After withdrawing from last week’s Hotel Fitness Championship, Robert Allenby is not listed in the field for this week’s second Web.com Tour finals event in North Carolina.

Allenby pulled out of last week’s
tournament in Indiana after nine holes of the second round citing a back
problem, a similar issue forcing him to withdraw from the Greenbrier in early
July.

While hoping to regain his card through the
four tournament Finals Series Allenby has a career money list exemption, which
he can use only once, to fall back on if he can’t play again this season.

The withdrawal leaves nine Australians in
the field for the Small Business Connection Championship, five of those
desperately needing to step up after missing the cut in last week’s first
Finals event.

Only Steve Allan and Oliver Goss survived
till the weekend at the Hotel Fitness Championship, both now inside the all
important top-25 on the ‘mini money list’ which will decide cards for the 2016
PGA TOUR.

After finishing in a share of 22^nd
last week both are 22nd in the standings and on track, though still a long way,
from securing playing rights on the main circuit next year.

Rod Pampling is guaranteed a 2016 card as
one of the top-25 earners during the regular season but, like all those who
qualified via this path, is looking to improve his exemption ranking with a
good performance in the finals.

While 50 cards will be handed out at the
end of the finals series it’s important for players to be as high up the list
as possible to earn as many starts as possible.

Tournament places each week are decided on
a sliding scale of exemption categories and the further down that list a player
is the less tournaments they will be eligible to play.

For Mathew Goggin, Greg Chalmers, Cameron
Percy, Aaron Baddeley and Rhein Gibson a made cut, and high finish, is
essential not only this week but in at least two of the remaining three events
if they are to graduate from the secondary Tour.

All are behind the eight ball after failing
to play the weekend in Indiana and have almost no margin for error over the
final three weeks.

Stuart Appleby has some consolation in
playing on a major medical extension category in that he is eligible to receive
tournament invites however, improving his ranking will be a more reliable way
to set his schedule next year.