Bryden Macpherson will be taking aim at top spot on the China Tour Order of Merit this week when the second event of the newly formed circuit’s 2017 season gets underway in Beijing.

The Tour recently cut ties with the PGA TOUR and is now run by the China Golf Association with ties to both the European and Asian Tours.

Several Australians are part of the new look Tour with Macpherson, Australia’s most successful player on the former PGA TOUR China, among them.

A runner-up finish in the opening event of the season has Macpherson in joint second place on the Order of Merit though it is unclear at this stage what benefits the leading player at the end of the season will derive.

Macpherson is one of 16 Australians playing this week with Tour organisers saying there will be a minimum 12 events for the season and four will be co-sanctioned with other Tours.

Maverick Antcliff, Austin Bautista, Mitchell Brown, Taylor Cooper, Gavin Flint, James Gibellini, Corey Hale, Jichul Jung, Deyen Lawson, Peter Martin, Max McCardle, Jack Munro, Lincoln Tighe, Christopher Wood and Kevin Yuan are the other Australians playing this week.

Lawson and Wood are also in the top-10 on the Order of Merit heading into the week, Lawson in sixth place while Wood is sharing ninth.