Seamus Power makes last gasp birdie to clinch US Open spot

Seamus Power’s luck finally appears to be changing after he birdied the last in 36-hole Final Qualifying to avoid a four-man playoff for three spots and earn his third US Open appearance at Pinehurst No. 2 next week.

The West Waterford man (37) has fallen from a career-high of 28th in the world to 118th this week after suffering a hip injury last year.

But he carded a seven-under 64 at the Scarlet course at Ohio State University in Columbus yesterday on what’s dubbed Golf’s Longest Day and followed bogeys at the 15th and 16th with a crucial birdie at the last in a second-round 68 to tie for first with Justin Lower in the race for five spots on 10-under par.

The birdie meant Power saved himself the stress of a playoff as four players tied for third on nine-under.

In the end, Brendon Todd, amateur Gunnar Broin and Chris Naegel edged out Detroit’s Otto Black for the other three spots.

Power made his US Open debut at Brookline in 2022 and finished a brilliant tied 12th, but after suffering a hip injury last year, he missed the cut on his second appearance at LA Country Club.

He eventually succumbed to his hip after the FedExCup playoffs last August, missed out on Ryder Cup qualification and did not play again until The Sentry in Hawaii in January.

By that stage, he was down in 89th in the world, and while he’s made ten of 14 cuts this season to lie 73rd in the FedExCup standings, he’s tumbled to 118th in the world and failed to qualify for the first two majors of the season.

Power’s qualification brings Irish golf’s representation at Pinehurst to four as he joins debutant Tom McKibbin, a qualifier at Walton Heath last week, 2011 champion Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry in the field. 

If Power was happy to make it, Lower was in tears when he qualified for his first US Open at the age of 35.

“The Sunday of the US Open usually falls on Father’s Day, and I lost my dad when I was 15,” Lower said. “Just to be able to play on that day in the US Open will be really cool.”

It was a dramatic day at ten sites across the USA and Canada as 687 players battled for just 44 spots next week.

The 2010 champion Graeme McDowell failed to qualify at the Bear’s Club in Florida, carding a pair of one-over 73s to finish five shots outside a three-man playoff for one spot.

Matt Kuchar topped the leaderboard, while Daniel Berger finished second in his effort to come back from a severe back injury. 

LIV’s Dean Burmester provided one of the few bright spots for the league with a tie for second on six-under-par. 

Only two of the 17 players from the Saudi-funded league reached the US Open — Burmester and Spain’s David Puig in San Francisco.

One of the day's biggest stories was Adam Scott, who has played in every major since the 2001 Open Championship.

The former world number one and 2013 Masters champion lost out to fellow Australian Cam Davis at the third playoff hole at Springfield Country Club in Ohio, putting his streak of 91 major appearances in jeopardy.

He is not in this week’s Memorial Tournament, where his Official World Golf Ranking of 60th could move and eliminate his only other way to Pinehurst.