In January 2017, Part was inducted into the PDC Hall of Fame. He was the fourteenth inductee and the first from outside of the United Kingdom – fitting with his World Championship victories. The award acknowledged his achievements, his contributions as a commentator and pundit, and gentlemanly conduct throughout his career. In the same month, he entered the PDC Qualifying School to gain a tour card having fallen out of the world's top 64. Part won through on the third day; beating Kirk Shepherd at the final stage in a rematch of the 2008 World Championship final. In March 2017, Part returned to Unicorn darts after switching to Cosmo darts, joining fellow World Champions for the company Gary Anderson, John Lowe and Bob Anderson. His success in Qualifying School did not transfer to his 2017 season, where he failed to progress beyond the last 32 stage of a singles event, taking just £2,250 in prize money in the calendar year. His best showing of the year was at the World Cup of Darts, where he lost in the second round to the Austrian team with his partner, John Norman Jr.