- Teenage darts star Luke Littler will compete in the Bahrain Masters this week
- Littler, 16, attracted national attention at the PDC World Darts Championship.
- Bahrain Masters prize money will surprise many darts fans
The Darts Bahrain Masters will see the world’s best darts players compete for the first World Series title in 2024.
This year’s edition will feature rising star Luke Littler. The 16-year-old gained national attention after his sensational performance at the PDC World Darts Championship. Littler stormed to the finals of the tournament on his debut, rising to his 32nd place in the world rankings and earning a spot in his eight-man Premier League darts line-up.
Littler lost the final 7-4 to world number one Luke Humphries, but his fairytale performance at Alexandra Palace won him thousands of new fans and made the final the most watched in Sky Sports’ history. It made history as a non-soccer event. A whopping 4.8 million viewers have visited.
His impressive performance at Ally Pally earned him more than £200,000, but his potential earnings at the Bahrain Masters will shock many fans.
Mail Sport analyzes how much money Littler could earn if he wins the Bahrain Masters.
How much is the prize?
Over the next two days, the world’s best teams will compete in the first World Series tournament of the season.
Many people will be surprised to learn that this year’s total prize money is £60,000. To put into context how low this is, Littler’s prize money for his World Darts Championship quarter-final win over Brendan Dolan was slightly less than that amount.
All players at the Bahrain Masters are guaranteed £1,250, with a win in the first round earning £2,500.
The winner of the tournament stands to take home an amazingly low amount of £20,000.
Prizes for each round are as follows:
- Winner: £20,000
- Runner-up: 10,000 pounds
- Semi-finalist: £5,000
- Quarter-finalists: £2,500
- First round: £1,250
Littler’s path to the finals
Littler will compete in the last 16 of the tournament today, facing world No. 126 Manlok Leung of Hong Kong.
If he beats Leon, it will only make things even more difficult for the English teenager.
The 16-year-old is likely to face world number four Nathan Aspinall for a place in the semi-finals.
But first, Aspinall must get past Lawrence Ilagan in the last 16.
Unfortunately for Littler, it seems most likely that he will face either Gerwyn Price or Luke Humphries in the semi-finals.
Littler will be looking for revenge after a dramatic loss to Humphries in the World Championship final.
As for Price, the Welshman will be hoping for a better season after being eliminated in the third round of the World Darts Championship by Brendan Dolan.
Fans were able to watch the All English final between Littler and Michael Smith.
Smith, like Price, will be looking to move on from his disappointing loss at the world championships.
However, world No. 2 Michael van Gerwen will be by Smith’s side for the tournament, and the pair are likely to go head-to-head for a spot in the final.
How to watch
Fans will be able to watch the Bahrain Darts Masters for free on ITVX on Thursday, with coverage starting from 4pm.
The final day of the tournament will be broadcast live on ITV 4.