Conor Purcell could seal his promotion to the DP World Tour in style on Sunday after a moving day 67 pushed him into a share of the lead at the Hangzhou Open.
Purcell birdied two of his last four holes to climb to fourteen-under-par alongside England’s Ben Schmidt and the pair are two clear of the chasing pack.
“The weather took a turn in the back nine and it was a tricky test. When it rains, the water sits on the grass and it’s really hard to judge where the ball is going to go,” said Purcell.
“I struggled on a couple of holes but managed to get a grip on the last few. I’m just very happy I managed to stay in my little bubble today. It’s easy to get caught up with everything but I stuck to my own game plan and didn’t even realise I was tied for the lead until I signed my card.”
The Portmarnock man began the week 12th in the Road to Mallorca Rankings but is now projected to rise to 4th ahead of the Grand Final on October 31.
The top-45 will advance to Mallorca with the top-20 earning DP World Tour cards.
Purcell has been assured of his card for some time now but finishing inside the top-10 will give him a stronger DP World Tour status and the 27-year-old can also put himself in a position to become the first Irishman to win the Road to Mallorca since Raymie Burns in 1994.
The 2019 Walker Cupper started his third round well with four birdies in a front nine of 33 and after dropping shots on the 4th, 10th and 13th he managed to roll in birdies on 11, 15 and 17 to hit the front.
With 18 holes left to play, Purcell is looking to draw on his winning experience from the Black Desert NI Open presented by Tom McKibbin in July for another grandstand finish at the penultimate event of the 2024 Challenge Tour season.
“I have done it once this year and I can learn from that experience. Hopefully, I’ll be able to put my best foot forward tomorrow,” said Purcell.
Gary Hurley and Jonathan Caldwell both missed the cut meaning it will be a nervous wait for Hurley on the top-45 bubble at 41st in the Road to Mallorca Rankings while Caldwell’s season comes to an end.
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