With one of the biggest purses of the Japan Tour season on offer this week Kurt Barnes and David Bransdon have an excellent opportunity to climb the money list and ensure their cards for next season.

The Heiwa PGM Championship boasts a prize pool of 200,000,000 Yen, more than AU$2 million, equal to all but one event on the calendar for the season.

The top-70 on the money list at the end of the year are guaranteed cards for 2018 with those finishing below that having limited status.

At 76^th and 81st, both Bransdon and Barnes are within touching distance of the required number and four good rounds this week could seal the deal for both of them.

As a tour rookie Bransdon is making his first appearance at the tournament but while Barnes has played each of the five years it has been played it moves to a new venue this year.

The pair are joined in the field by Brad Kennedy, Matt Griffin, Adam Bland and New Zealand’s Michael Hendry as all prepare for a month of big money events to end the season.

This week’s tournament is the first of four boasting 200,000,000 Yen in prizemoney, next week’s Visa Taiheiyo Masters and the Dunlop Phoenix and Casio World Opens in the following two weeks among the most prestigious tournaments on the circuit.