Playing his first full season outside Australia former NSW Open winner Ben Eccles is in need of some good results in the last nine events of the Challenge Tour schedule if he is to keep his card for 2018.

The likeable Victorian has struggled to consistently play his best golf in 2017 and sits 69^th on the Road to Oman with only the top 45 keeping status for next year.

Eccles’ goals will be loftier than that but irrespective of his aims, the simple reality is he needs to play better.

There have been good signs in the past month with top 15 finishes in two of three events and a made cut on the European Tour in Denmark last week, Eccles needing to build on that form again this week at the Cordon Golf Open in France.

Eccles is one of only two Australians in this week’s field as Daniel Fox, Nick Cullen and Ryan McCarthy all play the European Tour event in the Czech Republic.