Nearly there. Conor Purcell is headed into the Rolex Grand Final in Mallorca – starting on Thursday, the final event of the Challenge Tour schedule – guaranteed a full DP World Tour card for next season. It is only a matter of which one.
The 27-year-old Dubliner is fourth in the rankings headed into the finale, with 20 cards due to be dispensed.
Indeed, given the weighted points available in this week’s Grand Final, Purcell could – with a win – conceivably move to the number one place in the rankings, currently led by England’s John Parry. The better the position in the ranking equates to the better the card, with more playing opportunities.
Purcell is one of three Irish players who have advanced to the Grand Final, with Dermot McElroy (37th) and Gary Hurley (43rd) also in the limited field and also looking to join Purcell on the main circuit next season.
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The target for both McElroy and Hurley is to move inside the top 22 in the rankings. Although there are 20 cards available, South African Robin Williams and Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard Petersen (both inside the top-20) have gained a better DP World Tour category for next year due to their performances this year so their cards will go to the 21st and 22nd players in the rankings.
Tom Kim lashes out after Genesis Championship loss
South Korean golfer Tom Kim wasn’t a happy bunny at all after losing to his friend and compatriot in the Genesis Championship, as evidenced by a broken locker door (verified by Yonhap News Agency) on his return to the players’ locker room.
Kim had lipped out for a birdie on the 72nd hole and then lost to An in a playoff. He did congratulate An on the win (the pair were team-mates at the Paris Olympics) before taking out his frustration on the door, which was left hanging by its hinges.
The Korean PGA Tour offered to pay for the repair of the door, with the intention to ask Kim to cover the cost. And the KPGA are also considering disciplinary action for Kim’s actions.
Word of Mouth
“Moments like this are the ones that make everything better” – Colombia’s Nico Echavarria after winning the Zozo Championship in Japan, his second career win on the PGA Tour. Echavarria had entered the tournament with just one top 10 this season and on the back of three missed cuts in his last four outings. The win also earned him a place in next year’s Masters.
In Numbers: 2
Sara Byrne and Lauren Walsh successfully came through the second stage of the LPGA Tour qualifying series, with the pair moving on to final qualifying at Magnolia Grove Golf Club in Mobile, Alabama, on December 5th-9th. The top 25 finishers and ties will earn their LPGA Tour cards for the 2025 season. Byrne, who was a star of the Curtis Cup win for Britain and Ireland over the USA last month before turning professional, and Walsh, who has enjoyed a successful rookie season on the Ladies European Tour, are guaranteed Epson Tour (the secondary women’s circuit in the USA) Category C status. Obviously, the LPGA Tour card is the real target for both.
On this day, October 29th, 1995
Billy Mayfair’s win at the season-ending Tour Championship on the PGA Tour at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma required patience in an examination that saw nobody finish under par in the tournament played in windy conditions and with slick greens also a factor.
Of the 120 rounds played during the tournament limited to the leading 30 players on the money list, only 14 were under par and the scoring average in Sunday’s final round came in at 74.26 – so, Mayfair’s 72-holes total of level par 280 (with a closing round of 73) was sufficient to claim the $540,000 winner’s cheque.
“Because of how hard the wind was blowing, how hard the golf course was, I felt that I could shoot over par and win. But when you’ve got the best players in the world out here, you never know,” said Mayfair, who held a three-stroke lead over Corey Pavin, Steve Elkington and Brad Bryant headed into the final round and managed to win by two from Pavin and Elkington.
Bryant, who went to a hospital emergency department at 4.30am ahead of his final round suffering from a stomach virus, dropped back to a share of sixth place.
Social Soundings
Designed to help players make a smoother putting stroke. The Super Select Squareback 2 Long Design features two 25-gram tungsten sole weights combined with a longer, heavier 17-inch 135-gram pistol-style grip and a longer, custom-designed stiffer shaft – Scotty Cameron covering all the bases with his latest putter design.
“The cleanest looking wedge I’ve ever seen ……” – Shane Lowry on unboxing his new Cleveland Golf prototype wedges for testing.
“After just 15% of players found the green at Riviera’s 4th during the 2024 Genesis, the club has LENGTHENED the hole to 265 yards! The PGA Tour also confirmed that Viktor Hovland’s shortcut off the 15th tee down the 17th fairway is no more” – Golf.com bringing us the heads up on changes to Riviera for next year’s Genesis Invitational, one of the PGA Tour’s signature events.
Know the Rules
Q: In a mixed foursomes match, Player A (the man), from the yellow tees, hits his tee shot on the first hole out-of-bounds. Does Player B (the woman) then play from the red tees or the yellow tees?
A: This is covered under Rule 22.3/1. In playing mixed foursomes where different teeing areas are used by women and men, if, for example, a man tees off the from the teeing area defined by yellow tee-markers and hits his shot out of bounds, the woman must play the next stroke from the yellow teeing area.
In the Bag
Byeong-hun An – Genesis Championship
Driver: Titleist TSR4 (9 degrees)
Utility irons: Titleist U505 (1), TitleistT200 (3)
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist 620MB (6-9)
Wedges: 48-degree wedge: Titleist Vokey SM10 (48, 52, 56 degrees), Titleist Vokey SM9-WW Proto (60 degrees)
Putter: L.A.B Golf Mezz 1 Max Long
Ball: Titleist Pro V1 X (2023)
