Sporting Life
Luke Woodhouse (Picture: PDC Europe)
Luke Woodhouse (Picture: PDC Europe)

Darts results: Luke Woodhouse wins his maiden European Tour title

Darts
Mon June 01, 2026 · 2h ago

Luke Woodhouse captured his maiden European Tour crown on Sunday, overcoming Ryan Joyce 8-4 in a brilliant final to seal a memorable victory in Kiel.

Just twelve days after claiming his first senior PDC ranking title, Woodhouse etched his name into European Tour history by securing the £35,000 winner’s prize at the Elten Safety Shoes Baltic Sea Darts Open.

The former European Championship semi-finalist delivered a string of clinical performances throughout the weekend before overcoming Joyce in a high-quality final, becoming the eighth different European Tour winner of the season.

The Englishman kicked off his weekend with a comfortable 6-3 victory over Andrew Gilding, before racing past Cameron Menzies in the last 16, beating the Scot 6-1 to book his place in the quarter-finals.

Woodhouse swept aside European Tour debutant Jimmy van Schie to end the Dutchman’s hopes of advancing any further in Kiel, averaging just over 93 on his way to the last four.

The 37-year-old then dispatched of Ricky Evans in the semi-finals, beating the Kettering-born star 7-2 to set up a showdown with Joyce in Sunday’s showpiece.

Woodhouse started the stronger of the two in the final, as he raced into a 3-0 lead, pinning a brilliant 140 checkout to confirm a break of throw in the second leg.

Joyce fought back with consecutive legs of his own, before trading blows for the next three legs as Woodhouse led 5-3.

The Bewdley-born star then won three out of the next four legs to seal the win, pinning checkouts of 76 and then a superb 160 to cap off a landmark triumph.

“It’s like buses. You wait for one for ages, then two come along at once!” Woodhouse explained, after picking up his second ranking title in just two weeks.

“That was such a tough game. I don’t think me and Ryan played our best darts, but I will take it 100%.

“I felt like this was a good chance for both of us and I didn’t want to let it pass me by, so I tried to be ultra-focused and luckily today I came out on top.

Woodhouse, who now sits sixth on the ProTour rankings following his brace of titles in recent weeks, is hungry for further success as he continues his upward trajectory.

“I’m really enjoying my darts at the moment, and to win this is unbelievable. It's absolutely massive," he added.

“I’m hoping I can kick on now. The World Matchplay is just around the corner, so hopefully my confidence can carry into that.”

Joyce, who has two ranking titles to his name following his Players Championship success back in 2023, failed to get over the line in Kiel, as he competed in his first European Tour final since March 2025.

“I tried my best, but it just didn’t happen today," admitted the former World Grand Prix semi-finalist.

“I knew it was going to be a really tough final, and Luke was good early on.

“He’s a very solid player, very dependable, and it’s hard to play against him."

Joyce opened his account in Kiel with a brilliant 6-3 victory over Dutchman Christian Kist, which saw the Englishman pin a stunning triple-bull checkout along the way.

The 40-year-old then took the scalps of German stars Martin Schindler and Niko Springer in round two and round three respectively, sealing his spot in the final session of action.

The Newcastle star made light work of his quarter-final contest against Dave Chisnall, racing past the eight-time European Tour winner 6-1 before prevailing in a terrific contest against Damon Heta, winning back-to-back legs to win the decider.

In the other quarter-finals, Evans - who enjoyed an impressive run in Kiel - bolted past the in-form Kevin Doets who looked to set up a tie with Luke Woodhouse once again on the European Tour stage.

Heta was looking to hone in on his first European Tour title in four years, after dispatching of young Dutchman Wessel Nijman in the quarter-finals, before succumbing to defeat against Joyce in a thrilling battle.

Baltic Sea Darts Open Results

Round One

  • Ricky Evans 6-1 Teemu Harju
  • Karel Sedlacek 6-5 Jason Riedtke
  • Ryan Joyce 6-3 Christian Kist
  • Jimmy van Schie 6-0 Ian White
  • Krzysztof Ratajski 6-3 Daniel Klose
  • Dimitri Van den Bergh 6-2 Alan Soutar
  • Justin Hood 6-4 Max Hopp
  • Andrew Gilding 6-4 Jeffrey de Zwaan
  • Niels Zonneveld 6-4 Richard Veenstra
  • Kevin Doets 6-3 Lukas Wenig
  • Cameron Menzies 6-4 Rob Cross
  • Sebastian Bialecki 6-3 James Hurrell
  • Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-0 Paul Krohne
  • William O'Connor 6-4 Cristo Reyes
  • Joe Cullen 6-1 Marcel Hausotter
  • Niko Springer 6-2 Nandor Major

Round Two

  • Wessel Nijman 6-1 Krzysztof Ratajski
  • Luke Woodhouse 6-3 Andrew Gilding
  • Jimmy van Schie 6-1 Mike De Decker
  • Ricky Evans 6-3 Daryl Gurney
  • Damon Heta 6-4 Karel Sedlacek
  • Ryan Searle 6-4 Dirk van Duijvenbode
  • Dave Chisnall 6-4 Joe Cullen
  • Justin Hood 6-1 Jermaine Wattimena
  • William O’Connor 6-2 Danny Noppert
  • Sebastian Bialecki 6-3 Chris Dobey
  • James Wade 6-2 Niels Zonneveld
  • Cameron Menzies 6-2 Stephen Bunting
  • Kevin Doets 6-3 Nathan Aspinall
  • Gian van Veen 6-5 Dimitri Van den Bergh
  • Ryan Joyce 6-5 Martin Schindler
  • Niko Springer 6-2 Ross Smith

Round Three

  • Jimmy van Schie 6-4 Sebastian Bialecki 
  • Luke Woodhouse 6-1 Cameron Menzies
  • Kevin Doets 6-3 Justin Hood
  • Ricky Evans 6-4 James Wade
  • Wessel Nijman 6-3 Ryan Searle
  • Damon Heta 6-5 William O'Connor
  • Ryan Joyce 6-4 Niko Springer
  • Dave Chisnall 6-5 Gian van Veen

Quarter-Finals

  • Luke Woodhouse 6-3 Jimmy van Schie
  • Ricky Evans 6-3 Kevin Doets
  • Damon Heta 6-2 Wessel Nijman
  • Ryan Joyce 6-1 Dave Chisnall

Semi-Finals

  • Luke Woodhouse 7-2 Ricky Evans
  • Ryan Joyce 7-6 Damon Heta

Final

  • Luke Woodhouse 8-4 Ryan Joyce

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