Veteran Robert Allenby is celebrating a very lucky break after saving his US PGA Tour tour card by scraping into the rich playoff series in last spot.
It took a bogey, bogey finish from American Heath Slocum to do it, but Allenby clung onto the 125th and final qualifying spot by just one point despite missing the cut at the Wyndham Championship, the last event of the regular season.
It gives Australia a 10-man contingent in the four-tournament FedeX Cup playoff series which begins with the Barclays Championship starting on Thursday.
Adam Scott heads that list in 15th spot, followed by John Senden (26), Marc Leishman (27), Jason Day (34), Matt Jones (40), Steve Bowditch (52), Geoff Ogilvy (90), Stuart Appleby (98) Aaron Baddeley (102) and Allenby.
However it's bad news for countryman Greg Chalmers, who missed the cut at the Wydnham Championship and ended up 132nd on the points list.
He and Australian rookies Bronson LaCassie (186th) and Scott Gardiner (188th) must now go into a four-tournament play-off series with the top 75 players on the secondary tour to battle it out for 25 cards in a bid to stay on the US PGA Tour next season.
Slocum's late stumble dropped him to fourth place in the Wydnham Championship, one shot out of a tie for second place behind winner Camilo Villegas, and cost him a spot in the top 125 at Allenby's expense.
"Obviously it's exciting. I was pretty lucky in the end," said Allenby.
"But maybe some good will come out of it and I will play good this week in the playoffs.
"I hope this is the good break I needed because I haven't felt many good breaks in the last two years."
If he hadn't got the break, 42-year-old Allenby would have been forced to use his one-off exemption as a top 50 lifetime earner on the tour - ($US27.1 million) - to remain a tour member for a 20th straight year next season.
"It's like getting two years, because I didn't have to use my exemption," he said.
"At the end of the day my goal is to get back to where I used to be and that's in the top 30 in the world.
"Hopefully this is a step in that direction."
AUSSIES IN THE PLAYOFFS
15th - Adam Scott
26th - John Senden
27th - Marc Leishman
34th - Jason Day
40th - Matt Jones
52nd - Steven Bowditch
90th - Geoff Ogilvy
98th - Stuart Appleby
102nd - Aaron Baddeley
125th - Robert Allenby
... AND THOSE WHO MISSED OUT
137th - Greg Chalmers
186th - Bronson La'Cassie
187th - Scott Gardiner
203rd - Rod Pampling
218th - Tiger Woods
241st - Nathan Green
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