Jamie Spence can breathe easily now he is sure of retaining his European Tour card.

Starting in the New Year Jamie will be primed for his 15th consecutive season after banishing doubts about surviving the cut with solid performances in Holland, Majorca and Madrid.

Before teeing-up in Madrid he thought there was little chance of failure and stuck his neck out. "I'm a gambling man. I'll give you 80-1 against me not retaining my card."

Tieing for 26th spot with a £8,668 share of the prize fund saw Spence finish 108th in the Volvo Order of Merit, £124,556 in his account and comfortably placed with the cut made at 117th.

"I played well in the last month of the season and earned a reprieve," admitted The Nevill favourite. "There wasn't much chance of a change in the rankings towards the end but I still had to do it. It would have taken an extraordinary turn of events for me to have missed out, but of course, I'm happy to be part of the Tour yet again."

Prior to Spence's late burst he faced an unpromising situation fairly and squarely.

He said: "If I have to go back to the Tour school then I shall. That's pro golf. It's what I do."

Gary Evans needed 25 starts to finish equal 29th in the lists.