Power a virtual certainty for Masters; Lowry set for Koepka showdown
Seamus Power. Picture: Brendan Moran
SÉAMUS POWER is a virtual certainty to make his Masters dream come true after he handed world number four and US Ryder Cup star Patrick Cantlay a 5 and 4 drubbing in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in Texas.
As Shane Lowry fought off a late comeback from Erik Van Rooyen and kept his hopes alive of making tomorrow's knockout stages with a two-up win, the West Waterford ace (35) won on the 14th green for the second day running to command group four with two points, guaranteeing a playoff today at worst for a place in the last 16.
The world number 48 is projected to move to 44th in the world and so secure his Masters spot on Monday.
But with Sungjae Im beating Keith Mitchell 5 and 3 to leave the two Americans with just half a point, Power will head down Magnolia Lane with a halved match with Mitchell, or even with a defeat, providing Cantlay beats Im.
"I thought it played a little trickier today," said Power, who was two up after opening with five pars against an off-colour Cantlay. "It was starting to firm up and get a little faster out there.
"I didn't make too many mistakes, and obviously, I caught Patrick on a day when he didn't play his best, so I was able to take advantage, and yeah, great to get a point."
While he three-putted to lose the par-five sixth to a four, both men bogeyed the short seventh before Cantlay double-bogeyed the ninth and bogeyed the 10th to fall three down.
Power then holed a key six-footer for a half at the 11th to remain in control.
"Even though I was 3-up at 11, I ran a 35-, 40-footer maybe six, seven feet past going up the hill and I made it coming back down for the half," he said. "It was one of those -- I had won 10 and it didn't give him the momentum straight back. Sometimes like that, you need to make those sometimes in a match, and I was able to get that one in and I was just going to continue on and win a couple holes after that."
Reigning FedEx Cup champion Cantlay had to chip in for a half in birdie fours at the 12th to remain three down but took six at the driveable 13th to go four down, finding water off the tee after Power had laid up, then missed a four-footer for a half in par at the 14th and shook hands.
“ A quieter mind is always a good thing out of the golf course”
Asked the secret of his recent success, Power said: "It's been just a little bit of everything and a little more peace of mind, and knowing a bit more what I am doing with my game. A quieter mind is always a good thing out of the golf course."
As for his mindset for Friday's showdown with Mitchell, he said: "I mean, nothing changes. Obviously, you're going to start every day, and your plan is going to be to win that match, and you're going to do your best to do that.
"It's going to be the same against Keith tomorrow. Keith is a good player. I've known him a long time, and it's going to be a tough battle, so hopefully I can come out on the good side of it."
As for Lowry, he was superb against Van Rooyen, knocking in a 60 footer at the 14th for his fourth birdie of the day to go dormie four up.
But the South African won the 15th in par, then eagled the 16th and birdied the 17th to take the match up the last but couldn’t make 12 footer for birdie to tie and conceded Lowry’s.
“I thought I would be inside already,” Lowry said. “Four-up with four to play, it's so hard to win a match at this level against world-class golfers.
“I bogeyed 15, which was playing tough today and then he went eagle, birdie and to be honest I thought he was going to hole that, so I was kind of gearing up to hole my own putt. But I was happy that I didn't have to.”
“I've got a big game with Brooks now tomorrow, that's what I wanted. Today I wanted him to beat Harold and now I know that it's in my kind of hand tomorrow. If I beat Brooks and then we go to a playoff and see what happens there.”
Asked what it might take, he said: “Some good golf. I've been playing quite well. My scoring over the last two days was really good. Harold played great against me yesterday, I felt like I was pretty solid, only made one bogey out there in those conditions, it's quite tricky.
{So just keep doing what I'm doing and, look, if I beat him, I beat him. If I don't, I don't. Just got to keep playing good golf.
“I mean obviously Brooks Koepka is one of the best players in the world, but I'm playing nice golf and I got to go out there and play as good as I can and see what happens.”
G-Mac starts well in Puntacana
In the Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic, 2019 winner Graeme McDowell fired a four-under 68 to lie tied third in the clubhouse, just two shots behind leader Ben Martin.
"Yeah, obviously pretty happy with it," McDowell said after a windy day at Corales Golf Course.
Windy conditions for the second nine there. Actually thought we were going to catch a break, it felt like it was laying down there as we played kind of 15, 16 on the back nine, which is my first nine.
"I think this front nine is just a little bit more exposed and it blew really hard coming in there. All in all, really happy with that start. Felt comfortable on the golf course, my fifth time here, I'm starting to feel reasonably comfortable down here in the strong winds and yeah, I enjoyed it.
"Felt good on the greens, everything felt pretty solid, so look forward to getting back at it in the morning."
Leona finds poa putting touch
Meanwhile, Leona Maguire fired a three-under 69 to share eighth in the clubhouse, just four shots behind world number one Jin Young Ko in the LPGA Tour's JTBC Classic in Carlsbad.
"Yeah, played solid," Leona said. "Didn't give myself a whole lot of chances, but surprised myself with how well I putted today, which was nice. Haven't said that about poa greens for a while. So, yeah, overall pretty solid start."
In Doha, Royal Dublin's Niall Kearney birdied three of his last five holes to open with a two-under 70 in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters and share 26th, six shots behind Spain's Pablo Larrazábal as Jonny Caldwell shot 71 and Cormac Sharvin a 74.
Murphy’s costly finish
On the Challenge Tour, John Murphy is eight shots behind Swiss Joel Girrbach after he bogeyed four of his last six holes and opened with a one-under 71 in the SDC Open in South Africa.
But it was the opposite for Clandeboye's Jonny Caldwell, who finished his front nine with four birdies in five holes before coming home in three over for a 71 that left him tied 41st as Cormac Sharvin shot 74.
On the Challenge Tour, Kinsale's John Murphy bogeyed four of his last six holes to find himself battling to make the cut in the SDC Open at Zebula Golf Estate & Spa in South Africa.
A one-under 71 left him eight strokes behind Switzerland's Joel Girrbach, who opened with a nine-under 63 at Elements Private Golf Reserve, where Lucan's Richard O'Donovan shot 73 while The Island's Gavin Moynihan posted a two-over 74 at Zebula.
Mehaffey roller coaster
At the Ladies European Tour's Joburg Ladies Open, Olivia Mehaffey made six birdies, two bogeys and two double bogeys in an adventurous, level par 73 at Modderfontein to trail Spain's Maria Hernandez by just four shots in a tie for 13th.
