Tommy Morris Makes History With Stunning Players Championship 34 Triumph
Tommy Morris Makes History With Stunning Players Championship 34 Triumph
Tommy Morris produced a remarkable performance to write his name into the PDC history books on Thursday, defeating Luke Humphries 8-5 in the Players Championship 34 final to become just the sixth player ever to win a ranking title without holding a Tour Card.
The final event of the 2026 Players Championship season brought the curtain down at Leicester’s Mattioli Arena, with places at the Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals and the Paddy Power World Darts Championship still up for grabs.
Yet it was Challenge Tour star Morris who stole the show, completing an extraordinary run to defeat world number three Humphries and secure the biggest title of his career.
“I’ve come from nothing. I haven’t even got a Tour Card,” reflected an emotional Morris, who has now secured his place at the Grand Slam of Darts and World Championship for the first time following an outstanding year on the ProTour.
“For me to come here and do that, I’m just flying my flag for where I live. I’m doing it for my family. I’m so happy.
“Luke is one of the guys that I really look up to. Last year I was watching him on the TV and I said to myself: ‘I can do that.’
“For me to beat Luke like that, I’m very, very proud of myself.
“This is my dream. I had a target at the start of the year to reach the World Championship.”
Morris began his charge with a convincing 6-3 victory over former World Champion Rob Cross before delivering a whitewash against Ricky Evans in the second round, a result which left Evans’ World Championship qualification hopes hanging in the balance.
The 34-year-old continued to impress with three consecutive 6-3 victories against Rob Owen, top seed Wessel Nijman and Jermaine Wattimena. His performance against Nijman was particularly impressive, producing an average above 102 to dispatch the leading player on the season’s ProTour rankings.
Having already reached the Players Championship 32 final in Den Bosch last week, where he was beaten by Chris Dobey, Morris showed his run was no flash in the pan by defeating Spanish number one Cristo Reyes 7-4 to book another appearance on the big stage.
Waiting in the final was World Grand Prix champion Humphries, but Morris showed remarkable composure to complete the job.
The Poole-based star fell 2-0 behind before taking five of the next six legs to move 5-3 in front. Humphries struggled to find his usual range on the doubles, and Morris made him pay, eventually sealing an unforgettable 8-5 triumph with a sensational 161 checkout.
The victory capped a memorable campaign for Morris, who finished third on the Challenge Tour rankings and has now earned debuts at the Grand Slam, Players Championship Finals and World Championship.
“My next target is to get a Tour Card and be with these boys full-time. They’ve made me feel so welcome,” he continued.
“It’s a breath of fresh air to be around them, and to win one of these PDC events is very overwhelming for me.
“I’ve beaten some great players over the last few weeks, and putting the cherry on top is beating Luke.
“This is definitely the door opening for me. I’m very honoured. I’m looking forward to the rest of the year.”
Humphries came agonisingly close to following up Wednesday’s Players Championship 33 success with another title, but was denied a ninth ranking crown of 2026 in the final.
The world number three had to work hard to get his campaign underway, recovering from 4-1 down to edge past Mike De Decker 6-5 before progressing more comfortably against Bradley Brooks and Justin Hood.
His standout display came in the last 16 against Ricardo Pietreczko, where a superb average in excess of 107 helped him to a 6-3 win and ended the German number two’s hopes of a late qualification for the Players Championship Finals.
Humphries then overcame old rival Michael van Gerwen 6-3, extending his winning run against the three-time World Champion in ranking competition to six matches, before battling past a determined Jack Aldridge 7-5 with another ton-plus average to reach the final.
Aldridge was one of the stories of the day himself, with the 37-year-old non-Tour Card Holder producing an excellent run to the semi-finals and threatening to create a similar upset.
Victories over the likes of William O’Connor and Danny Noppert helped him break new ground, while Reyes completed the last-four line-up with an impressive return to form on the ProTour, defeating Chris Dobey and Kim Huybrechts along the way.
Dobey was responsible for one of the day’s standout moments, firing in a nine-darter during his emphatic 6-1 victory over Tom Bissell in round three. The reigning Players Championship Finals contender averaged almost 113 in what proved to be the performance of the day.
Away from the title race, the final event also brought a dramatic conclusion to the Players Championship Finals qualification battle.
More than ten players secured their places at Minehead on the final day, with several doing so despite suffering opening-round defeats.
Gary Anderson booked his spot with a first-round victory over Andy Boulton, adding to his run to Wednesday’s semi-finals. Michael Smith and Ritchie Edhouse also made it through, despite losing their opening matches to Adam Leek and Connor Scutt respectively.
Henry Coates, who claimed Players Championship 25 as a non-Tour Card Holder back in July, squeezed into the field as the 64th and final qualifier despite falling to Jeffrey de Zwaan in round one. De Decker also made the cut in 63rd, despite his opening defeat to Humphries.
Coates is also on course to make his World Championship debut in December, barring an extraordinary Grand Slam run from a player currently outside the qualifying places. The 20-year-old occupies the 40th and final ProTour qualification spot for Alexandra Palace.
Wesley Plaisier, meanwhile, suffered a costly opening-round defeat to Cameron Menzies, with the Dutchman finishing just one place outside qualification for both the Players Championship Finals and the World Championship through the ProTour rankings.
There were also some notable absentees from the Minehead line-up. World number eight Josh Rock was among those to miss out, losing 6-3 to Harry Ward in round two, while Ryan Joyce failed to qualify for the first time since 2017 after an opening-match defeat to Pietreczko.
Nijman finished the season as the leading player on both the ProTour and Players Championship rankings, having lost in the opening round on just three occasions across 32 appearances.
Dobey secured second place on the Players Championship rankings after collecting three titles during 2026, while Kevin Doets’ remarkable consistency, alongside his maiden ranking title, earned him third.
The 2026 Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals will take place at Butlin’s Minehead Resort from November 27-29, with £750,000 in prize money on offer.
Tommy Morris Makes History With Stunning Players Championship 34 Triumph
2026 Players Championship 34
Thursday November 5
Mattioli Arena, Leicester
Last 16
Tommy Morris 6-3 Wessel Nijman
Jermaine Wattimena 6-5 Stephen Bunting
Kim Huybrechts 6-2 James Wade
Cristo Reyes 6-4 Chris Dobey
Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Derek Coulson
Luke Humphries 6-3 Ricardo Pietreczko
Jack Aldridge 6-5 Archie Self
Danny Noppert 6-3 Daryl Gurney
Quarter-Finals
Tommy Morris 6-3 Jermaine Wattimena
Cristo Reyes 6-5 Kim Huybrechts
Luke Humpries 6-3 Michael van Gerwen
Jack Aldridge 6-4 Danny Noppert
Semi-Finals
Tommy Morris 7-4 Cristo Reyes
Luke Humphries 7-5 Jack Aldridge
Final
Tommy Morris 8-5 Luke Humphries
Nine-Darter!
Chris Dobey hit a nine-darter in his round three tie against Tom Bissell.
