Stowe Buntz would accept Tour Card if he sneaks into top-64 "but it would not be a full-time thing"

Stowe Buntz continues to do extremely well on his debut at the Grand Slam of Darts. The 44-year-old American qualified for the quarter-finals after a 10-5 victory against Andrew Gilding.

Buntz did not have to reach his best level to still win easily. “I had no expectations this week. I just wanted to give it my all and savour every moment,” Buntz said on stage after his win. “Andrew gave me opportunities the whole match. I can only play the opponent in front of me, and if they give me opportunities, then it’s up to me to capitalise.”

In the quarterfinals, Buntz will again take on Stephen Bunting, against whom he previously won in the group stage, although this time it will be a much longer format. "I play in an Online League at home. It's race to 12 and I'm actually supposed to play the finals this week but I was here and fortunately enough they were willing to postpone the match," he says. "Long format is something I practice. It's something I try to push myself with because I concentrate more on technique and mechanics and you cannot do that in short format."

Buntz is now just three wins away from a memorable major title. "One match at a time," Buntz insists however. "I'll worry about my next match here in a couple hours after I go savour the moment."

Thanks to his run at the Grand Slam of Darts, Buntz is steadily rising and either a final victory or if he backs up his impressive performances in Wolverhampton with a similar run at the World Championship next month, he could find himself in the top-64 of the world rankings, resulting in a Tour Card for the next two years. Having previously revealed he won't be going to Q-School due to family commitments, would Buntz turn the card down?

"If magically I got a PDC tour card I would venture over and play some events but it would not be a full-time thing," he explains. "One day I'll come over here and give the Q-School a whirl."