Power and Lowry keep leaders in sights at windy Valspar Championship
Shane Lowry. Picture: PGA Tour
Shane Lowry and Seamus Power overcame testing afternoon winds gusting to 30mph only to make late bogeys in the opening round of the Valspar Championship near Tampa.
Power got to two under par and within two shots of the lead before he three putted the ninth, missing a two-and-a-half footer for par, to open with a one-under 70 at Innisbrook's demanding Cooperhead Course.
The West Waterford man was tied for 23rd overnight, three shots behind Keith Mitchell, Stephan Jaeger, Jacob Bridgeman, Ricky Castillo and Sami Valimaki, who shot 67s to set the clubhouse target.
They were joined on four-under by Kevin Velo, who had one hole to go when play was suspended due to darkness with ten players still on the course.
Lowry continued his solid play during the Florida swing and was one-under par with two to play when he failed to get up and down from just short of the par-three 17th and made his second bogey of the day in a level par 71.
The Offaly man was tied for 39th on a day when the wind caused problems, and the afternoon starters were hit by a short but heavy afternoon shower.
He topped the field for strokes gained from the tee but might have been a few shots better as little fell for him on the greens.
He two-putted the par-five first for birdie and made an eight-footer for par at the third but was disappointed to race his 20-foot birdie putt four feet past at the fifth and three putted for a bogey six.
He scrambled for pars at the sixth and seventh and birdied the ninth from nine feet to turn in one under.
But he couldn't quite hit his approaches close enough in the back nine and slipped back with that soft bogey at the 17th.
Mitchell got to six-under with two holes to play until he bogeyed the eighth and ninth.
Power had a good day from the tee, missing just three fairways in an event where he was lying second heading into the final round last year but closed with a 76 to finish tied 26th behind Peter Malnati.
He started on the back nine and made great pars saves at the 10th, 14th and 15th before dropping a shot at the 16th.
But he scored well from there, making a two from three feet at the 175-yard 17th and sandwiching another good save from 12 feet at the fourth between birdie fours at the first and fifth before closing with that three-putt bogey from around 40 feet at the ninth.
