After skipping the third of the four Web.com Tour Finals events Scott Hend has forfeited his chance to qualify for 2018 PGA TOUR via that route by heading back to Europe for this week’s British Masters.

Hend gained entry to the four tournament Finals via his top 10 at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational and teed up in the first two events with some success to be T27 on the Finals money list.

With the top 25 to earn cards to next year’s main Tour his decision to skip last week’s DAP Championship was costly as he fell to 40th on the earnings list and will now not play the Web.com Tour Championship in Florida.

Instead, he will take his place in a strong field at the Close House Golf Club in England as several of the European Tour’s biggest names do battle for one of the more lucrative tournaments of the year.

Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy heads the list with Hend one of eight Australians in the field.

Sam Brazel, Brett Rumford, Marcus Fraser, Andrew Dodt, Nathan Holman, Jason Scrivener and Wade Ormsby will also tee up looking to advance their cause for a place in the upcoming Race to Dubai Finals.

The top 60 in the rankings at the conclusion of the WGC HSBC Champions in China next month qualify for the lucrative three tournament Series which will crown the champion for the year in similar fashion to the PGA TOUR’s FedEx Cup.

Andrew Dodt (30), Scott Hend (32) and Sam Brazel (48) are the only Australians presently inside the number while Jason Scrivener (89), Brett Rumford (90) and Wade Ormsby (94) have work to do.

Fellow European Tour regulars Marcus Fraser and Nathan Holman are outside the top 100 and unlikely to qualify.

Scrivener was the best of the Australians last week and will be motivated to put four good rounds together in Newcastle after a disappointing weekend.

The west Australia was excellent in the opening two rounds in Portugal but faded on Saturday and Sunday, a stumble he will be keen to make up for this week.