Murphy and Purcell in the mix as Irish make Friday moves at The K Club
Todd Clements . Picture: Getty Images
Irish hopefuls John Murphy and Conor Purcell are hoping the home crowd can push them all the way to victory after they surged into contention for the €250,000 Irish Challenge at The K Club.
While Simon Thornton won at St Omer in 2013, an Irish-born player has not won a Challenge Tour event since Michael Hoey captured the Madeira Islands Open in 2011.
But that could all change on the Palmer South Course at The K Club tomorrow after Kinsale native Murphy carded a five-under 67 and Portmarnock star Purcell a 68 to go out in the final group in round three just two shots behind English pace-setter Todd Clements on 11-under par.
"I saw Conor's name at the top of the leaderboard at the back of the green and I thought it would be pretty cool to be playing with him in the last group tomorrow,” Murphy said after playing his first 11 holes in four-under and following a bogey at the third (his 12th) with further birdies at the fifth and eighth before saving a good par at the ninth.
"That's the kind of thing you fantasise about playing against your friend with a home crowd and a chance to showcase and show off.”
Murphy might be ranked 91st in the Road to Mallorca standings but he has an opportunity now to push for a maiden win and one of 20 DP World Tour cards awarded to the leading points-winners.
"I think I have had a lot of belief,” the former Walker Cup star said. “I have been swinging it well I know there are good scores around the corner so nice to see it come to fruition the last two rounds, hopefully more to come.
"There'll be a few up tomorrow I think between myself and Conor we will surely get a good crowd out there.”
Purcell went out in level par but eagled the 10th and birdied the 11th and 12th before following a bogey at the 14th with a sand-save birdie four at the 18th on a day when the wind blew and just nine of the 22 strong Irish contingent made the one-under par cut.
"I have been in a couple of later groups this year so I know what to expect and hopefully I have learned from that,” Purcell said.
"Hopefully we get a big following over the weekend. We all get a big buzz playing at home and to have so many family and friends out following is great. Hopefully we can put on a show over the weekend.”
Holywood’s Tom McKibbin shot 70 and West Waterford’s Gary Hurley a 69 to share 10th on seven-under, just six shots behind 25-year-old Clements, who shot 65 to lead on 13-under.
“I made a few good par saves and missed a good few chances too, but I just stayed in it,” Hurley said after a closing birdie. “That’s what you have to do. Every day you play golf you just have to stay in the saddle, no matter what happens.
“It’s great to have two Irish lads up there after two rounds and I am looking forward to the next two days.”
Mallow’s James Sugrue holed nothing in an opening 72 but he found his putting touch and despite starting with a bogey, rolled in seven birdies in a 66 to move up to tied 12th on six-under.
"I didn't really play much different to yesterday just putted bad yesterday and putted well today that's pretty much it," Sugrue said.
"The greens are so pure, it’s the best I've putted on in a long time. I'd love to blame the greens for my bad putting yesterday. But I went back to the line on the ball today and it worked.
"It's good to have two Cork lads going well there hasn't been much to shout about for Cork golf professional wise so to have the two of us up there is great."
Ballymena’s Dermot McElroy shot 67 to share 25th on four-under with Irish amateurs Robert Moran from Castle, who shot 72, and Malone’s Matthew McClean, who posted an impressive, bogey-free 66.
The cut fell at one-under par with The Island’s Paul McBride sneaking in on the mark as he birdied the 18th for a 75.
Irish Challenge, Palmer South, The K Club (Par 72)
131 T Clements (Eng) 66 65,
133 J Murphy (Irl) 66 67, C Purcell (Irl) 65 68,
134 H Ellis (Eng) 67 67,
135 S Mazzoli (Ita) 65 70, C Ross (Sco) 66 69, G Stal (Fra) 65 70,
136 S Gros (Fra) 70 66, J Rutherford (Eng) 69 67,
137 T McKibbin (Nir) 67 70, G Hurley (Irl) 68 69,
138 D Germishuys (RSA) 66 72, J Sugrue (Irl) 72 66, J Girrbach (Sui) 64 74, M Manassero (Ita) 69 69,
139 N Kimsey (Eng) 67 72, M Simonsen (Den) 73 66, R Evans (Eng) 69 70, K Johannessen (Nor) 74 65, J Ko (Fra) 66 73, V Garcia Broto (Esp) 68 71, E Cuartero Blanco (Esp) 71 68, O Farrell (Eng) 68 71, M Iten (Sui) 69 70,
140 M McClean (Am) (Nir) 74 66, R Moran (Am) (Irl) 68 72, A Del Rey (Esp) 71 69, P Mejow (Ger) 68 72, R Petersson (Swe) 69 71, S Del Val (Esp) 68 72, D McElroy (Nir) 73 67, V Riu (Fra) 73 67,
141 C Fyfe (Sco) 73 68, J De Bruyn (Ger) 69 72, T Strydom (RSA) 69 72, M Orrin (Eng) 67 74, A Saddier (Fra) 67 74, L Van Meijel (Ned) 68 73, D Ravetto (Fra) 69 72, R Kaminski (RSA) 68 73, T Bessa (Por) 71 70, J Gumberg (USA) 69 72,
142 E Di Nitto (Ita) 73 69, A Knappe (Ger) 70 72, C Blomstrand (Swe) 72 70, W Enefer (Eng) 71 71, M Decottignies-Lafon (Fra) 70 72, C Mivis (Bel) 69 73,
143 L Robinson (Eng) 70 73, D Foos (Ger) 72 71, P McBride (Irl) 68 75, G Kristjansson (Isl) 74 69, R Sciot-Siegrist (Fra) 71 72, I Cantero Gutierrez (Esp) 70 73, J Quesne (Fra) 71 72, P Pineau (Fra) 73 70, C Gugler (Am) (Sui) 73 70, L Lilliedahl (Swe) 71 72, M Morugan (Esp) 69 74, C Griffiths (Eng) 72 71, T Sloman (Eng) 73 70, V Meyer (Ger) 77 66, P Langfors (Swe) 73 70, P Moolman (RSA) 70 73, J Long (Eng) 68 75, S Broadhurst (Eng) 73 70, D Bradbury (Eng) 73 70.
