LUKE LITTLER was told he needs to RETIRE after winning the Australian Darts Masters.
The teen sensation beat Mike De Decker 8-4 in the final in Wollongong on Saturday.
Luke Littler was told he needs to retire after winning the Australian Darts MastersJohn Walton/PA Wire
Mike De Decker joked on stage that Littler ‘needs to retire because it’s not fun anymore’Lewis Storey/Getty Images
Littler, 18, picked up his first World Series title of the year and £20,000 prize money before his Belgian rival joked on stage “he needs to retire because it’s not fun anymore”.
On quitting, The Nuke smiled: “Nope, not yet!”
Littler also produced a cheeky new headshake and swagger before throwing after getting some stick from the Aussie fans.
He explained: “From the first game there was a group to my right and then in the final every time I didn’t hit a treble, they were like ‘rubbish, rubbish’. Someone said I was ‘washed’.
“Not sure what he meant. Obviously I’d just won. The darts did the talking.”
Littler was in total control of the final, hitting six 180s in the opening six legs and led 4-2 thanks to a wonderful 143 finish.
A bull checkout put him 7-4 in front and he soon wrapped it up with double 16.
He said: “I played really well tonight. I didn’t play too well last night. But tonight was what really mattered.
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“I knew if I won the first game it would be a very long night. I’m very happy.
“It’s been quite a while since I won on the World Series. To travel all this way I wanted to win. Especially after just falling short in the final last year.
“Any losing final motivates me. You always want to come back and do one better.
“As a world champion you need to be winning things. It took five months but to go and win at the Matchplay and now I’ve won here as well. I’ve got that winning feeling back in me.”
De Decker picked up £10,000 and beat an unwell Luke Humphries 6-0 in the quarters on the way to the final.
He said: “People said I didn’t deserve it so I’m really happy I got a trophy now.
“I’m just happy to get to the final. I’m glad I showed I’m still able to play my A game.
“There’s been some ups and downs this year. Reaching the final in this tournament is a big confidence boost.”
Luke Littler prize money breakdown
Here is all the prize money Luke Littler has won so far after being crowned 2025 PDC World Darts Championship winner:
World Championship 2025 – £500,000
World Championship 2024 – £200,000
Grand Slam of Darts 2024 – £150,000
European Tour – £91,000
Player Championships events – £71,500
Players Championship final runner-up – £60,000
UK Open 2023 + 2024 – £17,500
World Matchplay – £10,000
World Grand Prix – £7,500
European Championship – £7,500
(Unranked) Premier League Darts – £315,000
TOTAL: £1.43 million
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