Power poised for Sunday shootout as he joins Mitchell in final group at Valspar Championship

Seamus Power will join Keith Mitchell in the final group at the Valspar Championship on Sunday to bid for a victory that would earn him a dream Masters return.

The Tournaneena man shot a three-under 68 on the feared Copperhead Course at Innisbrook resort in west Florida to go into the final round tied for second with Mackenzie Hughes and Paul Malnati on eight-under, just two shots behind the Chattanooga native.

Mitchell (32) produced a spectacular finish as he followed birdies at the 16th and 17th with a hole-out eagle two at the last.

Nobody had ever played the three-hole stretch known as Snake Pit in seven shots in the history of the tournament.

But after going out in one-over, Mitchell birdied the 12th from 20 feet at the 14th from just three before that special finish gave him a remarkable back nine of 28.

Power (37) is seeking his third PGA Tour win after a year spent battling a hip injury that’s seen him fall from 28th to 103rd in the world and miss out on a Ryder Cup place.

A win would catapult him into the Masters next month and likely the rest of the majors, but he knows he’ll have to reproduce the sensationally steady play of the first three days to pull it off in what could prove to be a shootout.

“I did everything pretty well today, to be honest,” said Power, who made a 25-footer for birdie at the 15th before finishing with three pars, deftly chipping dead from up against the collar of rough at the last. 

“Very pleased. It's a tough golf course, tricky conditions.”

The big Munster man opened with six pars before he made birdies at the sixth and seventh to move right in contention.

He dropped a shot when he drove into a fairway bunker at the ninth but birdied the par-five 12th before moving to eight-under and into a share of the lead with that two at the 15th.

“It wasn't the quickest start,” he said. “Didn't birdie one or didn't birdie five (the two par fives), but I was able to hang in there, hit some good shots.

“Eventually holed a good putt there on 15 to kind of feel a little better. But, yeah, looking forward to tomorrow.”

He’s ranked second for driving accuracy, first for greens hit in regulation and 21st for putting, which bodes well for what promises to be a tight finish as the top 17 on the leaderboard are covered by just five shots.

When asked what’s been the biggest challenge posed by the Copperhead Course, Power didn’t lie.

“I think it's everything,” he said. “I think that's what makes it such a good golf course. 

“You’ve got to drive it well; it's difficult when you're not in the fairways. And if you hit the greens, they're grainy, and they're tricky, and they're slopey. 

“You’ve got to hit it in the right spots and try to make some putts on greens like that. I think it tests all aspects of the game. I think that's why it's such a good golf course.”

He’s tied for second with Malnati and Canada’s Hughes while the still winless Cam Young, Brendon Todd and Chandler Phillips are just one shot further back on seven under.

With more than a dozen players within striking distance, Power is under no illusions about what awaits him today- no a duel with Mitchell but a blanket finish.

“I would imagine so. I haven't really seen much of a leaderboard, don't watch too much of 'em, but it is tough to get a low one out there. 

“No matter how well you played, it was going to be tough to get much better than 4-, 5-under, I thought.

“It's tough to get away from the pack, so it's going to be some guys in with a chance. 

“I think they're going two balls tomorrow, so maybe some guys that get out early will have a chance to post something. So we'll see. 

“Anything can happen, depends on conditions obviously as well.”

As for his game, Power would like to have holed a few more putts, but he’s got the dogged game required to win in difficult conditions on a tough course

“I think it's just been pretty solid across the board,” he said. “I'll look at the stats again after today, but through two rounds, it's pretty steady, there were no major weaknesses. 

“And, yeah, just maybe a couple more putts drop in today, but I hit a lot of good putts, which was cool, a lot of good speed putts, so maybe some of those drop in tomorrow, give myself a chance.”

Mitchell’s “cashmere” nickname refers to his classy dress sense and to that sensational ball-striking game that’s brought him one PGA Tour win at the Honda Classic in 2019.

His finish was one of the most spectacular ever seen on the PGA Tour and certainly at Copperhead where the finish takes many victims.

Mitchell fist pumped “to get some energy going” as a 13-footer tracked into the hole at the 16th, then feathered a six iron to two feet at the short 17th.

“So had to take almost 20 yards off that club to get it to where it ended up,” he said. “That was one of the best shots I've hit all day. Just kind of a tap-in putt.

“Then 18, hit a good drive and kind of the same thing on that 7-iron. I had (1)59 hole and I hit my 7-iron close to 190, so it was 25 plus yards off that club. I just got to see the replay and it was pretty cool how it hopped in.”

He knows he will need luck on his side on Sunday too with a posse chasing hard on a challenging course.

But his Snake Pit finish can only give him confidence.

“Obviously some luck involved in that, but the good thing is I executed all the shots I wanted to,” he said. That's really all I could do. 

“I could have hit those same shots and made three pars and been just as happy. 

“So, honestly, if I can play like I -- I guess I should say if I hit the shots like I hit coming down the stretch tomorrow, I'll have a chance.”