Luke Littler will take home a life-changing amount of money even if the teenage sensation crashes out of the PDC World Darts Championship on Wednesday.
Not yet old enough to drink alcohol or even drive a car, the 16-year-old has made himself the story of Alexandra Palace, averaging 106 points in his first round match as he brushed aside Christian Kist 3-0. And 24 hours later he went up a notch again, beating UK Open champion 3-1 Andrew Gilding.
The Runcorn-based star did have pedigree ahead of his bow on the world's biggest stage, competing on the PDC Development Tour and winning the World Youth Championships in November. But few envisaged his fairytale run to the third round, where he'll take on Canada's Matt Campbell for a place in the last-16.
But regardless of how that clash pans out, Littler will take home £25,000, which nearly amounts to his entire career earnings so far. And should he continue his remarkable run on Wednesday, he will guarantee himself £35,000.
Littler is no longer seen as a rank outsider though, with bookmakers now making him fourth favourite to go all the way with his odds of overall victory as short as 9/1. And should he progress into the last-eight, then the money on offer gets considerably more serious.
Quarter-finalists will earn £50,000 and losing semi-finalists will get double that amount. A run to the final will secure him £200,000 even if he finishes runner-up, with £500,000, an amount that has been in place to 2019, available to whoever is crowned champion come January 3.
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Shaun Brooks/Action Plus/REX/Shutterstock)HAVE YOUR SAY! Can Luke Littler go all the way? Comment below.
Back in 2014, three-time champion Michael van Gerwen became the youngest ever winner of the PDC World Championship at the age of 24, a record he still holds. Should Littler go all the way, he'll obliterate that record by nearly eight years, with the star then turning 17 later next month.
And an amusing reminder of his tender age came in the form of his celebration after he hammered Kist. Littler marked the occasion with a soft drink and a kebab, which seemingly did him no harm when he took to the oche against Gilding.
The tournament is sponsored by betting firm Paddy Power, which has also caused an issue for Little. Due to his age, he's forbidden from showcasing their logo on his shirt during matches.
