Luke Humphries Storms Back From 3-0 Down to Beat Gerwyn Price for World Grand Prix Title
Englishman ends 16-month wait for a PDC major with 6-4 win in Leicester
2 min read
File photo: Luke Humphries at 10 Downing Street in January 2024. Photo: Simon Walker / No 10 Downing Street, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
LEICESTER, England — Luke Humphries came from three sets down to beat Gerwyn Price 6-4 in the World Grand Prix final on Sunday, ending a 16-month wait for a PDC major trophy, BBC Sport reported.
The world number two collected £150,000 for his second World Grand Prix title, having also beaten Price in the 2023 final, Sky Sports said.
Price's blistering start
Price, the 2020 champion, won the opening set in straight legs with a 132 three-dart average, according to BBC Sport, needing just 34 darts, Sky Sports reported. The Welshman raced into a 3-0 lead at the Mattioli Arena.
The match turned in the fourth set. With Price waiting on double 20 to move within two sets of victory, Humphries took out a 105 finish in the deciding leg to get on the board.
That checkout sparked a run of four straight sets that put Humphries 4-3 ahead. Price levelled at 4-4 and led in the ninth set but missed two set darts, Sky Sports said. Humphries broke throw with a 10-dart leg to go 5-4 up, then won the final set in straight legs, finishing with an 11-darter.
Humphries averaged 93.16 and hit 10 maximums, according to Sky Sports.
"Barren major run off my back"
"This is really special, getting that barren major run off my back," Humphries told Sky Sports. "I think the biggest shot of my career was the 180, 105 outshot in the fourth set."
"It's been a torrid 15 or 18 months, losing so many major finals," he said, according to BBC Sport.
The 31-year-old became the first player to reach the World Grand Prix final four years in a row. BBC Sport said the win was his ninth major PDC title and ensures he keeps his world number two ranking ahead of the Netherlands' Gian van Veen.
Price, who has not won a major since the 2022 World Series Finals, has now lost five successive major finals, three of them this year, BBC Sport reported.
The Welshman said Humphries "played brilliantly in the middle part of the game but I still squandered opportunities to put him under pressure, too many opportunities."
"I am gutted to lose another major final but I will get over it," Price told Sky Sports.
Sources: BBC Sport; Sky Sports
