Conor Purcell has battled his way back to the top of the leaderboard at the Hangzhou Open, carding a solid four-under-par 67 in Saturday’s third round to tie for the lead with Ben Schmidt.
After a dazzling opening round 63, Purcell had dipped to tied third following a second round 69, but the Irishman showed his resilience by making a strong comeback, adding seven birdies and three bogeys to his tally, putting him at 14-under for the tournament at the West Lake International Golf and Country Club.
“The weather took a turn in the back nine and it was a tricky test. When it rains, the water sits on the grass and it’s really hard to judge where the ball is going to go,” said Purcell.
“I struggled on a couple of holes but managed to get a grip on the last few. I’m just very happy I managed to stay in my little bubble today. It’s easy to get caught up with everything but I stuck to my own game plan and didn’t even realise I was tied for the lead until I signed my card.”
Purcell, who is looking to capitalise on his win earlier this season at the Black Desert NI Open, expressed confidence ahead of Sunday’s final round: “I’ve done it once this year, and I can learn from that experience. Hopefully, I’ll be able to put my best foot forward tomorrow.”
On the other side, Schmidt’s round was a game of two halves. His front nine was near-flawless, with four birdies for a bogey-free 32.
But as the rain came down, he found the back nine a tougher test, dropping two shots on the 10th and 14th holes.
Schmidt remained focused on his strategy, despite the challenges: “It was a bit of a grind today. I played really well on the front nine by taking my chances.
But on the back nine, the weather started to get bad and it was a pretty tough test. I’m just happy to be able to grind out a half-decent score on the back nine,” said Schmidt.
As the final round looms, Sweden’s Niklas Lemke and Spain’s Angel Ayora are tied for third on 12 under, after both posted 67s.
Home favourite Ding Wenyi finished his round with a 71, sharing fifth place with Finland’s Oliver Lindell and England’s Jack Senior, all sitting at 11 under par.
With the final round set to tee off at 7:40 am local time, Purcell, Schmidt, and Lemke will be in the last group, heading out at 9:30 am.
Fans can expect a tense showdown, with weather likely to remain a significant factor.
The question now is who will hold their nerve as they head toward the tournament’s climax.
