Robert Owen has salvaged his Professial Darts Corporation Tour Card hopes with a thrilling World Championship win over Gabriel Clemens.
The 40-year-old Welshman – who works part time in his local Iceland – would have instantly lost it had he been beaten but instead he stunned the 27th seed German Giant.
After sealing the 3-1 victory over Clemens, Owen dropped to his haunches and covered his face.
“I’ve retained my Tour Card,” he roared moments later on Sky Sports – although it’s not quite as simple as that.
Owen beat world No. 49 Niels Zonneveld 3-1 in their first round match on Monday before felling Clemens on Thursday afternoon.
He is now in the third round for the first time in his career.
He will now face the winner of sixth seed Dave Chisnall and Ricky Evans as he looks to confirm he will avoid dropping back down to Qualifying School.
The PDC has 128 Tour Card Holders each year.
The top 64 each year following the World Championship hold a one-year Tour Card, alongside players entering their second year of a two-year Tour Card.
Owen was on his second year of his PDC Tour card going into the tournament after qualifying for it through Q-School.
He was the runner-up on the 2022 PDC Challenge Tour series Order of Merit, which qualified him for the 2023 PDC World Darts Championship.
It also secured him a Tour card for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
He was knocked out in the first round of the 2023 Worlds by Andrew Gilding.
His run at the 2025 World Championship though, is set to help him retain his PDC Tour Card, unless his rivals also have deep runs at the tournament.
‘Stack Attack’ went into the tournament ranked 77th in the world.
Asked about the risk of losing his tour guard before his clash against Clemens, Owen said: “To be honest with you I don’t really care.
“If I gotta go back to Q-School, I gotta go back.
“I’ll break another record and do it again. I’ll qualify from Q-School four times, it doesn’t really bother me.”
Owen has earned a Tour Card previously, holding one between 2014 and 2019.
