After narrowly missing out on qualifying for the 2015 Open Championship at The Australian last week Jake Higginbottom now has his sights set on retaining his Asian Tour card in Indonesia this week.

Higginbottom claimed the 60th and final card for the Tour at the end of last year and is cutting it fine again this year as he lies 76th on the Order of Merit with only three events remaining.

The 21-year-old former New Zealand Open winner has played just seven events in Asia this year and has earnings of US$29,234, a figure he will likely need to almost double to retain playing rights.

He comes to Indonesia in good form after finishing outright 6th at last week’s Australian Open at The Australian Golf Club, his home course, in Sydney.

Higginbottom finished just one shot behind world number three Adam Scott and two shots shy of earning a place at the 2015 Open Championship.

But his mind will be firmly on another high finish this week as he tries to earn enough money to guarantee full playing rights next season.

Terry Pilkadaris is also in this week’s field and needing a good result as he has dropped outside the top-60 earners who automatically keep their cards.

The Victorian has been hovering dangerously close to the cut off number for the last few events and missing the cut at last week’s King’s Cup saw him drop from 60th to 62nd.

Having failed to keep his Challenge Tour card in October Pilkadaris will be especially motivated to play his way back into the top-60.

Other Australians in the field this week include Scott Hend, Kieran Pratt and the inform duo of Andrew Dodt and Kalem Richardson.

Pratt is currently 54th on the Order of Merit and needs a decent cheque to feel comfortable while Richardson has climbed to 47th on the list and is likely safe.

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