Ryan Fox has a chance to play his way into
the top-15 on the Challenge Tour Order of Merit this week as he tries to
continue a recent run of good form which sees him in with a chance to secure a
card on the 2017 European Tour.

The top-15 at the end of the season will
automatically graduate to the main Tour, Fox missing out by less than €2,500
after a breakout season last year.

The New Zealand native has played just four
events on the Challenge Tour this year but has been in impressive form with a
T7, 2^nd, T4 and T18 seeing him already climb to 17^th in
the standings.

Fox is one of three Australasians teeing up
in the Northern Ireland Open this week, Sydney’s Peter Stojanovski earning an
invite to the tournament while Challenge Tour regular Daniel Gaunt is also in
the field.

Gaunt has had an up and down season so far,
splitting his time between the Challenge Tour and whatever European Tour starts
he can get, but needs to post some good results to ensure his playing rights
for next season.

He presently sits 47^th on the
Road to Oman standings but needs to be in the top-45 by the end of the year to
guarantee a card for 2017.

Gaunt missed the cut last year at Galgorm
Castle but finished top-25 in his last outing in Denmark and has produced some
low scores in the last month.

Todd Sinnott and Antonio Murdaca are both
listed well down the alternates list and seem unlikely to earn a start.