Who is the king of darts now? Luke Humphries blasts through the 2025 PDC Winmau World Masters with a victory so big, it’s history in the making. The 2025 PDC World Masters, hosted at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes from January 30 to February 2, was the 13th Masters organized by the Professional Darts Corporation and the inaugural event under the World Masters branding. As the defending champion, Stephen Bunting entered this season after triumphing over Michael Van Gerwen with an 11-7 scoreline in the 2024 final. Unfortunately, he faced a 4-3 defeat against Danny Noppert in the quarter-finals, missing the chance to secure back-to-back PDC World Masters titles. In contrast, Luke Humphries showcased his impressive form. He clinched the tournament by edging Jonny Clayton 6-5 in the final, a victory that solidified his position as a dominant force in the world of darts.
Luke Humphries is a professional English darts player currently ranked world number one and a former PDC World Champion, having won the 2024 World Championship by overcoming Luke Littler. In 2017, he captured five PDC Development Tour titles, topping the Development Tour Order of Merit, which earned him a spot in the 2018 PDC World Darts Championship and a PDC Tour Card for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Humphries made a significant television breakthrough during the 2019 World Youth Championship, defeating Adam Hunt, Stephen Bunting, Dimitri Van den Bergh, and reigning champion Rob Cross before being knocked out by Michael Smith in the quarter-finals.
In the 2020 World Championship, Humphries reached the quarter-finals again but lost 5-3 to the eventual champion Peter Wright. Despite this setback, he was selected as a “Challenger” for the Premier League, and in Exeter, he became the first challenger to win their match, defeating Gary Anderson. However, he faced a surprising 3-2 first-round defeat to 66-year-old Paul Lim in the 2021 World Championship. His journey continued in the 2022 World Championship, where he reached his third quarter-final in four years, ultimately losing 5-2 to Gary Anderson. At the 2022 German Darts Grand Prix, Humphries achieved his first PDC European Tour final by defeating Jeffrey de Zwaan, Michael Smith, Wesley Plaisier, and Michael van Gerwen.
In the final, Humphries beat Martin Lukeman with a score of 8-2, hitting a double 4. He followed this success with back-to-back titles at the 2022 Czech Darts Open and the 2022 European Darts Grand Prix, which included an 8-7 victory over Rowby-John Rodriguez in the final of the 2022 European Darts Matchplay, culminating the year with four European Tour titles. In the 2023 World Championship, Humphries reached the fourth round before losing 4-1 to Stephen Bunting. In October, he celebrated his first major title victory at the 2023 World Grand Prix, beating Gerwyn Price 5-2 in the final.
In 2024, he won the World Championship, defeated Luke Littler in a thrilling final, and met with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. He also claimed titles at the German Darts Grand Prix, World Matchplay, and New Zealand Darts Masters. Moreover, he represented England in the World Cup of Darts, partnering with Michael Smith to win the title. Throughout the year, Humphries demonstrated resilience and skill, earning admiration from fans and peers alike. As 2025 unfolds, his victory in the PDC Winmau World Masters, a tournament with a rich history and a prestigious title, signals a promising year ahead. In this article, we examine Luke Humphries’s performance in the 2025 PDC Winmau World Masters and explore how his consistent path led to this phenomenal victory.
2025 PDC Winmau World Masters Luke Humphries’ Results
Round One January 30, 2025
- Luke Humphries 3-1 Joe Cullen
Round Two February 1, 2025
- Luke Humphries 4-0 Josh Rock
February 2, 2025
Quarter-finals
- Luke Humphries 4-1 Damon Heta
Semi-finals
- Luke Humphries 5-2 Danny Noppert
Final
- Luke Humphries 6-5 Jonny Clayton
Luke Humphries’ Path to Final
Luke Humphries started with an advantageous first-round match against Joe Cullen, which he took 3-1. Luke Humphries came in strong in the opening set and quickly got into the rhythm. He rose with high scores, immediately going straight for Joe Cullen’s throat. He maintained hitting high scores, which included several 140s and 180s. His performance in handling pressure was also quite visible, resulting in a 3-1 win over Joe Cullen. In this match, he threw two 180, eleven 140+, and 27 100+. In the second round of the 2025 PDC Winmau World Masters, Luke Humphries played Josh Rock and emerged victorious with a score of 4-0. Humphries’s accuracy in Table 20 was seen in the game as he consistently scored high and took the first set victory, showing that he was the better man. In set two, he maintained his high play and continued to outscore Rock, leaving him little chance to fight back. Luke Humphries took advantage without dropping a leg, and Rock could not find his form. The third set saw more of the same domination from Humphries, and his relentless pressure and consistent scoring gave Rock little time to try a comeback.
