Victorian David Bransdon has four weeks to secure his immediate future on the Japan Golf Tour as he prepares to tee it up for the first time in the Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters in Shizuoka.

Bransdon is one of six Australasians in the field at the Gotemba Course at the Taiheiyo Golf Club, a field that also boasts Japanese superstar Hideki Matsuyama who won this tournament as an amateur in 2011 and again as a professional two years ago.

Finishing high up on the leaderboard will be paramount to Bransdon this week as he currently sits in 58th position on the Japan Golf Tour moneylist, only just inside the cut-off for the top-60 who keep their cards for the following season.

Bransdon didn’t play in the Taiheiyo Masters 12 months ago and will be hoping that it is a course that fits his eye.

In what has been a difficult year to date, Bransdon’s only top-20 finish of the year came at the Token Homemate Cup back in April and he needs to build some breathing space between himself and those fighting to break into the top-60.

One of those players is Kiwi Michael Hendry, currently ranked 63rd but with positive memories from his Taiheiyo Masters debut last year.

After an opening round of 67 Hendry spent the entire week domiciled inside the top-10 on the leaderboard, his closing 68 lifting him into a tie for third and almost Y12 million in prizemoney.

Another with a strong history at the Taiheiyo Club is Brendan Jones, one of four Australians to have tasted success at the venue.

Graham Marsh, Roger Mackay and Greg Norman each won the tournament in the space of seven years from 1987, a period that also saw Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal walk away with the trophy.

Since his win in 2007, Jones has finished inside the top-10 on five separate occasions including a runner-up finish in 2010.

Currently 19th on the moneylist, Jones is wedged six spots behind fellow Aussie Brad Kennedy and six spots ahead of Matthew Griffin who will also look to advance their position this week.

Victorian David Bransdon will join Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith and Jason Day as confirmed Australian starters in the 118^th U.S. Open Championship at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club from 14-17 June.

Bransdon booked his ticket in the second Major of the year by finishing second in the cutthroat Sectional Qualifying in Japan where he currently plies his trade on the Japan Golf Tour.

A blistering opening round of 8-under 63 at Japan Memorial Golf Club was the perfect start to the 36-hole qualifying event. Bransdon shot 1-over 73 in the second round but the hard work was done in the first and he finished at 7-under the card to claim second and one of the three positions in the U.S Open on offer.

Fellow Victorian Brett Coletta has jumped the first hurdle on his journey to the U.S. Open by qualifying on top in Local Qualifying at Sewailo Golf Club; Steve Allan will also advance after qualifying at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club.

The pair now contest the grueling Sectional Qualifying which begins on 4 June and is held at 11 venues across the United States with final fields to be confirmed. Walton Heath Golf Club in England will also host a Sectional Qualifying event.

The lucrative Casio World Open will give David Bransdon a big opportunity to retain his playing card on the Japan Tour in 2018, the tournament likely the last the Victorian will qualify for in 2017.

Bransdon has played some good golf in his rookie year in Japan but currently sits 76th on the Order of Merit with only the top-60 maintaining full rights in 2018 and 60-70 gaining limited starts.

One of four Australians in the field, Bransdon will be looking to recreate his good play from his last start where a T20 result at the demanding PGM Golf Resort in Okinawa suggested all parts of his game were in in good shape.

He is joined at the Kochi Kuroshio Country Club by Brendan Jones, Brad Kennedy and Kurt Barnes in the second last event of the season.

Barnes, too, needs to improve on the money list if he is to have full privileges in 2018 after an indifferent year sees him lying 82^nd.

No Australian has won this tournament, one of the longest running and most highly regarded on the Japan Tour.

Jones was second at this tournament in 2003 but has had little other success here until a T6 result two years ago.

After opening with a 69 last week to be just outside the top 10 he produced one of his worst scores of the year with a 78 to miss the cut, a stumble he will no doubt be keen to rectify this week.

Brad Kennedy could mathematically overtake Michael Hendry on the money list this week with a win and after finishing T4 here last year he will like his chances.