American Benda has had to regularly return to the Qualifying School at the end of the year to retain his place on the tour. He is currently ranked 54th on the Order of Merit and so needs to move into the top 50 to avoid the dreaded qualifying school this year. So at least we have a player who will have the necessary drive to perform well. His current form is no disgrace either with three top 20 finishes in his last 5 starts. His form indicates that he prefers the warmer climates as he has spent much of his career playing in Asia and his best finishes on the European Tour have been in Greece (6th in 2000), Portugal (3rd in Oct 2004) and this year he finished 4th in Egypt in April. If he can post a decent score in the first round there is every chance that he can hold on for a place finish.