The veteran brigade has taken the upper hand early in the race for 2017 PGA TOUR cards, Rod Pampling, Cameron Percy and Stuart Appleby all inside the top-25 money earners with two events of the Web.com Finals Series remaining.

The crucial third of the four event Series gets underway in Ohio this week with the three former PGA TOUR players on the verge of securing a return to the big show.

All know that one good week could take care of their employment status for the next 12-months and will be keen to cement their positions at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship this week.

At 11th on the four tournament money list Rod Pampling is well placed to make a return to the PGA TOUR though will need to improve on a less than stellar record at the Ohio State University golf course.

Pampling has played this event three times with results of T56, missed cut and T22 and has never broken 70 in 10 rounds.

Likewise Cameron Percy, who sits 15th on the money list, has a rocky relationship with the tournament.

Four missed cuts in six appearances is less than his best though his T12 in 2012 will give him some confidence this week.

Appleby has only teed up once in this event but withdrew so carries little in the way of previous form at the venue.

He started strong in the Finals with a T16 result at the DAP Championship but slipped off the pace after a good start last week in Idaho.

His opening rounds in both tournaments have been 66 and he will be looking for another strong start this week.

The other four Australians to qualify for the end of season Finals all have work to do if they are to ply their trade on the PGA TOUR next season.

Rhein Gibson finished T9 at this event last year and will be hoping to draw on those good memories after a missed cut last week saw him slip to 47th on the money list.

Gibson earned his 2016 card via the Finals Series last year and after a difficult rookie season will be keen to test his game at the highest level again.

Cameron Smith, who qualified for the PGA TOUR after a stunning performance at the 2015 US Open among others, will fancy his chances of a better performance if he can get back to the main Tour.

He also missed the cut last week and finds himself, along with Brett Drewitt and Gibson, siting T47 in earning with two events to go.

Drewitt will be hoping to make up for a disappointing performance last week where he made a fast start to be inside the top-5 after a brilliant opening round but stumbled on day two to miss the cut.

Matt Jones is the last of the Australians playing this week and finds himself behind the eight ball after being forced to withdraw from the opening event of the Finals Series.

A previous PGA TOUR winner, the reigning Emirates Australian Open champion finished 126th on the FedEx Cup points in 2016, one spot out of automatically keeping his card.

At 71st on the money list he knows he has work to do at a course he has played just once before as a member of the secondary Tour in 2007.