One prize, that of a DP World Tour card, is already clasped in Conor Purcell’s hands.
It’s just that the 27-year-old Dubliner has an opportunity to make his graduation to a full tour card even more favourable as he finishes his Challenge Tour season at the Rolex Grand Final in Mallorca, where a win would likely move him to number one on the rankings.
Purcell – with two wins so far this season, in the Black Desert NI Open hosted by Tom McKibbin and the recent Hangzhou Open – lies fourth in the season-long Race to Mallorca standings.
But he has a number of permutations that would enable him jump to number one for a status that would see him play up to 28 or more tournaments (depending on what schedule he chooses) in his rookie season.
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The route to number one on the rankings include Purcell winning and current order of merit leader John Parry finishing no higher than third, although Purcell could finish as low as third and still win the rankings but would need Parry to finish no higher than 22nd in the 46-man field, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen to finish no higher than 11th and Hamish Brown to finish no higher than seventh.
Such permutations and equations are out of his control though, and Purcell’s main focus will be on continuing the momentum from an impressive second win of the season in China just a fortnight ago.
That success saw him guarantee his full tour card for next season and now the chance to improve on it as the higher the position on the final order of merit the more opportunities will come his way.
Purcell is aiming to become the first Irish winner of the Challenge Tour order of merit since Raymond Burns in 1993, while Tom McKibbin finished 10th in the rankings in 2022 to earn his passage on to the main tour.
Dermot McElroy (37th) and Gary Hurley (43rd) are also in the field, with 20 cards due to be dispensed come Sunday evening. Technically, with weighted points available, every one of the 46 players has an opportunity to win one of the 20 tour cards.
Englishman Parry, who earned full DP World Tour status thanks to winning three times on the Challenge Tour this season (for Category 10 status), is aiming to finish his standout season by remaining in number one position:
“I’ve obviously had some highs this season, winning three times on the Challenge Tour, but the biggest factor has been my consistency. I’ve never won multiple times in the same year so that was really pleasing for me.
“I’m pretty relaxed this week because I’ve already got my card for next season so it’s a different feeling to when I’ve been here before. Obviously, I want to try and win the rankings and finish the season as Challenge Tour number one which is what has kept me motivated,” said Parry.
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