After what turned into a bizarre 2015 for Tasmania’s Mathew Goggin the 42-year-old returns to the scene of his last Web.com Tour victory when he defends the Panama Claro Championship this week.

Goggin won by a comfortable four shots in the first tournament of the season last year sending expectations soaring that he would return to the PGA TOUR in 2016.

But that’s not how things panned out, Goggin inexplicably losing form almost completely the rest of the year to miss 15 of 24 cuts and finish outside the top-25 on the year end money list.

But a new year brings new hope and Goggin is on familiar turf in Panama where he has two wins and a runner-up finish in four previous starts.

Nine Australians will contest this week’s tournament, with a rejuvenated and more confident Bryden Macpherson among them.

Macpherson struggled to find his feet on America’s secondary Tour last year and after disappointing results returned to the PGA TOUR China in September where he had enjoyed success the previous season.

In a remarkable reversal of form, the 2011 British Amateur champion went on to post six consecutive top-5 finishes, including two victories, to finish atop the Order of Merit and earn full rights back to the Web.com Tour.

A vastly different player to the one who teed up in this event last year, expect Macpherson to improve on a missed cut not only here but right through the season.

The full list of Australians teeing up this week include, Steve Allan, Greg Chalmers, Brett Drewitt, Scott Gardiner, Mathew Goggin, Oliver Goss, Bronson La’Cassie, Peter Lonard and Macpherson.

Lonard is making use of a special exemption category which allows certain players limited starts on the Web.com Tour in the year they are due to turn 49 or 50 as preparation for a tilt at the Champions Tour.

The 48-year-old has missed the cut in three of his four previous appearances at this course but finished T7 the year he made the weekend in 2012.

Also making a return to the Tour this week is Scott Gardiner who played just eleven times in 2015 after incurring an injury the previous year.

Gardiner last played in August at the PGA TOUR’s Wyndham Championship and will be keen to get some competitive golf under his belt as he tries to get back to the main Tour.