Luke Humphries begins his mission to add the
European Championship title to his growing list of accomplishments on Friday night. Last year's European Championship was the only major tournament in the autumn where "Cool Hand Luke" did not finish with the trophy in his hands.
After winning the world title and titles at the World Cup of Darts and World Matchplay, the current world number one, in Dortmund will try to add another major to his name in 2024. Humphries'
European Tour season was decent; with two titles and another finals appearance. Just last weekend, Humphries showed his top form by taking the title at the Czech Darts Open, the final Euro Tour event of the year.
"I felt really good in Prague; it was a nice way to end the European Tour season,"
he said on the PDC website. Just a week earlier, Humphries finished second at the World Grand Prix after a surprising defeat to Mike de Decker in the final of the double-in double-out tournament. ''I think I took the defeat at the World Grand Prix really well. Sometimes you just have to accept that the better player won, and Mike [De Decker] deserved it. It was nice to bounce back [from the World Grand Prix] so quickly, because when you lose in major finals it’s not easy; it does hurt you."
It is Humphries' fourth time competing in the European Darts Championship. On his debut in 2021, the Englishman reached the second round. The past two seasons Humphries stranded in the quarterfinals each time. In this edition, the world number one has a tough draw, as he will face Nathan Aspinall in the first round. 'The European Tour has been a massive catalyst for my success over the last few years, so I would love to add this title to my résumé this weekend,'' Humphries concluded.