LUKE LITTLER apologised to a World Darts Championship fan after failing to hit a money-spinning nine-darter.
The teen sensation is battling for this year’s top prize at Ally Pally.
Littler has already had to endure a tough fight against Ryan Meikle in round two.
And his next game sees the 17-year-old face Ian White on Saturday night.
Littler is determined to make up for losing the 2023 final to rival Luke Humphries.
But there is added pressure at the WDC this year after nine-darters were given a boost.
Each time a darts star hits the magical figure, a fan will end up bagging a whopping £60,000.
One pay-out has already been delivered after Christian Kist hit a nine-darter against Madars Razma.
And a second looked destined when Littler put himself on the verge of one against Meikle.
The ace appeared destined to make a nine-darter in the opening set.
But with just his favourite Double 12 left on the board, Littler somehow missed the target.
It saw a supporter fail to get their hands on £60k.
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And Littler has now apologised for failing to get his final dart over the line.
He said: “It’s definitely becoming a frustration in a good way.
“As soon as you make the switch to the Treble 19, your eyes light up.
“I heard the camera pan around to the winner, so I’m sorry whoever you are! I’ll try again.”
Littler was extremely emotional after beating Meikle and admitted the match was the hardest of his career so far.
He added: “It was probably the toughest game I’ve ever played. I had to fight until the end.
“It is the worst game I have played. Coming into it I was fine but as soon as it started, I couldn’t throw them.”
BELOW is a list of Darts world champions by year.
The list does not include winners from the pre-Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) era or BDO world champions.
That means Raymond van Barneveld, for example, is only listed once – Barney also won four BDO titles – and none of Eric Bristow’s five BDO titles are included.
Most World Titles
