Encouraging top 12 finishes for Power and McDowell
Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland plays his stroke from the No. 2 tee during Round 1 of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, Thursday, November 12, 2020.
GRAEME MCDOWELL and Seamus Power headed for Mexico with high hopes after finishing 12th behind Dubai Duty Free Irish Open champion Lucas Herbert in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
The Australian (25) claimed his third worldwide win and his Masters debut when he closed with a two-under 69 in stormy conditions at Port Royal to win by one stroke from New Zealand's Danny Lee and American Patrick Reed, who set the target with a closing 65, on 15-under-par.
Eleven shots behind Taylor Pendrith overnight, Power made five birdies in his first 13 holes before following bogeys at the 14th and 16th with a closing birdie in 30 mph winds.
His four-under 67 left him on 10-under par and while he was lukewarm on the greens, he tied for 12th alongside McDowell, who claimed his best finish for seven months when he chiselled out a one-under 70 in the worst of the weather.
"This is a really important four weeks for me," said McDowell (42), who will join Power in the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba this week before rounding off a trying season for him with appearances in the Houston Open and the RSM Classic.
"We had very difficult conditions this week, obviously Thursday and today. But I really enjoyed the week, and it's great prep for next week at Mayakoba, where I've won before.
"I really wanted to come in and start this little run off the right way, and I've done that. I'm disappointed that I couldn't get out there and do better today, but it was very difficult conditions, and I was happy to hang in there and shoot one under.
"You still want you to be finishing with top tens and top 15's out here even against weaker fields like this one because the standard on Tour is incredibly high.
"You have to be very focused and you have to have the right attitude. I had the right attitude this week and it gets this four-week run off to the right start for me and hopefully, I can continue to build.
"I need to be out there feeling a little bit under pressure and feeling the juices flowing a little bit. I've got a climb back up the ladder again. If that means feeling a little under pressure finishing top 15 here in Bermuda, that's just a step in the right direction."
As former Masters champion Reed birdied four of his last six holes and shot a six-under 65 to set the target at 14-under, Herbert sandwiched a bogey at the 13th between clutch birdie putts at the 12th and 14th to take the lead before holding on.
He claimed his maiden win in the Dubai Desert Classic in 2020 before winning at Mount Juliet, but he couldn't rate one above another.
"The Irish Open was just amazing because I led all week and had such a good support from the crowd,” Herbert said. “Dubai was amazing because it was my first win and there's a really good field there, and it felt like such an iconic place as well to win.
"But then this is my first PGA TOUR win, and it's just brutal weather conditions. There are so many positives to take out of all three of those wins, I can't sit here and rate any of them better than the others."
