Luke Humphries will begin his bet365 US Darts Masters title defence against Leonard Gates in New York on Thursday night, with his route through Madison Square Garden now set.
The draw gives Humphries a 9.45pm local-time first-round slot at the Infosys Theater, shortly after Luke Littler’s meeting with David Cameron. The winner of Humphries against Gates will move into a Friday quarter-final against either Stephen Bunting or Alex Spellman, creating a loaded lower-half section around the reigning champion.
Humphries won the 2025 US Darts Masters and returns as one of the headline PDC representatives in the 16-player World Series event. Gates, one of the most recognisable American names in the field, gets a major-stage chance to turn home support into an upset.
Humphries Route Takes Shape At Madison Square Garden
The first round pairs eight PDC players with eight North American representatives, before the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final are played on Friday. According to the published US Darts Masters draw and schedule, Gian van Veen opens against Fred Krueger, Gerwyn Price faces Brayden Hall, James Wade meets Adam Sevada and Josh Rock plays Jim Long.
For Humphries, the immediate job is clean: beat Gates, avoid an early champion’s exit, and keep himself on course for another New York final night.
