Séamus Power secures Masters debut as combative Lowry exits in Texas

Séamus Power. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

SÉAMUS POWER enjoyed the sweetest defeat of his career as he completed his fairytale journey from mini-tour player to Masters competitor in the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play.

The West Waterford star (35) lost 2 and 1 to American Keith Mitchell in his final group match at Austin Country Club. Scores

But having racked up a brace of 5&4 wins earlier in the week, Patrick Cantlay's 2&1 win over Sungjae Im ensured the Tooraneena man topped his group to earn a last 16 showdown with European Ryder Cup player Tyrrell Hatton (30) and qualify for his first Masters.

The top 50 in the world on Monday are guaranteed Masters invitations, and 48th-ranked Power is set to remain in the top 50 and make his debut alongside Pádraig Harrington, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry on April 7.

"I was a strange feeling knowing I was losing, but I am still going through," said Power, who was ranked 505th in the world two years ago. "But the goal at the start of the week was to get through to the knockout stages, and I've done that.

"So it's onwards and upwards. Now it's full knockout. And, again, it's all new to me, so it's going to be exciting."

Hatton's game has been up and down all week, but he made it three wins from three with a hard-fought, two-up win over Daniel Berger and expects "another tough match" with Power, who has another chance to impress Ryder Cup skipper Henrik Stenson.

"I actually played first, played a practice round with him at The Players two weeks ago now," Power said of Hatton. "I'm looking forward to it. He's a Ryder Cup guy, obviously a fellow European, so I'm looking forward to it, and we'll see what happens."

Shane Lowry needed to beat Brooks Koepka to force a three-way playoff in his group, but while he came back from three down after seven holes to square the match at the 12th, Koepka produced a remarkable pitch and putt birdie at the last to win one up.

It was a better day for Graeme McDowell in the Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic, where he birdied four of his last five holes and carded a four-under 68 to share third place in the clubhouse on eight-under, just four shots behind Ben Martin.

The former US Open champion (42) is ranked 359th in the world and with his PGA Tour exemption running out at the end of the season, he's seeking his second win in Puntacana since 2019 and a new lease of life.

The Portrush star made his first bogey of the week at the sixth to go back to level for his round, then dropped another shot at the 11th before reeling off birdies at the 14th, 15th, 17th and 18th.

"I think my past experiences here, having won in '19 and having had a chance to win last year, hopefully will stand me in good stead," McDowell said. "I'll be looking to get out of the gates fast tomorrow and just continue driving it well, continue giving myself plenty of looks, and like I say, the putter's feeling pretty good."

In Doha, Jonathan Caldwell and Niall Kearney go into the weekend in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters just six shots behind Spain's Pablo Larrazábal, who posted a rollercoaster 71 to lead by a shot from American Chase Hanna on nine-under.

Caldwell (37) carded a two-under 70 to make just his second cut from eight starts this year, tied for 24th on three-under with Kearney, who shot 71 as Cormac Sharvin missed the level par cut by five shots after a 75.

John Murphy (two-under), Richard O'Donovan (level) and Gavin Moynihan (two-over) will miss the four-under cut in the Challenge Tour's weather-delayed SDC Open in South Africa.

Meanwhile, Stephanie Meadow shot a level par 72 to trail early leader Nanna Koerstz Madsen of Denmark by eight shots in the LPGA Tour's JTBC Classic in California as Leona Maguire set off among the late starters on three-under.

On the Ladies European Tour, Olivia Mehaffey added a five-over 78 to her opening 73 in the Joburg Ladies Open to make the cut with a shot to spare on five-over-par, leaving her ten strokes behind Sweden's Linn Grant and Spain's Maria Hernandez at Modderfontein Golf Club.