Resurgent Power just one back in Tampa as Harrington goes low in California
Seamus Power chiselled out a two-under 69 to keep alive his hopes of a third PGA Tour win at the Valspar Championship and a dream return to the Masters next month.
On a day when Padraig Harrington surged into contention in the Hoag Classic in California, Power goes into the weekend just one stroke behind a quintet of leaders in breezy conditions at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course.
Kevin Streelman, Chandler Phillips, Stewart Cink, Brendon Todd and Canada’s Mackenzie Hughes share the lead on six-under in west Florida with two-time PGA TOUR winner Power in a nine-way tie for sixth alongside major winners Justin Thomas and Lucas Glover when play was suspended for the day.
With the cut likely to fall at level par and the entire field covered by just seven shots, every shot is a prisoner.
“This golf course kind of requires it all,” said veteran Cink (50) after making his 500th cut on the PGA Tour.
“You have to be long and accurate off the tee and smart with your decisions coming into the greens and hit really solid approaches, and then the short game, you have to do that everywhere.”
Nobody has hit more greens in regulation so far than Power, and few have putted better.
Starting in the back nine, he passed up birdie chances at his first two holes before rolling in a seven-footer at the par-five 14th and a 38-footer for a two at the short 15th to move to five-under.
He was perplexed to miss a 10-footer for par at the 17th but got back on track spectacularly when he ripped a 222-yard approach to three feet to set up an eagle three at the first.
He’d hand a shot back at the third but made a 36-footer for his par five at the 599-yard fifth after twice finding sand.
As temperatures dropped and light rain fell on the Copperhead Course, Power closed with six pars to keep his hopes alive of a win that would put him back where he was before suffering his hip injury a year ago.
It was also a good day for Harrington in the PGA Tour Champions’ Hoag Classic, where challenging weather could play into his hands this weekend.
The Dubliner (52) fired a bogey-free, eight-under 63 to share second place with England’s Paul Broadhurst at Newport Beach Country Club, just one stroke behind Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee.
“I scored much better than I played today, no doubt about it,”
Harrington said after making three birdies in his last four holes.
“I got up and down a few times, holed a few putts, holed a few important putts for par. Yeah, I scored better than I played today. Yesterday (in the pro-am), I played better than I scored.”
With poor weather expected for the weekend, Harrington should feel right at home, even if he’d prefer California sunshine.
“If I wanted Irish weather, I would have stayed in Ireland,” he joked.
“I'm getting it anyway, and I'm in California. I come to California for sunny weather, for nice weather. I've gotten soft.”
Still, he knows poor weather will be a plus for his chances.
“Yeah, look, it will be an advantage to me if it's tough conditions,” Harrington admitted. “If the course plays longer, it's going to be an advantage to me, but when you get bad weather, it becomes a little bit more of a lottery.
“Bad weather can beat anybody up. I think I prefer to try and beat these guys on a day like today.
“Maybe if I was playing against the young guys, I might want an advantage, but I've gotten soft; I don't want to play in bad weather. Yeah, I prefer nice 75 degrees like it should be here.”
Darren Clarke was tied 16th after a 68.
