Conor Purcell is relishing being in the mix to win the Road to Mallorca Rankings as he bids to cap promotion to the DP World Tour with victory at the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A.
The Irishman climbed to fourth on the season-long standings when he won his second Challenge Tour title of the season earlier this month at the Hangzhou Open.
So, while John Parry leads the way from fellow three-time winner Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Purcell has a chance of becoming just the first Irishman since Raymond Burns to win the Order of Merit if he was to make it a hat-trick of wins in 2024.
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"The two lads (John Parry and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen) have been streets ahead of everyone, so it was nice that me and Hamish (Brown) won the last two in China to get a bit closer," said Purcell on the eve of the season finale in Spain.
"It gives it that bit of excitement going into this week knowing that we do have a chance to finish on top."
Purcell finished sixth in the 45-player field on his debut appearance at the Grand Final last season, but despite that strong result he was unable to break into the top 20 and earn a DP World Tour card.
As a result, with past experience at Club de Golf Alcanada in Mallorca to call upon, Purcell is optimistic in his chances of mounting a title challenge.
"It’s very important," he said. "Last year I came up with a good game plan, and coming back I feel like I can try to do the same thing that I did then.
"I have good visuals off the tee which is important and I’m looking forward to it."
With this week marking his 24th start of the campaign, one in which he has four top tens in addition to his two victories, the 27-year-old is pleased with the resolve he has shown, including when he missed four cuts in five starts after winning the Black Desert NI Open by Tom McKibbin in July.
"If you told me at the start of the year that I’d be in this position, I’d be really happy," he reflected.
"I’m happy with how I kept my focus when going through some dips in form. It definitely wasn’t plain sailing the whole year, and it’s just nice to regain some form after a few bad spells. Coming out with two wins has been nice."
