With little more than €6,000 separating Ryan Fox from top spot on the Challenge Tour’s Road to Oman standings the New Zealander will be highly motivated when he tees up at this week’s Bridgestone Challenge in England.

Coming off some sterling play at last week’s Rolex Trophy, Fox is in good position to push for the top spot which brings added benefits to a European Tour card in 2017.

The top-15 on the season long race are all granted automatic exemption to the main Tour but the top finisher is granted a fully exempt card.

A heartbreaking 16^th place finish last year saw Fox miss the chance to stake his claim on the European Tour in 2016 and while that is an impossible scenario this year, claiming the top spot would be sweet revenge.

Fox is the only Australasian teeing up in Oxfordshire, a new venue for the tournament previously known as the English Challenge.

Todd Sinnott and Antonio Murdaca are both listed as alternates for the tournament but both are well down the list and unlikely to get a start.