Séamus Power has taken to life in the upper echelon of a World Golf Championship like a duck to water, as he demonstrated in taking down world number four Patrick Cantlay – by a hugely convincing 5&4 – in the second of the group round-robin matches of the Dell Technologies Matchplay at Austin Country Club in Texas.
The victory – maintaining Power’s 100 per cent record, following his first day win over Sungjae Im – moved him to the top of Group Four and in pole position to advance to the last-16 knockout phase. It is also virtually certain to keep him inside the world’s top-50 and so earn an invitation to the Masters tournament in a fortnight’s time, the cut-off for exemptions coming on Monday.
For now, Power has his sights firmly set on the present in continuing to do what he has been doing in this debut appearance in the WGC matchplay with a final group match against Keith Mitchell providing the platform for the 35-year-old to move on in the €10.8 million event which offers a first prize of €1.9 million.
While Cantlay had entered the tournament as one of the favourites, it was Power who immediately took the advantage with a winning birdie on the Par 5 first and moved two-up with another birdie on the Par 5 fifth. His only blip came on the sixth, but that would prove to be the American’s only hole to win, as Power turned two up when Cantlay was in the water on the ninth.
Power again took advantage of the Par 5 10th to move into a three-hole lead and, with Cantlay forced to go for broke, again finding water on the 13th, the Irish man went four-up and closed out on the 14th hole.
Cool, calm and collected in his play, Power was equally nonplussed in his post-round comments: “Obviously I caught Patrick on a day when he didn’t play his best, so I was able to take advantage and get a point.”
And Power suggested that the fact he was a first-timer to the course, given the northerly wind in play, had helped him: “I was actually saying to my caddie [Simon Keelan] earlier in the week, I think the prevailing wind is the other way so a lot of guys have seen the course play the other way whereas I’ve only seen it with the wind from the north and I think that makes it a little simpler, there’s not as much to figure out for me. I like the course, the greens are great, and hopefully it continues the next few days.”
Power moved to the top of the group with two points, with Im on one and both Cantlay and Mitchell on half a point and unable to progress. A halved match, or win, for Power against Mitchell would ensure his progress into the last 16.
Shane Lowry, needing a win over Erik van Rooyen to keep alive his hopes of advancing from his group, made life difficult for himself but got there in the end. Four up with four to play, Lowry lost the 15th, 16th and 17th but got over the line on the last for a two-hole win over the South African.
Lowry faces Brooks Koepka – who has won two from two – in his final group match and needs to defeat the American to force a playoff scenario.
Solid start
In the JTBC Classic at Carlsbad on the LPGA Tour, Leona Maguire made a very solid start with a three-under-par 69 – four birdies and one bogey – to trail clubhouse leader Ko Jin-young, the world number one, by four strokes.
“I played solid. I didn’t give myself a whole lot of chances but surprised myself with how well I putted, which was nice. I haven’t said that about poa greens for a while, so overall a pretty solid start,” said Maguire.
Of the challenge of putting on the poa annua greens, Maguire added: “I think it’s just a case of being patient. You don’t really know what the ball is going to do until it makes its way to the hole, so just try to hit good putts and just accepting the outcome.”
On the DP World Tour, Niall Kearney was the best of the Irish contingent after opening with a two-under-par 70 to lie in tied-26th, six shots adrift of first-round leader Pablo Larrazabal.
