The Australasian contingent found the going tough at the penultimate event of the European Tour season in South Africa.

The Gary Player Country Club played difficult over the four days of the Nedbank Golf Challenge Hosted by Gary Player with the four Australasian hopes unable to gain any momentum.

The course was set up to punish off-line play and nobody in the field was immune, even eventual winner Branden Grace posting three double bogeys for the week.

The Down Under contingent also found more than their fair share of big numbers, Sam Brazel’s 4-over total including two double bogeys and a triple on his way to a share of 42nd in the 72-player field.

It was a particularly disappointing week for Brazel who fell out of the top 60 on the Race to Dubai and will not earn a start at next week’s DP World Tour Championship.

Long hitting New Zealander Ryan Fox suffered an even worse fate with three double bogeys and a quadruple bogey nine in Saturday’s third round.

With 17 birdies also on his card for the week he was hardly playing badly suggesting the big numbers were more a function of the course set up than poor play.

Scott Hend is prone to blowout holes in any week and the Gary Player course punished the popular Queenslander with four double bogeys and a triple over the four days.

Three of the doubles came in an opening round 80 that cruelled his chances early though a third round 68 was a highlight for the week and the only sub-70 score posted by the Australasians.

Andrew Dodt was far from his best in Sun City with three double bogeys and a triple though his scores of 78-77-74-77 suggest he had other issues with his game also.

Despite their struggles Fox, Hend and Dodt have all held their place in the top-60 on the Race to Dubai and will take their place in the field for the DP World Tour Championship next week.

That is an achievement worthy of note and despite a disappointing week all will rightly be proud of their performance over the course of the season.