Luke Humphries overcame his struggles in the World Series of Darts events to clinch his maiden title at the New Zealand Masters. The world No.1 defeated Damon Heta 8-2 in the final to claim the missing piece in his long list of honours.
Humphries lost the opening leg, but the reigning world champion quickly raced into a 5-1 lead and finished with a flourish, winning the final three legs to end his World Series hoodoo and claim the £20k grand prize. The New Zealand Masters was the seventh event in this year’s format, with the World Series of Darts Final being held in Amsterdam next month.
Humphries had failed to win any events in the PDC’s worldwide tournament until his long-awaited victory on Sunday, despite winning the World Championship, World Cup and World Matchplay so far this year. It had been a strange omission on Humphries’ otherwise impeccable record with ‘Cool Hand Luke’ pinning the blame on his preparation and more laid-back approach compared to other major tournaments.
“There are no frustrations for me. I don’t get frustrated, I think I enjoy it too much and that’s my problem,” Humphries told Online Darts during the New Zealand Masters. “I do take them seriously. Of course, I want to win, I don’t come here and want to lose but I don’t have the same setup as I do when I play major tournaments. Why [am I] deadly in them and not deadly in these?
“I think that’s why. It’s just to do with the fact my preparation’s different. When you’re in different time zones, I love my sleep, so that’s maybe why. I get good sleep, good preparation. In these, you don’t get the best preparation and the long days are harder but you just got to enjoy these. They’re fantastic opportunities for us as players to go and travel the world and hopefully give the fans great darts.”
He added: “If I win, I’m over the moon, but if not I’m happy to just win the big ones, that’s all I care about.”
The 29-year-old finally struck the right balance in New Zealand, defeating former world champion Michael Smith and teenage sensation Luke Littler on his way to the final. Following his dominant win over Heta, Humphries acknowledged his previous issues in the World Series and shared his delight at winning the elusive title in Hamilton.
“I’ve been searching for a World Series title, and I felt one was coming,” Humphries said. “My performances on the World Series over the last two years haven’t been at the standard I wanted, and I still wasn’t at my best today, but I was good enough.
“I feel so lucky and privileged to be here. The crowds over the last few days have been fantastic, and me and my Dad have really enjoyed our time here. It’s been a great journey, I’ve made some great memories and I’ll be looking forward to coming back next year.”
Humphries will be one of eight top seeds in the 32-man World Series of Darts Finals. Both Littler and Gerwyn Price will be ranked higher than the world No.1, having won two World Series events apiece, with Rob Cross and Michael van Gerwen also claiming a victory each. The World Series of Darts Finals will get underway on 13 September at AFAS Live in Amsterdam.
