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Luke Littler Crushes Van Veen to Retain PDC World Title

The 18-year-old's rout cements a commanding world No. 1 lead on unprecedented prize money.

Overview

  • Littler defeated Gian van Veen 7–1 at Alexandra Palace to lift the Sid Waddell Trophy and claim a record £1 million winner's prize.
  • His two-year haul rose to £2.77 million, leaving him securely top of the rankings at least until the World Grand Prix, according to AFP.
  • Van Veen earned £400,000 in his first final, climbed to world No. 3, and became the Netherlands' No. 1 ahead of Michael van Gerwen.
  • Play featured unusual interruptions as a wasp forced Littler to halt a throw and officials replaced a blood-marked board after van Veen cut his finger; Littler still produced standout finishes including 147.
  • Littler captured the Ballon d'Art for most 180s as the event set a new tournament record of 1,127 maximums across an expanded field, and he declared a pursuit of a title hat-trick as his next goal.