LOCAL golfers Simon Khan and Oliver Fisher will be forced to slug it out in a tour school shoot-out later this month after the pair narrowly failed in their bid to retain their place on the European Tour.

The two players headed into last week's Hong Kong Open with their tour cards hanging in the balance. Fisher needed to win a place inside the top 40 to have a chance of making it into the list of 120 players who will be welcomed back to golf's top table next season, while Khan's task was much steeper, requiring a place in the top ten.

Neither found the performance they so badly needed, although Khan went down with all guns blazing, finishing in a tie for 22nd place, just three shots behind David Dixon and Scott Strange in ninth and tenth. Despite an encouraging second round display, Fisher's journey ended at the halfway stage, as he missed the cut by three shots.

All is not lost, though. While the pair have missed out on an automatic invitation back on to the Tour, they will be supping in the last chance saloon when they travel to play a punishing 108 holes at PGA Gold de Catalunya in Spain on November 28.

There, young upstarts will come face to face with seasoned professionals, all sharing the common goal of making the top 30, which will earn them a place on the Tour next season.

Half the field will be eliminated after four rounds, with the rest left to battle on for the coveted places.

Khan has endured a torrid season, but he has started to come good in recent weeks and he is confident of winning his spot on the Tour back when he arrives in Spain for his first qualifying school event in seven years.

“I haven't felt like I've been completely on my game until a couple of months ago,” admitted the Epping resident. “But I feel better about my game now. It was a high-class field (in Hong Kong) and I felt like I had my back against the wall, but I played very well.

“I'm confident I can qualify (from Tour School) and get back on the Tour. The attitude has to be right and you have to look forward to being there. What happened this season is in the past, it's no good crying about it, you just have to forget it and get on with it.”

Despite his poor result in Hong Kong, Fisher has also found his swing in recent events, having finished inside the top 25 for the three tournaments prior to last week.

Both players will need to find their 'A' game if they are to graduate from the school and prove that they belong among the elite.