25 starts, 14 missed cuts, and a best finish of T15, Conor Purcell’s rookie campaign on the DP World Tour was one to forget. After losing his card on Friday in India he will head to the final stage of Q-School next month looking to make an immediate return to Europe’s top level.
Twelve months ago Purcell was celebrating promotion from the Hotelplanner Tour to the DP World Tour after winning in China. But after five years of continued steady progression, 2025 proved to be the first year of struggle for Purcell who battled his way to the top from the Alps Tour.
Purcell has overcome adversity before. The Portmarnock man turned professional after the 2019 Walker Cup, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time for any budding young professional as the Covid-19 pandemic plunged golf into turmoil.
But he has shown resilience to work his way through the golfing pyramid and has never lost sight of how fortunate he has been to get some of the breaks that several of his fellow Irishmen who turned professional at the same time, but have fallen by the wayside, did not.
The DP World Tour has proven to be a tough school for Purcell who always knew that it would be a learning year. Getting used to new courses, courses that are longer, tighter off the tee, the rough is more penal. It was always a step up in class.
There was a bright spark in the Chinese swing in April with finishes of 15th and 20th in back to back weeks in a country where he won on the HotelPlanner Tour last year, but he was just too in and out for the remainder of the year.
Irish men’s golf is in a peculiar place. As it stands, there will be no regular DP World Tour players from this island next year.
Last season saw no Irish player earn a DP World Tour card via Q-School for the second successive year and seventh time since 2010 – (2018, 2016, 2014, 2011, 2010).
Although the post Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry era is a little bit down the road just yet and with big things expected of Tom McKibbin very soon it’s not quite time to press the panic button just yet. However, it’s hard to see many Irish golf fans tuning in to watch Belgium’s Soudal Open in May…
This can cause fans to overreact a little bit. Losing his card is undoubtedly a setback for Purcell. But he may win it back next month at Q-School.
But even if he doesn’t, dropping down to the Hotelplanner Tour won’t be a disaster. At 28, his best years are still to come one would feel.
Having worked his way from the bottom up, Purcell, son of former European Tour pro Joey, has developed a tough skin and a maturity that should serve him well over the winter.
Last year he said: “Just getting to know myself a bit better, not going down any rabbit holes when I wasn’t playing great. I had spells where I didn’t play amazingly, but I didn’t try to change what I was doing. In previous years I have messed around and tried changing equipment, driver, putters. I’ve changed putter from time to time, but I haven’t changed much throughout the bag all year so the more you can keep constant the better.
“Mentally, I feel I can control my emotions a bit more.”
The same argument can be made for Max Kennedy and Liam Nolan.
Kennedy is touch and go for next month’s Grand Final heading into this weekend in China. He needs a good finish to retain his place in the top-45 who will head to Mallorca.
The top-20 earn DP World Tour cards following the conclusion of the Grand Final. Nolan will be there but will need a victory to push his way into the promotion spots.
Although their form has tailed off since the summer, both players have enjoyed very encouraging maiden professional careers and had luck gone their way would they would both have victories.
Meanwhile, eight players came through the First Stage of DP World Tour Q-School and maybe one of their names will emerge from the chamber in November.
