Séamus Power will go into the final round of the PGA Tour’s Biltmore Championship Asheville inside the top 10 after a third-round 65 on another day of low scoring in North Carolina.
The Waterford man began the day at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove in a share of sixth place at -9 after rounds of 66 and 67, but he got off to a shaky start as he bogeyed the par-5 third hole after a loose tee shot left him chipping sideways. It was his second bogey on one of the course’s easier holes over the three rounds, but he struck back immediately by sinking a 20-footer for birdie on the fourth, and then he added another on the par-3 seventh after sticking a mid-iron to six feet.
The highlight came on the par-5 eighth where he holed a 35-footer for eagle to get to -3 at the turn, and though he bogeyed the par-4 10th, he added four more birdies on the way home, including one at the last where he rolled home a 12-footer from the fringe.
The 65 was Power’s lowest round of the week, but low-scoring was the order of the day and he actually fell one spot on the leaderboard but he’s just five off the lead and two shots from third place with 18 holes to go.
Power entered the week at 114th in the FedEx Fall Rankings and would go a long way to securing his playing rights if he could push his way onto the podium at the end of Sunday’s play.
PGA Tour rookie Neal Shipley continues to lead and he matched Power’s 65 to take his first 54 hole on the PGA Tour.
Shipley made an eagle and a birdie on the two back-nine par-5s in his third straight bogey-free round, and he holds a one-stroke lead over Ben Kohles who also shot a 65.
“Just going to keep doing what I’m doing,” Shipley said of his strategy for the final day. “Keep being me and keep having fun out there. Keep that mindset of going out there, chasing birdies and trying to get it as low as possible tomorrow.”
Shipley entered the week No. 183 in the standings. A victory would not only give him a two-year exemption, but it would secure him for the more lucrative PGA Tour Championship Series in 2028 when the Tour revamps its schedule.
“It would be huge,” Shipley said. “It would take a lot of stress off my back, that’s for sure. It’s one of those things I’m playing really well, and I know it’s a matter of time for me, so I’m going to give it my best shot tomorrow and lay it all out there and see what happens.”
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