Luke Humphries begins his title defense at the World Grand Prix next Monday. 'Cool Hand Luke' will take on Stephen Bunting in the opening round, against whom he won the final of Players Championship 26 just last Thursday.
ADVERTISEMENT
Last year's World Grand Prix was the first major title in Humphries' career. “The World Grand Prix will always hold great memories for me,” admitted Humphries.
“The fact it was my first major tournament win makes it special, and it was the catalyst to allow me to go on and win everything else.
“If I didn’t win the World Grand Prix, the last 12 months could have been completely different for me, but it gave me the confidence to win a lot more, and I’ll always be grateful for that.”
Humphries steamed on after his first major title, winning several more major titles, with the World Darts Championship as the absolute crowning achievement.
“When I won the World Grand Prix, I thought: ‘That’s a great start to my career with my first major win, and I’d love to follow it up with another title in the next 12 months’.
“That would have been a realistic goal and a great achievement, but to follow it up with back-to-back titles and of course the World Championship was incredible.
ADVERTISEMENT
Luke Humphries in action
The 29-year-old Englishman sometimes has to pinch himself in the arm to realize all that is happening to him. “Sitting here now – I’ve made eight or nine major finals in 12 months which is something quite incredible, and something I may not be able to do again!
“It’s incredibly tough, but I just want to keep working hard, playing well and I will try to lift as many major titles as I can.”
Taylor and Van Gerwen
Only Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen have ever managed to succeed themselves as World Grand Prix winners. “I won’t be putting too much pressure on myself to try and retain every trophy that I’ve won, because it’s going to be almost impossible to replicate what I did last year,” added Humphries.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I always say my goal is to pick up a couple of major titles every year, and if you do that, you’ll be sat in the top four for a long time.
Michael van Gerwen, along with Phil Taylor, is the only one who successfully defended his title at the World Grand Prix
“It feels amazing to be mentioned in that bracket. Phil and Michael are two of the players I’ve looked up to throughout my career,” continued the World Champion.
“When I first started watching darts it was all about Phil Taylor and him winning everything, and when I started to play competitively, it was the Michael van Gerwen era!
“I can now always say I have had the kind of year that Phil and Michael have enjoyed – that 12-month period of dominance.
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
🗣️ "These are the moments I live for now. I want to play the best and be involved in these great games!"
Reigning champion Luke Humphries is targeting further double-start success at the 2024 @BoyleSports World Grand Prix, which begins on Monday!
📝 bit.ly/24HumphriesWGP