The Challenge Tour resumes this week with the Hopps Open de Provence in Mallemort where Dermot McElroy, Conor Purcell and Jonathan Caldwell are ready to take to the course in what will be the third to last event on the circuit’s calendar.
Just as Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry did at the Ryder Cup last weekend at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, the trio from the island will be chasing a strong performance in France as the DP World Tour’s official feeder tour enters its final events.
With none of the Irish golfers being involved in the weekend’s action at the Challenge Tour’s previous event – the Swiss Challenge – they will all have a point to prove this time around. None more so than Conor Purcell, whose two days of play at the Swiss Challenge yielded a disappointing return of five-over-par.
The Portmarnock GC representative’s high-scoring came off the back of a solid showing at the Open de Portugal, which saw the 26-year-old finish tied for 31st.
Dermot McElroy meanwhile, had also impressed at the Open de Portugal at Royal Óbidos with a finishing score of -6 and a share of 27th. The 30-year-old missed the cut at the Swiss Challenge by a single stroke, which was surely very frustrating and will most certainly be the fuel for his opening rounds at in France this week.
Similarly, Jonathan Caldwell missed out on the weekend’s action in the tour’s previous event by a single shot after starting off with an impressive opening round of 68 in Folgensbourg.
Although their recent performances were ones to chalk down to bad days at the office, all three golfers have come close to winning on the tour this season with each of them finishing in the top three in the past two months.
And with the residual positivity from Lowry and McIlroy’s inspiring performances on the continent last week, perhaps the feel good factor could cling to the three Irish hopefuls in France.
McElroy is out earliest of the Irish contingent in one of the opening groups of the day, starting from the first tee alongside England’s Habebul Islam and Frenchman Franck Daux (tee-off at 8:10 a.m.)
Purcell follows McElroy out half an hour later as he begins his opening round from the 10th tee box with Englishman Tom Lewis and South African Darren Fichardt for company (tee-off at 8:40 a.m.)
Caldwell completes the irish interests in the afternoon as he begins his round from the first tee alongside the Scotland’s Sam Locke and Sweden’s Anton Karlsson (tee-off at 12:30 p.m.)
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