In an Autumn 2023 issue of Darts World Extra, we noted that Luke Humphries was on the verge of achieving a very unusual feat in top-level darts. Without a single major TV title to his name, Cool Hand was about to play his way into the world’s top four and earn a Premier League spot by right. We called it ‘The Hard Way’.
Top-level sport can change in minutes. Sure enough, shortly after that piece was published, Humphries went on a phenomenal run, winning nearly every major over an 18-month period and finishing runner-up in most of the rest.
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Before we could fully process that remarkable surge, another Luke exploded onto the scene and reaffirmed the prodigy breakthrough model in the most emphatic fashion yet.
Yet for perspective, it’s worth pointing to the rise of Wessel Nijman.
Despite an outstanding 2026, the Dutchman has yet to claim a TV title or ranking major. Nevertheless, he has played himself into the PDC’s top 16 and, on current form, looks destined to climb higher still. This raises an intriguing question: has the PDC’s tiered system evolved to the point where raw skill and consistent performance on the Pro Tour are now enough to secure automatic qualification for all the major events — and even Premier League selection — without needing to lift the game’s biggest titles?
Humphries’ achievement remains remarkable. He simply kept getting better at managing the floor events. After a couple of years of consistent latter-stage runs in both TV and non-TV tournaments, the Red Dragon thrower took his game to another level in the untelevised events from 2022 onwards.
What began as a series of finals soon turned into title after title. Over the next 20 months, he hoovered up Players Championship and European Tour trophies in a manner never seen from a player ranked outside the top 10 without a major under his belt.
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Some worried he might follow the path of players like Mark Walsh — brilliant on the floor but unable to translate it to the big stage. A few months later, Humphries demolished those doubts, claiming his first major at the 2023 World Grand Prix before going on to win the World Championship reach World number one and dominate much of 2024.
Wessel Nijman’s floor CV may not yet match Humphries’, but he is rapidly building a similar collection. He looks primed for a major surge if and when breaks through on TV. A look at his head-to-head record against Luke Littler in their early days should silence any doubters about his pure ability. If Nijman or anyone else replicates the feat, perhaps we should start calling it ‘The Humphries Way’.
Images: PDC
Graphic: DartsWorld
