Seamus Power looking to secure full PGA card after solid round in California

Seamus Power

Seamus Power has a chance to edge closer to securing full playing rights on the PGA Tour as world number one Scottie Scheffler chases down Ryder Cup teammate Ben Griffin and his sixth win of the season in the Procore Championship in California.

Power is ranked 130th in the FedEx Cup fall standings, but with only the top 100 fully exempt next season, and the top 125 getting conditional status, he’s in position to make a positive move up the rankings at Silverado Resort.

One over for the day with six holes to play, the West Waterford man made a hat-trick of birdies from the 13th to post a two-under 70 that left him tied for 25th on six-under and projected to move up to 124th with five events to go.

Five of the ten US Ryder Cup players in action in Napa sit behind the Tooraneena man on the leaderboard — Sam Burns (30th), Patrick Cantlay and Colin Morikawa (41st), Harris English (46th) and Justin Thomas (53rd).

But the final day looks like it could deliver a win for one of Keegan Bradley’s team as Ryder Cup rookie Ben Griffin bogeyed the 18th and shot 70 to lead by just one stroke from world amateur number one Jackson Koivun, who shot 68, and two shots from Scheffler on 16 under.

The world number one made 10 birdies in an eight under 64, overcoming a double bogey at the 14th with three birdies in his last four holes to close the gap on Griffin.

Meanwhile, Malone’s Matt McClean opened with a five-under 66 at Troon North to share the lead after the first qualifying round for the US Mid-Amateur Championship in Arizona.

Winner of the title in 2022, when he beat Royal Dublin’s Hugh Foley in an all-Irish final, McClean has a chance to play again in the Masters and the US Open if he makes the top 64 after today’s second qualifying round and goes on to win the title.

He shares the lead with Chandler Mulkey, who also shot 66 at Troon North Golf Club, while three-time winner Stewart Hagestad and Patrick Dewey shot 66s at Troon Country Club, which will host the matchplay portion of the event.