The Challenge Tour will play for one of its biggest purses of the year when the China Tour co-sanctioned Foshan Open gets underway this week in Guangdong and it is an important one for Nick Cullen.

The South Australian sits 39th on the year long Road to Oman race but with US$500,000 on offer this week has a big opportunity to make a move up the standings.

The top-15 in two weeks’ time will earn playing privileges to the European Tour for 2018 and a run of three high finishes would likely be enough to see Cullen advance.

The 2014 Australian Masters winner will begin the week with some confidence after a final round 66 last year vaulted him into the top-10 of this tournament, three rounds in the 60’s last year suggesting he has a liking for the course.

Cullen is the only Australian from the Challenge Tour to take his place in the field this week though six Australians and two new Zealanders from the China Tour have earned a start.

Bryden Macpherson was the leading Australian in the first Challenge Tour co-sanctioned event last week and will be among the favourites again this week.

The 2011 British Amateur champion is currently second on the Tour’s Order of Merit though closed the gap significantly on Korea’s Rak Hyun Cho with his play last week.

Fellow Victorian Deyen Lawson is also inside the top five in earnings in his rookie season in China and will be hoping to improve on his current fourth place standing with a good week.

New Zealand’s Josh Geary, (5th) and Queensland’s Maverick Antcliff (10th) are also looking to improve their Order of Merit standings with four events remaining on the schedule after this week.

Max MacCardle and Chris Wood are the remaining two Australians to earn a start while New Zealand’s Matthew Perry rounds out the Australasian challenge.