Luke Littler will follow in the footsteps of sporting royalty when he makes his Madison Square Garden debut at this weekend’s bet365 US Darts Masters.
Teenage sensation Littler will be one of eight PDC superstars headlining the action in The Theater from May 31-June 1, as the World Series of Darts returns to New York for a third consecutive year.
Littler will join Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, Michael Smith, Gerwyn Price, Nathan Aspinall, Rob Cross and Peter Wright in the 16-player-field, as they pit their wits against eight North American representatives.
The iconic Madison Square Garden venue has played host to a series of historic sporting moments, and now Littler is hoping to forge his own path ahead of his bow in the Big Apple.
“So many athletes and superstars have performed there and now we're going to be there. I can't wait, it’s so exciting,” said Littler, speaking on CNN on Wednesday morning.
“We just keep going on this rollercoaster journey. We keep travelling to these amazing places like New York, and I'm just enjoying the ride at the moment.
“Darts has gone worldwide. I know the US Masters has been going for quite a few years now, and it's just good to increase the popularity of the sport in the [United] States.”
Littler arrives in New York as the newly crowned Premier League champion, after producing a sensational nine-dart finish on his way to a thrilling 11-7 victory against Humphries in last Thursday’s showpiece.
The 17-year-old also overcame 2023 World Champion Smith in the semi-finals to triumph in front of 14,000 fans at London’s O2 – the biggest ever UK crowd at a PDC event.
This capped off a remarkable six-month spell for Littler, who burst on to the scene with an extraordinary run to January’s World Championship final on his Alexandra Palace debut.
The Warrington wonderkid has since won a World Series title in Bahrain, two European Tour titles in Wieze and Graz, while also scooping a ProTour crown in the year’s opening Players Championship event.
“I know there's still a lot of darts to be played in my career, but I'm just enjoying the experience right now,” added Littler, who has also landed four nine-dart finishes in 2024.
"I'm just taking everything in my stride - from the World Championship to Bahrain, to the European Tour and now the Premier League, I'm just a 17-year-old boy who is enjoying his darts!
“Maybe in a few years time I'll look back and see what I achieved as a teenager, but at the minute I'm just focused on what's ahead.
“I would love to win everything. That's probably my goal, to win every major competition in the PDC, and then potentially build on that.”
The bet365 US Darts Masters and North American Championship will be held on May 31-June 1 in The Theater at Madison Square Garden. For tickets, click here.