Conor Purcell is hoping to keep the momentum rolling when he tees it up in the 25th edition of the Challenge de España at Real Club Sevilla Golf this week.
The Irishman has enjoyed a stellar start to the 2024 Road to Mallorca season, and currently sits in 17th position on the Road to Mallorca Rankings following back-to-back top ten finishes in the United Arab Emirates last month.
The 26-year-old finished 29th in the Rankings last year to narrowly miss out on promotion to the DP World Tour, but admits that experience has given him the drive to go one better this term.
“Last year obviously gave me some confidence knowing that I got very close to getting my DP World Tour card,” he said. “It’s great to get off to a good start this year too.
“I also know we’re only eight events into a season of 29 events. A lot can happen between now and the end of the year so I’ll just keep working away.
“I’m going easy on myself at this stage of the season, but there has been a bit of a shift in my mentality.
“My head space was very good for those two weeks in the UAE. I was quite disciplined with not really looking at leaderboards, and I did a good job of just focussing on myself. The less I take notice of what other people are doing, I tend to do okay.”
Purcell has made the cut in all six outings on the Challenge Tour this year, finishing inside the top 25 in five of those events. He’s looking forward to a return to Europe for the first time this season, at a course that has hosted the DP World Tour on four previous occasions.
“It’s lovely here,” he added. “The course is in perfect condition and it’s really nice visually, so I’m looking forward to it.
“The greens seem like they’re fairly small and there’s a lot of sections to them. They’re quite quick as well, so I think having a decent proximity with my irons will be important throughout the week.”
Purcell is part of a strong field in Seville that includes current Road to Mallorca Number One Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, defending champion Martin Couvra and four-time DP World Tour winner David Horsey.
The opening round of the Challenge de España gets under way tomorrow at 8:00am with Purcell teeing off alongside Frenchman Gary Stal and Swiss Benjamin Rusch at 1:20pm.