Former NSW Open winner Ben Eccles has received a sponsor’s invitation to play this week’s Tshwane Open on the European Tour, a big opportunity for the young Victorian who will play a full Challenge Tour schedule this year.

Eccles won the NSW Open as an amateur in 2015 but, like many before, has found it difficult to find a full time major international Tour to play on.

With his finish at last year’s Q-School assuring him status on the secondary Challenge Tour, the 22-year-old now has the advantage of consistent starts to sharpen his game and that knowledge could prove vital this week.

Eccles will be in a position to play more freely in South Africa knowing he has several guaranteed starts this season as opposed to 2016 when he spent a lot of time waiting either for a tournament invite or as an alternate.

He will be joined in this week’s field by New Zealand’s Ryan Fox who had a strong finish to last week’s weather interrupted Joburg Open.

With the tournament reduced to 54 holes after several delays Fox jumped 32 places up the leaderboard in the final round and will take some confidence from that performance to the first tee Thursday.