Graeme McDowell holed one of the longest putts of his career — a monster 88 footer — to move into contention for the WM Phoenix Open as Séamus Power suffered an ice-cold putter at TPC Scottsdale.

As Power missed six birdies putts inside 12 feet in his first eight holes and had 32 putts in a level par 71 that left him tied 70th overnight, McDowell's patient approach was rewarded with a three-under 68 that left him tied 18th, just three shots behind clubhouse leader KH Lee.

The Portrush native (42) is hoping to put a nightmare, 18-month period behind him by taking the game one day at a time, and it worked on his first appearance in the event since he missed the cut 16 years ago.

"I mean, obviously watching it on TV, heard the guys talking about it, this is a quite the show here, quite the party and quite the atmosphere," McDowell said when explaining why he's returned to the event. "I mean, we played early this morning, so I got to see 16 fairly benign. We'll play it tomorrow afternoon a little later on when I'm sure there will be a few beverages starting to flow, and the atmosphere should be a lot of fun.

"But the golf course is sensational. I'm not sure I've seen a better-conditioned golf course than this one and it's playing firm and fast, which kind of suits my fast a little bit. Greens are fantastic and it's been one of those weeks where I'm trying to wonder why it's been 16 years since I've been here."

The 2010 US Open champion made his first birdie of the day when he knocked in a 12 footer in the amphitheatre that is the par-three 16th, which was well below its 20,000 capacity at 1030am.

But he was soon whipping up a storm at the driveable 348 yard 17th, where he drove into a fairway bunker, splashed out to 88 feet and holed the unlikely birdie putt. - his longest on record on the PGA Tour since he made one from 75 feet in the first round of the 2014 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.

"This might be the most ridiculous three I ever made in my life," McDowell said. "I drove it in the right-hand fairway bunker, and I mean this putt is just greased lightning. It's a marble staircase down there.

"I would have probably paid you about a thousand bucks for a four out of that right bunker after my tee shot, but three is outrageous. A lot of fun though.

"And to birdie 16 and 17, 16 my first time playing it in the kind of stadium like that was fun and, like I say, I look forward to getting back out tomorrow."

McDowell bogeyed the 18th but then hit a 193-yard approach to five feet at the first to get back to two-under before two-putting for another birdie at the par-five third.

Ranked 358th in the world, he's missed 26 of 41 cuts (63 pc) since he won the Saudi International in 2020 and he's trying to ease the pressure on his shoulders as his exempt for winning the 2019 Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship runs out at the end of this season.

"For me it's just day by day at the minute," McDowell said. "I'm just really trying to layer good days on good days. And it's been a really tough 18 months, and I'm really just trying to keep things simple, just work hard, have good days, hopefully, those will add up to being in contention, and I'll give myself some chances to win.

"That's really just the goal at the minute is just to try and be as patient as I can."

It's been a great 18 months for Power, but his putter was ice cold, and he missed birdie putts at the 10th (5ft), 11th (7ft), 12th (11ft), 15th (12ft), 16th (12ft), and first (12ft).

There were par saves from six feet at the 14th, seven feet at the 18th and nine feet at the third, but after making his lone birdie of the day from 18 feet at the sixth, the West Waterford man three-putted the seventh from 30 feet for bogey.

Californian Sahith Theegala (24), a Korn Ferry Tour graduate, was seven-under through 16 holes when play was suspended due to darkness and one stroke clear of Korean Lee, who posted a six-under 65.

Lee leads by a shot in the clubhouse from defending champion Brooks Koepka, Canadian Adam Hadwin, Harry Higgs and Scott Stallings, who had the 18th to play.

On the DP World Tour, New Zealander Ryan Fox made 10 birdies in a nine-under 63 to take a two-stroke lead in the Ras Al Khaimah Classic.

Fox struggled with a back injury in last week’s Ras Al Khaimah Championship, but a combination of physio work and a putting tip helped him to turn things around at Al Hamra.

Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia was second after a seven-under 65, while nine players shared third place on six-under, including Scot Robert MacIntyre and in-form Englishman Richard Bland.

Jonathan Caldwell was 84th after a level-par 72 with Cormac Sharvin 104th after mixing five birdies with a bogey, a double-bogey and a triple bogey in a 73.

On the Challenge Tour, Niall Kearney shot an excellent, two-under 71 on the Links at Fancourt to lead the Irish challenge in the Dimension Data Pro-Am in South Africa.

He was tied for 51st, seven shots behind Kiwi Daniel Hillier, who shot a nine-under 64 on the Links, and Frenchman Adrien Saddier, who carded a nine-under 63 on the Outeniqua course.

Gavin Moynihan and John Murphy were tied 75th after starting the season with one-under 71s on the Montagu Course while Paul Dunne was 120th after make three birdie twos, two bogeys and a double-bogey in a one-over 74 at the more difficult Links lay-out.

In the Portuguese Amateur Championship, Athenry’s David Kitt is tied for 12th on four-under after halfway after second successive 70, six strokes behind England’s Frank Kennedy.