Hurley on the brink of Q-School success but Murphy needs birdies
Gary Hurley. Picture: Federico Capretti/ Alps Tour Golf.
Gary Hurley confessed it would be "beautiful" to clinch his DP World Tour card today, but he admitted the gruelling 90-hole Qualifying School is a lonely place to be left with your thoughts after spending three years with a performance coach learning to deal with your mental demons.
The 29-year-old West Waterford star has been through an emotional wringer with the game since he turned professional after the 2015 Walker Cup, missing 78 per cent of his cuts and coming close to quitting the game.
But after securing a Challenge Tour card this season via the top five on the Alps Tour thanks to the work he's done with Dr Edward Coughlan, Hurley carded a one-under 70 in yesterday's fifth round to go into the final day tied for 16th in the race to finish in the top 25 and ties.
"I'm really happy with how I performed today," said Hurley, who was two over after four holes before following four birdies in six holes around the turn with a bogey six at the last. "I got off to a tricky start. But I stayed in it and stayed in the process of what I'm doing."
He sits two shots inside the top 25 on 17-under par at Infinitum's Lakes Course in Tarragona and believes he's ready for whatever the game throws at him today.
"I am really proud of myself today and yesterday, every day, really to be honest, because it is difficult," he confessed. "You're uneasy all the time, even in the evening times, you're always just uneasy. Once you get on the course, once you get into it, it's a little bit better because you're now doing it. But when you're away from it, it can just be a little bit much at times."
While there is always next week to look forward to in tour golf, Hurley admits there's a finality about Q-School that makes it that bit tougher. But he's not afraid of failure because he knows he has the mental tools now to forge a successful career.
"Whether the results are good tomorrow or whether I get a card or not, it's not the most important thing to me," he said. "Obviously, I would love to get one. It is important. But it is not the most important because the work I'm doing is creating something for a successful career, not just this week.
"So I'm excited. I'm excited for what's to come. I'm nervous about what's to come and everything. I'm expecting everything and expecting nothing at the same time. I'm just open to the future and looking forward to the experience of it."
As for thoughts of getting his card, he became emotional when he thought of everything he's been through just to give himself a chance.
"Yeah, it would be brilliant," he said. "I'm not going to say it would mean everything because it doesn't mean everything. But it would be beautiful to be on European Tour next year. I've been through a really tough time in my life with golf and to be in the position I'm in right now, I'm just proud of getting to here."
Sweden's Simon Forsström carded a five-under 66 to take a two-shot lead over Englishman Daniel Brown into the last round on 26-under par, but Kinsale's John Murphy is four strokes outside the top 25 after dropping two late strokes in a two-under 69.
The 24-year-old is tied 42nd on 11-under par, and he was disappointed with his score after getting to 13-under with four to play.
"I just let a couple of slip at the end, which, if you do that out here, unfortunately, you find yourself slipping a long way down the leaderboard," said Murphy, who made a double bogey six at the 15th, failed to birdie the par-five 16th and then finishing bogey-birdie. "But it's alright, we've got one more day to get after tomorrow and we'll see what happens.
"There is no doubt about it, I am going to have to make birdies if I want to push my way up into the top 25. So I will give it a go.”
