Irish Golf Desk

View Original

Round-up: Power seven back in Kansas; No joy for Rice or Caldwell at The Carrick

Seamus Power

Web.com Tour — Seamus Power shot a second succesive four under 67 to move up to tied eighth at halfway in the Digital Ally Open in Kansas.

The West Waterford man, 66th in the rankings, had five birdies and a bogey to end his day tied for 31st on eight under, seven behind co-leaders Martin Piller and Shane Bertsch, who both shot 62s at Nicklaus Golf Club at LionsGate in Overland Park.

They head the field by one on 15 under from American Tyler Duncan. Scores

Sam Connor

Europro Tour — It wasn’t to be for Tim Rice or Jonny Caldwell as Sam Connor won his second HotelPlanner.com PGA EuroPro Tour event of the season in a dramatic play-off for COBRA PUMA GOLF Open.

The Irish duo were just a shot behind oernight leader Robbie Busher at The Carrick on Loch Lomond. But Caldwell shot a one over 72 to finish tied fourth, a shot outside the playoff as Rice took 75 to end up tied seventh. 

Scores

Both took home their biggest cheques of the season — £1,875 for Caldwell and £1,100 for Rice. But the £10,000 top prize ween to  Connor, who carded a final-round 70, one under par, to join Neil Fenwick (67) and Busher (72) in a three-way play-off on the 18th.

On the first extra hole Busher found the trees to the left of the where the fairway dog legs, and played out to the middle from the garden of a Cameron House lodge having taken a penalty drop.

With Connor and Fenwick both making par at the first attempt, Busher picked up his ball to concede on the green. On the second play-off hole Fenwick went right off the tee and deep into the trees and was unable to locate his ball. 

Connor too had a ball search on his hands but quickly managed to find his and took a penalty drop.

Both played solid approaches and that meant Connor was on the green in three, with Fenwick there in four. Both two-putted, meaning Connor took the £10,000 winner’s cheque and a second EuroPro victory of the season to catapult himself to the top of the Race To Desert Springs standings.

Caldwell moved up to 38th with Rice 86th while the leading Irish player in the race for the Top 5 and a Challenge Tour spot is sixth ranked Alan Dunbar, who played in the Northern Ireland Open Challenge at Galgorm Castle this week and missed the cut.