Conor Purcell couldn’t quite reproduce the fireworks of his opening 63, but a second-round 69 leaves him well placed going into the weekend and he’ll play in the final group on moving day.
The Portmarnock man is poised to earn promotion to the DP World Tour ahead with room to spare should he hang around the top of the leaderboard this week, and despite making his first appearance at the Hangzhou Open at West Lake International Golf and Country Club, he clearly likes what he sees.
Two birdies and a bogey on each side helped him to a two-under 69 that sees him one shot off the lead which is co-held by Englishman Ben Schmidt and home favourite Wenyi Ding.
The Englishman was trailing Ding – who had earlier reached the clubhouse at 11 under par – by three shots with three holes to play.
However, the 22-year-old hauled himself into contention at the halfway stage in China with a birdie on 16, before an eagle three on 17 saw him sign for a five under par round of 66 to share second-day honours with Ding.
“I finished off the last three holes very strongly which was good,” he said. “Hole 16 was a tough par-three and it was nice to make a 25-foot birdie putt there. I hit a good drive down 17 and figured if I could just do that, I might have a chance.
“It’s not often you get an eagle but the par five here will reward you if you hit good shots. I figured if I could hit a good drive down the fairway, it will get me a shot in. I had a tricky downhill eight-foot putt but I managed to hole it and I’m pretty pleased with myself for that.”
Schmidt, who finished fourth in the Hainan Open last week, is currently 46th on the Road to Mallorca Rankings at the business end of the season. He’s focused on another strong week in Hangzhou to guarantee his place in the field for the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A in two weeks’ time.
“There’s a lot on the line and lots to think about,” he added. “But I’m trying to take the focus away from that and play my own game. I’m tied for the lead and I couldn’t be happier right now.”
Schmidt is also looking forward to playing alongside Ding, winner of the 2024 Global Amateur Pathway, with a huge crowd expected to follow them on moving day.
“It’ll be nice to have a game in with Ding,” he said. “I’ve heard a lot about him and I’m looking forward to playing together with him and it should be a good day.
“The pressure’s going to be a little bit more on him with the home support.”
Alongside Purcell tied for third is Norwegian Kristoffer Reitan, with Spaniards Joel Moscatel and Angel Ayora, and Czech Gordan Brixi one shot further back in fifth.
It was a disappointing week for Jonathan Caldwell and Gary Hurley who both missed the cut. This brings Caldwell’s season to a close, but Hurley now faces an anxious wait to see if his position inside the top 45 holds and he earns a place in the Challenge Tour Grand Final in a fortnight’s time.
Round three gets under way at 6:30am local time with Schmidt, Ding and Purcell teeing off at 10:30am.
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