The season is only two events old but
already South Australia’s Max McCardle is making his presence felt on the PGA
Tour China, adding a top-five finish this week to a top-10 at his last outing
to climb to fourth on the Order of Merit.

McCardle is playing his second season in
China after teeing up in seven events last year, his good early season form
positioning him nicely in the race for a Web.com Tour card in 2017.

The top-five finishers on the Order of
Merit at season’s end are awarded status on the secondary US Tour and while
there is a lot of golf still to be played, McCardle has made an almost perfect
start.

It was a gutsy performance from McCardle at
the United Investment Real Estate Wuhan Open after an opening 76, his final
round 69 bettered by only three players on the day and jumping him nine places
up the standings to T4.

The cheque for 52,800 Yuan (about
AU$11,000) brings his earnings in two events to 90,200 Yuan (about AU$19,000)
and makes him the only Australian inside the top-10 on the earnings table.

Queensland’s Chris Wood, who also finished
top-10 in the season’s first event, missed the cut this week to be next best on
the order of Merit behind McCardle in 16^th place.

Of the 21 Australians who started the week
12 made the cut, Scott Laycock next best behind McCardle at T21 followed by
Rohan Blizard (T23), Taylor Cooper and James Gibellini (T25), Peter Cooke
(T38), Jack Munro and Mitch Davis (T51), Michael Sim (T57), Andrew Evans (60),
Jake Stirling (T69) and Michael Willis (71^st).

Daniel Nisbet, Jake Higginbottom and David
Lutterus were among the surprise Australians who missed the weekend’s play.