Murphy determined to build on solid showing in Belgium

BY JOHNNY CAROLAN

JOHN Murphy hopes that finishing in a tie for 28th place at the Soudal Open in Belgium can prove to be a springboard for the remainder of the year.

Since earning his DP World Tour card for 2023 at the end of last year, the Kinsale golfer had failed to make the cut in ten starts but he played well at Rinkven International Golf & Country Club near Antwerp, with the highlight being a six-under-par round of 65 on the Saturday, having made the cut.

Carding a 69 on Thursday to leave himself two under, Murphy was level par on Friday, enough to make the weekend. Saturday’s heroics left him tied for 17th going into the final round but, while he couldn’t improve on that, shooting another level-par round, the weekend was a major positive, with €16,293.66 claimed in prize money.

‘I struggled a bit in the last few months, so certainly, I felt myself out there again,’ Murphy said.

‘I felt comfortable, felt confident. I haven't made a cut all year yet, so it was nice to just get myself to the weekend. It's hard to gain momentum if you're not in at the weekend.

‘If you're taking two days off every week and then you're back to it on a Monday, it's really hard to gain momentum.

‘So I felt like I got over a massive hurdle on Friday making the cut, and I'm just trying to try to feel myself again on the golf course.’

Next up for Murphy is the KLM Open in the Netherlands from May 25th-28th.