Seamus Power pocketed another big cheque after another big week on the PGA Tour but would’ve been left wondering what might’ve been after a late double-bogey cost the West Waterford man a top-10 finish at the Travelers Championship.
Cruising along at three-under par for the day and nine-under for the tournament through 15 holes on Sunday, Power found water from the par-3 16th tee, in the end holing a gutsy 17-footer for a double-bogey before two closing pars meant a one-under 69 for a seven-under tally and a tie for 19th.
The 34-year old also finished tied-19th at the previous week’s Palmetto Championship while it’s another sizeable cheque for Power, $87,690 to be exact, bringing his season’s earnings over the $460,000 mark.
In FedEx Cup terms, Power sits in 159th on the standings and continues to scrap for starts off conditional status this term. Yet, although he hasn’t quite taken full advantage of his great play of late, it’s another big step in the right direction for the Toornanena man who’s currently fourth reserve for this week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit.
Only Ireland’s diehard nocturnal golf fans would’ve stayed up to watch Harris English come through a marathon playoff to claim his second victory of the season at TPC River Highlands.
The American overcame compatriot Kramer Hickock in a slobber-knocker, nailing a 16-foot putt at the par-4 18th hole; the eighth hole of a playoff (six times the 18th, twice the par-4 17th) that looked as though it would never end – something the boisterous crowd would’ve been content with:
“This was awesome,” said English, locked alongside Hickock at 13-under par in regulation play. “The fans were keeping us in this, getting the juice from them. That’s been really all afternoon. Hats off to Kramer. What a competitor. We were both grinding. That’s what it was all about. We were grinding and trying our hardest.
“Went to seven or eight holes, I don’t know how many it went. That was incredible. What an experience, and the fans were awesome. They’re always great here in Hartford, and glad we got to give them a little show at the end.”
Just like the busses, you’re waiting around all day and two come at once. For English, after waiting seven years for a victory earlier this year in Maui, he now has two. That brings him up to 12th in the Ryder Cup standings and it’s a conversation the 31-year old is glad to be part of:
“I mean, I said earlier I think this is a validation win. It took me seven years to win this year in Maui, and I think this is a validation of where my game is right now,” he said.
“The Ryder Cup is where I want to play. I love Steve Stricker. I know he’s the captain this year. That’s what I miss about playing golf at University of Georgia; I miss that team atmosphere, and that’s the pinnacle of our sport is to represent your country and to play in probably one of the biggest tournaments in the world.
“I still need to keep playing well and keep showing Strick that I deserve to be on the team, but looking forward to having a chance, and we’ll see what happens.”
- Full scoring HERE
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