I’m a 16-year-old darts sensation and already fighting for £600,000 pay cheque alongside Michael Smith and Co
LUKE LITTLER is set to make his PDC major debut on Friday – at the age of 16.
The Runcorn teenager has been drawn against 53-year-old Wolverhampton-born Nick Fullwell in the first round of the £600,000 UK Open in Somerset.
The Nuke has appeared on the WDF circuit – including at the 2022 Lakeside World Championships last April – but this is a bigger platform with a field of higher calibre stars.
If Littler wins, he will earn himself prize money of £1,000 and the chance to take on Austrian Tour card holder Rusty-Jake Rodriguez in the second round.
Holland’s Danny Noppert is the reigning champion of the FA Cup of Darts, which usually sees plenty of shocks and pits amateurs against professionals.
The sport’s biggest names – Michael Smith, Peter Wright, Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price – will all enter at the fourth-round stage.
Littler’s UK Open debut comes after he retained his JDC Super 16 title, beating Thomas Banks 5-3 in the final in Milton Keynes over the weekend.
And he is now prepared to make the step up to PDC competition.
Speaking about his performance following his win over Banks, he told Online Darts: “I know it’s going to be tough. There was Challenge Tour on so there was a few big names and there was a few who I don’t know.
“But I was playing well all day and I got over the line and I’m off to Minehead [where the UK Open is held].
“I’m looking forward to it, it’s going to be more experience for myself.
“It’ll be my first TV major without a Tour Card or anything so I’m just going to be looking forward to it.”