He takes the third set with a strong performance, putting him ahead by 3-0. Then, he went to the fourth set, dominated it 4-0, and advanced to the quarter-finals. He was to face a strong Damon Heta of Australia for the quarterfinals. Luke displayed exceptional form, securing a 4-1 victory. He started the set with impressive confidence and focus and won the first set. Humphries found the challenge in the second set, and Heta broke Luke’s throw. However, Humphries remained calm and focused, hitting crucial trebles and doubles to win the set and extend his lead to 2-0. In the third set, dominance went on. Humphries scored more points against Heta; however, he lost in quarter four but performed aggressively and with high-scoring accuracy at some crucial finish plays. In the fifth set, Humphries maintained control while on his form’s best in action. Humphries dominated this set while scoring, keeping his continuous pressure on Heta.
Humphries’s precision on the doubles was superb as he ended the set and the match with a clinical finish. With this phenomenal victory, he qualified for the semi-finals, where he faced Danny Noppert. Despite starting poorly, Humphries made an incredible comeback to win 5-2. Noppert started the match firmly, winning the first two seats with ease. Himphreis struggled with doubles early on, missing several crucial shots. He had a breakthrough in the third set when Luke Humphries checked out 128. He backed this up with 180 and double eight, taking the game into level terms. He carried on well in the set to take the lead, which continued into the fifth set with 4-2. He won 5-2 in that set, propelling him into the 2025 PDC Winmau World Masters.
Luke Humphries’ 2025 PDC Winmau World Masters Stats
| Round | Opponent | Score | Average Score | High Checkout |
| First Round | Joe Cullen | 3-1 | 98.62 | 76 |
| Second Round | Josh Rock | 4-0 | 94.63 | 104 |
| Quarter-Finals | Damon Heta | 4-1 | 104.24 | 106 |
| Semi-Finals | Danny Noppert | 5-2 | 99.71 | 128 |
| Final | Jonny Clayton | 6-5 | 100.42 | 91 |
Luke Humphries vs. Jonny Clayton
In the final of the 2025 PDC Winmau World Masters, Luke Humphries faced Jonny Clayton in a highly close game that went all the way to the wire. Humphries started strongly in the opening set, consistently hitting high scores, and quickly completed his doubles. This strong start to the match was the theme of the entire game, and he took the first set comfortably. Clayton performed much better in the second set and settled into a rhythm of high scores. Humphries was doing everything possible to outstrip him but failed to overtake the lead; the match leveled 1-1. Luke Humphries maintained high-scoring averages in set three and clinched his double with clinical accuracy. Clayton found it hard to match Humphries’s relentless pace and let him win the third set 2-1. In the fourth set, Humphries continued well. He outscored Clayton at each throw, giving him pressure in every throw. Humphries’ accuracy in the trebles and doubles won him the set, increasing his lead to 3-1.
He was resilient and determined in the sixth set, keeping up his high scoring and ending his doubles with efficiency, which won him the set and pushed his lead up to 4-2. In set 7, he maintained his dominance and increased his lead to 5-2. However, in set 8, Clayton was not ready to give up. He fought back in the eighth set, found his form, and hit crucial scores. He won the set and took the lead to 5-3. Clayton’s comeback continued into the ninth set. He began to play confidently and precisely, winning the set to pressure Humphries. The match tightens when Clayton closes the gap 5-4. Clayton gained more momentum by winning the tenth set as well. He was sticking to a good performance level and getting important trebles and doubles. Thus, it turned into a neck-to-neck fight between both, with 5-5 set in motion towards the final one. It is going to be a thrilling final set. Both of them played well and with nerves of steel.
Clayton took an early lead, but Humphries came back strongly with two back-to-back 140s and put the pressure back on Clayton. Humphries held his nerve and clinched the title with a precise double top, winning the match 6-5. Humphries’ victory in the final set was a testament to his resilience, mental toughness, and exceptional skill. It was a real thriller of a game down to the wire, sealing Humphries’s place as the 2025 PDC Winmau World Masters Champion.
Luke Humphries’ Post-Victory Reflections
Following his triumph at the 2025 PDC Winmau World Masters, Luke Humphries shared his heartfelt reflections on the incredible journey and victory.
“I started to feel the nerves; when I was 5-2 up and I started to miss doubles I was trying too hard to close the game out. Jonny was coming back at me, and when he went five-all I thought the game was gone for me.
“That was a really tough game, I thought I played well in patches but in the middle bit Jonny was so dominant that I feel fortunate that I have won the trophy.”
“That’s a seventh major title for me now, I am three away from the great James Wade and for me to be even close to someone like that – I can’t even believe it.”
In addition to this, Jonny Clayton also shared his opinion on the game and about Luke, saying, “Games like that, you need a winner and one has to lose. All credit to Luke, a fantastic person and fantastic player.”
Final Thoughts
We hope this article provided valuable insight into Luke Humphries’s journey and his championship in the 2025 PDC Winmau World Masters. Despite some setbacks, he showed who he was, which replicates his passion and determination. So, there is more way to see his success in the Darts world. You can check out our website for more updates on Darts events and other sports. Cheers to Luke Humphries for his well-deserved victory!
