Three pressures on playing rights in the US

Matt Jones finished with a 63 in the Barbasol championship. Image: Getty

When the season for locking playing cards arrives, three Australians made big strides in America today.

Matt Jones nowadays almost qualifies as a veteran, but the staggering 63 from the Sydneysider in the final round of the Barbasol Championship of the PGA Tour in Kentucky has given him a great chance to have full playing rights for 2019-20

Jones, the 2015 Australian Open champion, finished fourth in the general classification and jumped to 114th place in the Fedex Cup position.

With just two events in the regular season, Jones just needs to stay in the top 125 to be assured of a ticket for next season and a place in the playoffs.

In the same case, another Sydney player and winner of the Australian Open, Cameron Davis, rattled with a 64 on the final day to increase his chances for the following season by finishing 11th.

Davis, 24, struggled during his first season on the main tour, but the result raised him to 161st place on the points list, which should be enough to guarantee limited playing rights for next season; as well as putting him in the slot machine to challenge the top 125 in the coming weeks.

There was another good Australian story on the secondary Korn Ferry Tour, with both Brett Coletta and Jamie Arnold fourth in the Pinnacle Bank Championship.

The result means that Victorian Coletta is one step closer to securing its playing rights on the PGA Tour for next season as one of the top 25 players on the Korn Ferry Tour. He jumped to No. 22 on the list today after finishing second at his previous start.

36-year-old New South Welshman Arnold had a double bogey in the back nine places, but he also jumped to No. 1. 31.