Missed the cut
144 R Mullarney (Irl) 73 71, N Kristensen (Den) 71 73, M Gradecki (Pol) 71 73, E Rousaud (Esp) 74 70, T Plumb (Eng) 71 73, R Dinwiddie (Eng) 71 73, J Hagborg Asp (Swe) 75 69,
145 M Cea (Ita) 77 68, D Boote (Wal) 70 75, E Lipparelli (Ita) 70 75, R McGee (Irl) 72 73, P Baek (Den) 73 72, J Sainz (Esp) 69 76, D Erickson (USA) 72 73, B Schmidt (Eng) 71 74, L Ruuska (Fin) 71 74, S Tiley (Eng) 72 73, V Bjorlow (Den) 71 74, Y Van Doren (Bel) 73 72, J McDonald (Sco) 70 75, A Hietala (Fin) 70 75,
146 B Poke (Den) 71 75, M Wiegele (Aut) 70 76, B Neil (Sco) 71 75, S Petersen (Swe) 77 69, M Herrmann (Ger) 71 75, F Palson (Swe) 72 74, E Marin (Esp) 76 70, L Jerling (RSA) 73 73, I Saulo (Fin) 77 69, N McCarthy (Eng) 75 71,
147 M Young (Irl) 76 71, J Yates (Irl) 73 74, R Van West (Ned) 75 72, C Sordet (Fra) 72 75, G Moynihan (Irl) 72 75, P Margolis (Fra) 72 75, D Brown (Eng) 74 73, C Thornton (Eng) 72 75, W Porter (Sco) 73 74, M Power (Am) (Irl) 75 72, M Galiano Aguilar (Esp) 71 76, V Lopes (Por) 72 75,
148 G Bloor (Eng) 75 73, B Petursson (Isl) 76 72, A Zemmer (Ita) 76 72, R Dawson (Irl) 77 71, R Wattel (Fra) 73 75, J Wikstrom (Swe) 74 74, U Coussaud (Fra) 74 74, C O'Rourke (Irl) 75 73, B Rusch (Sui) 77 71,
149 T Vahlenkamp (Ger) 75 74, G King (Eng) 75 74, E Bertheussen (Nor) 73 76, F Mruzek (Cze) 74 75, A Eineving (Swe) 74 75, J Garcia (Esp) 72 77, J Lando Casanova (Fra) 71 78, B Virto (Esp) 74 75, R Foley (Sui) 73 76,
150 J Floydd (Eng) 76 74, N Fenwick (Sco) 75 75, G Boyd (Eng) 71 79, B Ritthammer (Ger) 74 76, L Schuepbach (Sui) 73 77,
151 M Waite (Eng) 78 73, H Smith (Am) (Eng) 75 76, J Sandborg (Swe) 73 78, M Lindberg (Swe) 74 77, G Tadiotto (Bel) 76 75,
152 C Worsdall (Eng) 75 77, O Gillberg (Swe) 74 78, C Berardo (Fra) 74 78, T Gouveia (Por) 75 77,
153 L Grehan (Irl) 76 77, M Rottluff (Ger) 77 76,
154 L Donnelly (Irl) 78 76,
155 J Vecchi Fossa (Ita) 79 76,
156 A Curbishley (Eng) 79 77, C Feldborg Nielsen (Swe) 77 79, S Fernandez (Esp) 74 82,
157 A De Bondt (Bel) 79 78, C Williams (Irl) 77 80,
158 R Clarke (Irl) 74 84,
160 H Foley (Am) (Irl) 82 78, B Moore (Eng) 75 85,
Ret M Penge (Eng) 75 RT
WD A Esmatges (Esp) 81 WD.
