Luke Humphries has been the only man able to consistently trouble Luke Littler since his emergence in 2023 and is the reigning Premier League and World Masters champion. However, Humphries is on a four-game losing streak in finals and was dumped out of the Players Championship Finals first round by Gian van Veen.
Humphries relinquished his world No. 1 ranking to Littler after being defeated by 'The Nuke' in the final of the Grand Slam of Darts and was beaten by Van Veen in the quarterfinals of the most recent World Championship.
The 30-year-old has spoken openly about dealing with anxiety in earlier phases of his career and pointed out the strain that darts' intense schedule places on its stars.
Luke Humphries
D.O.B.: Feb. 11, 1995
Born: Reading, Berkshire
Nickname: 'Cool Hand Luke'
Walk-on song: 'I Predict a Riot' -- Kaiser Chiefs
PDC world ranking: No. 2
Darts sponsor: Red Dragon
- Why Luke Humphries and Co. will (and won't) win Premier League title
- How and why players got nicknames and walk-on songs
- The Luke Littler effect: How 'The Nuke' changed darts like Tiger Woods changed golf
What has Luke Humphries won?
Humphries has been one of the most dominant players on tour over the past couple of years, amassing eight major singles titles. He lifted his maiden world championship title in January 2024 after defeating a 16-year-old Littler.
Major televised PDC titles:
World Darts Championship (2024)
World Matchplay (2024)
World Grand Prix (2023)
Grand Slam of Darts (2023)
Players Championship Finals x2 (2023, 2024)
World Masters (2025)
Premier League (2025)
Other titles:
World Cup of Darts -- alongside Michael Smith (2024)
World Series of Darts x2
European Tour x8
Players Championships x4
PDC World Youth Championship (2019)
Luke Humphries' other achievements
Awarded an MBE in King Charles' birthday honours list for services to darts
Set a new European Tour 180s record in 2023, scoring 160 maximums in one Euro Tour season - breaking Michael van Gerwen's previous record
Recorded a 118.43 average in a 2025 Premier League match vs Stephen Bunting, which ranks in the top five managed by a player in tournament history
How many nine-darters has Luke Humphries thrown?
'Cool Hand Luke' has thrown eight recorded nine-darters, with his most recent coming in the World Masters Round of 16.
Humphries achieved perfection on Night 5 of the Premier League last year but was unable to get the better of Rob Cross as he fell to a 6-4 quarterfinal defeat in Brighton.
He hit his second nine-dart finish to clinch victory over Michael Smith in the group stage of the Grand Slam of Darts on Nov. 9.
- Premier League nine-darter: The magic behind the perfect leg
PDC Order of Merit
Humphries lost his No. 1 ranking to Littler after 'The Nuke' made it all the way to the final of the Grand Slam in November 2025 and has since fallen even further behind 'The Nuke'.