Nine of the 10 Australians who began the Web.com Finals Series will tee up at this week’s grand finale in Florida, with Stuart Appleby withdrawing last week.

Appleby underwent back surgery earlier this year and received a special exemption to play the finals as part of his major medical exemption but is unable to tee up in the Web.com Tour Championship.

For the remaining nine this week’s tournament represents the last throw of the dice. 

Steve Allan and Rhein Gibson will try to maintain their PGA TOUR card winning positions on the money list while Greg Chalmers, Cameron Percy, Aaron Baddeley, Oliver Goss, Mathew Goggin and Robert Allenby try to play their way in.

Gibson pushed his way to 18th in Finals Series earnings with a top-10 finish last week while Allan fell to 23rd. The top-25 after this week will earn PGA TOUR cards for 2016.

With earnings in the region of $40,000 estimated to be required Gibson ($33,942) is in a reasonably comfortable position though needs to make the cut while Allan ($29,402) still has work to do.

For the rest the task is less complex, top-10 at worst required for Oliver Goss ($15,387) and top-5 likely needed for Baddeley and Percy ($5,855), Greg Chalmers ($5,010) Mathew Goggin ($4,300) and Robert Allenby, who is yet to earn any money in the series.

Rod Pampling is already guaranteed a card having finished the regular season in the top-25 in earnings.

After this week’s tournament cards will be awarded on a rotating basis between those who qualified with regular season earnings and those who have graduated via the four tournament Finals Series.

The first card will go to Patton Kizzire, who won the regular season money list, with the next going to the highest earner from the Finals and so on.

The higher up the list a player finishes the better their exemption category and the more starts they will earn on the PGA TOUR when the season starts in California on October 9.

The pressure will be intense this week as players face the prospect of playing for their livelihood for the next 12 months and those close to the bubble, like Steve Allan, are in a particularly uncomfortable position.

With just 72 holes standing between the field and a PGA TOUR card there is guaranteed to be many stories of both triumph and tragedy in what is one of the most enthralling tournaments to watch all year.