Power to face Smotherman in Monday play-off for Bermuda Championship
Séamus Power will have a chance to notch his third PGA Tour win when he faces Austin Smotherman in a Monday play-off for the weather-reduced Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
The West Waterford man (39) shared the 54-hole lead with the Californian on 16-under par, two shots clear of the field, heading into Sunday’s final round.
However, no play was possible due to rain and winds gusting over 40mph at Port Royal and after suspending play for the day and with more high winds forecast for Monday, the PGA Tour decided to reduce the event to 54 holes and decide the winner via sudden-death.
“Due to the unfavourable weather forecast for Monday at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship and the uncertainty surrounding the completion of the entire final round on Monday, the tournament results will be considered final through 54 holes in accordance with PGA Tour Regulations,” the PGA Tour said in a statement.
“A playoff between Seamus Power and Austin Smotherman will be conducted to determine the champion and is tentatively scheduled for 9 a.m. local time (1 pm Irish time) on Monday, subject to weather conditions. The playoff will be broadcast live on Golf Channel.”
Power is looking forward to the play-off at the 16th and feels he has nothing to lose.
He also feels good about his chances after making three birdies on the hole on route to victory in Bermuda four years ago.
“It’s a weird feeling to just — I’ve had a playoff before but obviously not overnight kind of thing,” he said
“It’s an unbelievable opportunity. Looking for win No. 3 and you’ve got a one-on-one battle for it.”
He added: “Go out there with nothing to lose and just do my best.
“I’m going to do the same thing, get some good rest tonight, get some good preparation in the morning and give my best.
“The year I won, I birdied — I had three 2s, so that’s always cool.
“It’s an amazing setting for a hole, one of the best settings I’ve ever seen anywhere in the world.”
”This is one of those good problems to have.”
He went on: “I just feel like I won’t have anything to lose tomorrow, so that makes it fun. That’s a most enjoyable way to play golf.”
Smotherman is excited to have a chance to win back-to-back after winning in his 100th start two weeks ago.
“Pretty wild,” he said. “You wait your whole career for your first one, I got it just two weeks ago in my 100th start, and to have even the chance in my 101st start, whether it's a win or loss tomorrow, I feel like it's just a testament to the work we're putting in, my approach to the game right now and then just enjoying where we're at and soaking it in.”
Power claimed his first PGA Tour win in 2021 when he defeated JT Poston in a six-hole playoff to win the Barbasol Championship.
He then added a second win to his resumé in 2022 when he won the Butterfield Bermuda Championship by one stroke from Belgium’s Thomas Detry.
He reached a career-high of 28th in the world that December but has since fallen to 196th after a hip injury that flared up during the Genesis Scottish Open in July 2023 that eventually put him out of the game until the following February.
Guaranteed to finish first or second, Power will regain full PGA Tour playing rights for 2027 as he will jump from 103rd to well inside the top 100 will earn full playing privileges after the final counting RSM Classic, scheduled for November 19-22.
A win would catapult him to 53rd and put him on track to win starts in the first two signature events, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational, should he finish the season ranked between 51st and 60th.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s Yuto Katsuragawa had enough with a level par 71 to win the Genesis Championship and notch his second DP World Tour title.
The Korean star (28) led by two shots overnight at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club following a third-round 63.
While he made just one birdie in the final round, the chasing pack fell away, and he had a three-shot lead playing the final hole, where a bogey six was enough to win by two shots on 13-under par from French duo Martin Couvra and Frederic Lacroix.
“After the first win, I had such a hard time,” said Katsuragawa , who jumped from 106th to 28th in the Race to Dubai in the final event of the regular season to secure spots in the play-off events in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
“But having the second win, this is definitely the greatest moment of my life.
“I was nervous. It's not just about the victory, but also it's about the seat for the DP Tour. So it was double nervous for me.”
The tournament decided the top-100 in the Race to Dubai who secured full playing privileges next year and there was drama right to the end.
American Sean Crocker jumped from 103rd to 100th after he came home in six-under 29 and carded a 68 to finish joint 34th on four-under, relegating Eddie Pepperell to 101st.
Race to Dubai leader Eugenio Chacarra shot 68 to share 22nd on six-under and extend his lead at top over Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy.
Also in Korea, Japan’s Yuri Yoshida claimed her maiden LPGA Tour win at the BMW Ladies Championship.
She held off Haeran Ryu and Hye-Jin Choi at Pine Beach Golf Links, turning in five-under 31 en route to a four-under 68 and a one-stroke win on 16-under.
Lauren Walsh tied for 41st ($11,150) on five-under after a final-round 70, while Leona Maguire’s 73 left her 62nd ($5,401) on one-under.
On the Ladies European Tour, Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum fired a bogey-free seven-under 65 to win the Hero Women’s Indian Open by four strokes on 11-under from overnight leader Vani Kapoor of India.
A 74 left Sara Byrne joint 17th on four-over, moving her up two spots to 57th in the Order of Merit race to make the top 70 who retain their cards.
Anna Foster fell one place to 41st in the rankings after carding a 78 to finish 56th on 16-over.
Meanwhile, John Catlin claimed the Link Hong Kong Open and invitations to next year’s Masters and Open Championship.
He closed with a 64 at Hong Kong GC’s composite course to win by five strokes over home country hopeful Matthew Cheung and Finland’s Kalle Samooja.
“Anytime you can win a national open, I think it just adds a little bit of extra prestige,” Catlin said.
