Ireland’s Conor Purcell. Photo: Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
Conor Purcell insists he must “push on” and back up Sunday’s breakthrough Challenge Tour win when he chases more home glory in the Irish Challenge at The K Club.
The Portmarnock golfer (27) took a giant step towards winning his DP World Tour card via the top 20 in the Road to Mallorca rankings by leaping to fourth following his maiden win in the Black Desert NI Open presented by Tom McKibbin at Galgorm.
Purcell would be unlucky now to miss out on promotion to the big league, but with 13 events remaining this season, he knows he can’t afford to take his foot off the gas, and he’s looking to make it back-to-back wins at The K Club’s Palmer South course.
“I feel like my game is in a really good place and I’m going to keep focusing on the things I have been working on because it’s a long year and we still have 13 events left,” he said. “Hopefully, I can push on and get another win under my belt.
“I’m in a nice position now on the rankings and my aim is to finish inside the top 20. It’s not the time to step off the gas because I need to finish the job.”
Purcell finished in a tie for fifth at The K Club in 2022 and can’t wait to tee it up in front of his supporters as he spearheads a 14-man Irish challenge that includes 29th-ranked Gary Hurley and Galway amateur Liam Nolan.
He was 72nd in the Amgen Irish Open at The K Club’s North Course last year and with the leading Irish player awarded the Christy O’Connor Jnr Memorial Trophy and an Irish Open spot at Royal County Down, there’s a lot at stake.
Twenty-five of the top 30 in the rankings are in action. Purcell is off the 10th at 8:30 am on Thursday with the current number one, Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, and defending champion Brandon Robinson Thompson.
The field also features a host of DP World Tour winners looking to rekindle their careers, including five-time winner Alexander Levy of France and seven-time winner Alvaro Quiros.
LPGA Portland Classic,
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