With just seven events remaining on the 2017 Challenge Tour schedule the Australian contingent needs to lift if they are to keep playing privileges for next season.

Nick Cullen, who has elected to skip this week’s Irish Challenge, is the only regular Challenge Tour player currently on track to keep his card for next season with Ben Eccles, Ryan McCarthy, Daniel Fox, Jordan Zunic and Daniel Gaunt all in need of a major turnaround.

Eccles, McCarthy, Fox and Gaunt are in this week’s field, Eccles the only Australian aside from Cullen inside the top 100 on the Road to Oman.

Only the top 45 are guaranteed a card next year and the top 15 graduate to the European Tour.

Zunic sits 103^rd though hasn’t played an event since July and appears unlikely to tee up again while Ryan McCarthy is one spot further down the standings and is in this week’s field.

Daniel Fox sits 135^th while Gaunt is 203rd, both playing this week though realistically needing a win to make any significant difference to their fortunes.

Of those playing this week only Gaunt has teed up in this event before but missed the cut with rounds of 78-76.

This week’s tournament is the last before the Tour’s richest event, the Kazakhstan Open, followed by stints in China and the Middle East.