Luke Littler and his fellow competitors are set to compete in Riyadh next week for a shot at winning $200,000 (£149,000) by hitting a nine-dart finish followed by a ‘golden bull’. This marks the first time the World Series of Darts will be held in Saudi Arabia, featuring eight PDC Tour representatives against eight Asian Tour representatives in a lucrative two-day tournament starting on Monday.
The prize for a nine-dart finish is $100,000 (£74,700), with the unique opportunity to double it by hitting the bullseye with one ‘golden’ dart, making it the largest reward ever offered in darts for this achievement. Luke Littler, who recently clinched a record £1 million prize for winning the World Championship and secured a lucrative £20 million contract with his darts supplier, is eager to showcase his skills once again after throwing nine perfect darts in a previous event in Bahrain.
This new incentive in darts mirrors the format of the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship, which includes the “Riyadh Season golden ball” offering a $1 million (£760,000) bonus for achieving a 167 break. The golden ‘Riyadh Season ball’ is strategically placed on the table during frames where a maximum break of 147 is still possible, emphasizing the high stakes and excitement in these elite competitions.
Former World Championship semi-finalist Mark Webster highlighted the substantial rewards at stake, with players standing to earn $200,000 by hitting ten perfect darts – a feat that could be accomplished in the first leg of the tournament for an impressive start. Joining Littler in Riyadh will be other notable darts players including Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, Gian van Veen, Gerwyn Price, Stephen Bunting, Nathan Aspinall, and Danny Noppert.
Littler and his competitors are currently participating in the Bahrain Masters, the first event following Littler’s double world championship victory. Littler’s standout performance included a 170 ‘Big Fish’ check-out against Paul Lim, securing his spot in the quarter-finals alongside Humphries, Van Veen, Van Gerwen, Bunting, and Aspinall.