"This is something that I've aspired to do my whole life" - Conor Purcell enjoying Tour challenge

Conor Purcell

They say consistency is overrated in golf when one good week can erase the pain of multiple painful weekends off and a big cheque solves all problems.

Rookie Conor Purcell would certainly settle for that in this week’s Amgen Irish Open where a top performance would propel him out of the twilight zone and into the top 113 or so who will be guaranteed a day job on the DP World Tour in 2026.

Purcell, who won twice on the HotelPlanner Tour last season to earn promotion to the big time, arrives at The K Club ranked 148th after 20 events.

He’s not panicking as he battles to retain his card but after a season he describes as being a bit like a spaghetti western —  “The good, the bad and the ugly” — he looks at the consistency of world number one Scottie Scheffler with an envious eye and vows to plough on in his own way as he seeks the spark that will ignite the touch paper and allow him to realise his undoubted talent.

“The game's actually been very good,” said the Dubliner (28) who has made half his cuts this season but found himself too often sweating on Fridays. “But it's been tricky. I feel like I've been playing a lot on the cut number and as most golfers know, it's hard to play as freely as you want to when you're on those numbers.

“It’s just about mentally staying strong, knowing that the game is in a good place and it will click. It's only a matter of time.”

When you’ve aspired to playing on one of the world’s biggest tours since you were a kid in short trousers, it’s easy to lose sight of what you have actually achieved in the first place as you grind away week after week and spend more Friday nights than you would like calling home or ringing your girlfriend in search of a sympathetic ear.

“I’ve always tried to remind myself this year that this is something that I've aspired to do my whole life,” Purcell explained. “And I think you lose sight that it can be hard at times, and if you focus too much on the hard times, it's just going to knock you down, and you're not going to enjoy it while you're in it.

“You’ve just got to enjoy everything that comes with it, the good, the bad, the ugly and everything in between. So feel like I'm doing a pretty good job at the moment, and I’m just excited to keep going and tee it up.”

Purcell feels good about his chances at The K Club, where he played two years ago and dug deep to make the cut by making a birdie at his 16th hole on Friday — the ferociously difficult seventh.

“I birdied that to make it on the number, which was a deadly feeling,” he recalled. “I’m just looking forward to going again.”

Rather than thinking about making cuts, Purcell says he goes into every event wondering how he can give himself a chance to win and while sweating to make the weekend is no fun, he sees it as training for the future.

“It's not that dissimilar to trying to win an event,” he said. “You're hanging on, trying to keep your score, but also make a few coming in. So I always find it’s good mental training for when the time comes when you're in contention.”

He’s learning his trade as he plays new courses every week and while he knows that his distance control with the irons is a weakness that needs strengthening, he’s inspired by watching the game’s best.

“I feel very confident off the tee. I've been battling a little bit with distance control into the green because on the DP World Tour, compared to the Challenge Tour, course setups are a little bit more difficult.”

Every week is a learning experience, but he knows things can change in the blink of an eye.

“One week can really change the whole picture of the whole year,” he said. “So it's kind of knowing that however many opportunities I get to play between now and the end of the year, I have plenty of chances.

“If I can’t get the job done in those events, then I don't deserve to be out there next year. So I just need to put my head down and get the results.”