will get $100,000. Not bad, is it?
“Then one single dart at the bullseye, if they can hit that with their next dart, they will receive an extra $100,000.
“So 10 perfect darts is $200,000. Not bad is it? If they did that in the first leg, it would be job done.”
Littler will be joined in Riyadh by a strong field including Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, Gian van Veen, Gerwyn Price, Stephen Bunting, Nathan Aspinall and Danny Noppert, all vying for the historic bonus.
Littler retained his world title earlier this month in stunning fashion, beating Dutch star Van Veen 7-1 in a one-sided final at Alexandra Palace and will be looking to add to his prize money in Saudi Arabia before the Premier League gets underway in early February.
