Purcell eyes first DP World Tour top 10 in Belgium
Ewen Ferguson of Scotland in action on day three of the Soudal Open 2025 at Rinkven International GC on May 24, 2025 in Antwerp, Belgium. (Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images)
Portmarnock’s Conor Purcell is chasing his first top 10 on the DP World Tour after a one-under 70 left him tied for 22nd heading into the final round of the Soudal Open in Belgium.
The Dubliner (27) is just two shots outside the top 10 on four-under, nine shots behind Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson, who shot 69 to lead by two strokes from England’s John Parry at Rinkven International in Antwerp.
Heavy rain arrived in Antwerp prior to the leading groups getting their third rounds under way and scoring was therefore harder to come by than it had been during the opening two rounds.
But Ferguson stuck to his task to ensure he claimed the 54-hole lead for the fifth time in his DP World Tour career.
On a day when par was increasingly a good score, the 28-year-old birdied the par-four third but gave a shot back at the sixth to make the turn at level par.
He made back-to-back gains at the 10th and 11th, but a second dropped shot of the week arrived at the par-four 13th after missing his approach long.
Undeterred, Ferguson made a final birdie at the par-four 16th, before ticking off two pars to finish and remain the man to catch with 18 holes to play.
“I had to be really patient, to be honest with you,” Ferguson said. “My range session was awful — it was so cold, my hands were freezing, and I was hardly finding the middle of the face.
“I was thinking, this could be a long day, which it was. But once you're out there, you start to feel the vibe from the people around you. I was playing with Marco, who’s a good friend, and we just tried to enjoy it as much as we could, even with the bad weather. I just hung in there all day.
“It wasn’t pretty — teeing the ball down, squashing drivers, just trying to find fairways. Nothing flashy, but it’s Saturday. You just need to keep yourself in it. Like I said, you can lose it on a Saturday, but you can't win it.”
England’s Parry, who won the Opening Swing after claiming his second DP World Tour victory at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, carded a four under 67 to earn his spot in Sunday’s final group, while Dutchman Darius van Driel is third on nine under on his return to action after recovering from a wrist injury.
Frenchman Frederic Lacroix, Finland’s Oliver Lindell and Englishman Jordan Smith took full advantage of their early morning tee times to post low rounds and surge into contention.
The trio sit in a tie for fourth on eight under par, with Lacroix and Lindell posting six under rounds of 65 before the bad weather arrived, and Smith tying the course record with a 64 to climb 48 places from the cutline.
