With the WGC Matchplay drawing the majority of the PGA TOUR’s biggest stars to Texas, the opposite field Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship is a huge opportunity for several Australians to advance their PGA TOUR cause in the Dominican Republic.

Those not among the world top-64 and otherwise struggling to earn starts in America will get their chance this week, Robert Allenby, Stuart Appleby and Steven Bowditch chief among them.

All three have lost their full TOUR status but thanks to the limited number of players available the exemption categories for this week’s event run deeper than normal and all three find themselves in the field.

All will be hoping to catch lightning in a bottle after limited tournament play in recent weeks, a win or top-5 result the main aim to earn either a full card or another start next week.

It’s not just those on the fringes who will be looking to cash in on a weaker field this week, however, with full members Greg Chalmers, Matt Jones and Geoff Ogilvy also teeing up.

With only the top-125 FedEx Cup players at year’s end keeping their full status, points earned this week may be crucial as the year draws to a close and all three will be wanting to make the most of that opportunity.

Cameron Percy knows what a fine line maintaining full membership can be and after finishing between 126-150 on last year’s FedEx Cup to have conditional status this year knows the importance of weeks such as these.