US Darts Masters prize money as Luke Littler eyes another payday

Darts fans will get a slice of the Big Apple action as the sport rolls into New York City this weekend for the US Darts Masters. Reigning PDC world champion, 18-year-old Luke Littler, better known as 'The Nuke' is on a mission for redemption after England's recent disappointing display at the World Cup of Darts.

Littler partnered with world No.1 Luke Humphries to represent England but faced an unexpected defeat in the second round against Germany, ending England's tenure as world champions. Instead, the title travelled within the UK shores with Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney the new Northern Ireland champions.

All eyes are now fixed on the US Darts Masters where Littler and Humphries will step up to the oche alongside other rivals. Last year, Littler reached the semi-finals only to be knocked out by seasoned Welshman Gerwyn Price despite outscoring the 40-year-old 2021 PDC world champion.

Rob Cross, hailing from England, is back to defend his title, with young guns Littler and Humphries among the formidable contenders aiming to dethrone him. The stakes are high in the city that never sleeps, but how much money is on the line?

The US Darts Masters offers a hefty $137,000 prize fund, with eight North American darts players facing another eight from the PDC's elite ranks for its seventh prestigious edition.

The winner in New York is set to bag $41k while the runner-up will snap up $21.9k. Those who reach the semi-finals will net a tidy $13.7k, those bowing out at the quarterfinals will pocket $6.8k, and even first-round losers won't leave empty-handed, earning close to $2.4k.

This year's purse has swelled considerably - a significant increase from last year's $82.2k total.

Humphries staunchly defended his and Littler's relationships following critiques of their World Cup of Darts struggles. Despite competing against each other usually, Humphries insisted they were united as a team, countering Wales rival Price's claim that England's poor performance was visible right off the bat.

"There was a lot of talk about me and Luke not being a team, but coming from the horse's mouth I can assure you we were a team. We were!" Humphries told Online Darts. "We didn't arrive at the same time because I said not to. I told Luke: 'Do your own thing, there's not point us trying to change the way we play.'"