Power takes advantage of good draw with successive 65s to contend in Bermuda
Seamus Power plays a shot on the ninth hole during the second round at the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. on Friday, June 17, 2022. (Kathryn Riley/USGA)
Séamus Power was relieved to escape the worst of the wind and rain and card a second successive 65 to roar into contention for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
The world number 48 is keen to secure his card as quickly as possible in a Ryder Cup qualifying season with his second PGA Tour win.
At 12-under par, the West Waterford man (35) was tied for seventh, just two strokes behind leader Ben Crane (46), who fired a brilliant nine-under 62 to lead by a shot from Australia's Aaron Baddeley and fellow Americans Robbie Shelton, Adam Schenk, Ben Griffin and Austin Smotherman.
Power was relieved to get the good side of the draw and take full advantage having sorted out some niggling swing issues on the range on Thursday night at Port Royal.
"I played nicely today," said Power, who bogeyed his opening hole in a light early breeze but birdied the 11th, 14th, 16th and 18th to turn in 32 before picking up further shots at the second, sixth and seventh before the wind made life tough for the afternoon starters.
"I was a little loose on the back nine yesterday, but I kind of got it figured out in a quick range session after yesterday.
"I made one bogey on the 10th hole, where conditions caught me rather than any kind of poor swing, and from then on I hit a lot of good shots. It was nice to get in.
"The conditions really deteriorated on our last hole, so it was nice just to get away. I don't know if the afternoon's going to be kind for these guys, but I'm certainly happy to be done."
With a southeast wind gusting up to 26 kmph, Power negotiated the testing stretch from the 13th to the 16th in two-under.
"My miss is kind of the wrong miss for those holes, so kind of figure out what I was going to do on those holes gave me a little more clarity when I was going through that stretch today," added Power, who is wearing "Irish green" shoelaces after spotting Russell Henley sporting "Georgia red" ones last week.
Holes that required approaches with "three-quarter" lob wedges on Thursday were eight and nine irons yesterday and Power was thrilled to make another birdie at the terrifying 235-yard 16th as he seeks a second PGA Tour win that could propel him to around 31st in the world.
"I know it wasn't playing as hard today, it was an 8-iron, but it's still an intimidating hole and you feel like you're picking up some ground there, making some twos."
In Vilamoura, Jonathan Caldwell and Cormac Sharvin are set for Q-School next month after missing the cut in the Portugal Masters.
Caldwell, who shot a one-over 72 to miss out by three strokes on one-under, is exempt in the Final Stage as a tournament winner, but Sharvin heads for next week's Second Stage after a brace of 73s.
Malaysia's Gavin Green shot 65 and overnight leader Jordan Smith a 67 to lead by one stroke on 13-under at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course from Finland's Tapio Pulkannen and France's Benjamin Herbert, who both shot 64s.
Herbert is 179th in the Rankings, but with only the top 117 keeping their cards, he's projected to leap to 63rd and safety.
