South Australia’s Nick Cullen took a big step towards a European Tour card with four days of brilliant golf at the secondary tour’s Italian Challenge Open.

Cullen posted rounds of 67-66-67-66 for a 72-hole total of 18-under-par, good for a share of fourth position and a cheque for €15,000.

More important than his biggest cheque in five Challenge Tour starts for 2017, though, was the move of 38 places up the Road to Oman standings.

The 2014 Australian Masters winner is now 28^th on the season long points race which will see the top 15 graduate to the main Tour at season’s end.

It’s been an impressive effort from Cullen who has played less than half the tournaments on the schedule to date, this week his second top 10 for the season.

Cullen was one of six Australians in the field at the Is Malas Resort on the island of Sardinia, Ryan McCarthy the only other to qualify for the weekend.

McCarthy, who will also play this week’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale after qualifying in Scotland a fortnight ago, will be pleased with his tune-up after finishing T35.

The Tasmanian was inside the top 20 heading to the final round but his even par Sunday effort saw him slip down the standings.

McCarthy finished 10-under for the week with scores of 66-69-67-72 and will take some confidence to Royal Birkdale, his first Major championship start.

Daniel Fox, Ben Eccles, Jordan Zunic and Scott Arnold all missed the cut.