Former New Zealand Open champion Jake Higginbottom has one last chance to secure a card for the 2015 Asian Tour when he tees up in the final event of the season this week in Dubai.

The 21-year-old endured a nail biting finish to last year’s Order of Merit race, eventually securing the 60th and final card after missing the cut in the year’s final event.

He won’t have the luxury of missing the weekend this year and likely needs a top-10 result to earn in the region of $15,000 to climb from 65th on the list to inside the top-60 and guarantee status for next year.

Higginbottom has been in good form recently with a 6th place finish at the Emirates Australian Open three weeks ago and a T7 result at the Indonesia Open a week later.

At last week’s Australian PGA Championship he started well but struggled at the weekend to fall to a mid-field finish but has every reason to be confident heading to Dubai.

Higginbottom is one of 11 Australians teeing up this week with all but Matthew Stieger and Chris Gaunt safely inside the top-60.

Stieger has struggled since the beginning of the season making just four cuts from 16 starts to lie 100th on the Order of Merit.

He will need to finish in the top two this week to avoid a trip back to Q-School while Chris Gaunt, at seven places lower on the Order of Merit, is in the same boat.