Ryan Fox has come agonisingly close to graduating to the European Tour after finishing 16^th on the Challenge Tour Order of Merit following the final event of the year.

Fox and Australia’s Scott Arnold both had a chance to earn promotion at the Tour’s Grand Final in Oman but unfortunately, neither produced their best golf.

Fox, who burst onto the secondary Tour in June after receiving an invite to the Najeti Open in France, was just €2,350 short of 15^thplace after finishing T26 in the 45 man field in Oman.

The top 15 money earners earn full status on the following year’s main Tour with the top 45 retaining Challenge Tour status.

Both Fox and Arnold won on the Tour this season and Fox, who also posted two other top five results as well as two top 10’s, had been ashigh as eighth on the money list during the year.

Arnold finished the season 33^rd on the Order of Merit and while pleased to retain Challenge Tour privileges for 2016 will bedisappointed with his play in his five outings since his maiden win in France in September.

Both Fox and Arnold looked on track for a big second half of the year after both qualified for, and played well in, The Open at St Andrews in July.

Having not missed a cut in nine starts prior to winning,Arnold failed to make the weekend in three of his final five tournaments and struggled again in Oman finishing 42^nd of the 45 starters.

For Fox the damage was done in the third round when difficult conditions saw scores balloon, the big hitting Kiwi posting a disastrous 9-over 81 to plummet from inside the top 20 to a share of 41^st.

He recovered brilliantly with a final round 66 but it was too little too late and having started the week 12^th on the Order of Merit he will be beyond disappointed to have fallen outside the number.