Seamus Power flew home in 30 strokes to grab a share of 12th position after day two of the DAP Championship, the third event of the Web.com Tour Finals.
Having missed out on the magic top-125 in the FedEx standings last month by just five places, Power was forced to take an alternative route in a bid to earn his PGA Tour playing privileges for next season.
The finals is a four series event that sees the top-25 finishers in the money list secure their cards for 2017/18, and Power’s five under par round of 65 has fired him right back into the mix.
Starting from the 10th, a birdie two on 11 was immediately cancelled out by a bogey on 12 as Power struggled for momentum over his opening few holes. Another birdie on 14, his 5th was again chalked off by a drop shot on his 8th as the West Waterford man struggled to get into the red for the tournament.
However Seamus is no stranger to such pressure cooker golfing environments, having played the big cash game of the E Golf Tour before ever making it this far. Back then he was playing for his livelihood, and though there’s no denying what’s at stake here, it was clear from his back nine response that it was nothing that daunted him.
A birdie at the 1st, his tenth kick-started a revival and Power soon went into overdrive. A birdie bonanza at 3, 4, 6 and 7 was momentarily halted by a costly bogey at 8 before a closing birdie four on 9, his 18th had Seamus round in five under par, up 48 places on the leaderboard, and more importantly, right back in the thick of the tournament.
Now four shots behind leader, America Matt Atkins as moving day approaches, Power will be looking to draw on a wealth of experience that has already proven himself capable of competing at the top tier of our sport, to help him reign in the reachable leaders. We wish him well in his pursuit.
How the Web.com Tour Finals work
Who is eligible to play in the Web.com Tour Finals?
– The top-75 money winners on the Web.com Tour money list at the conclusion of the Web.com Tour Regular Season.
– Players who finish 126-200 on the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup points list at the conclusion of the PGA TOUR’s Regular Season.
– Non-members who have earned enough FedExCup points based on their performance on the PGA TOUR to place them 126-200 on that points list.
What happens to the Regular Season money list?
Players from the Web.com Tour will carry their money into the Finals, and will be placed in the priority ranking based off their combined money from the Regular Season and Finals.
How many 2017-18 PGA TOUR cards will be awarded?
A total of 50 PGA TOUR cards will be awarded.
– The 25 leading money winners from the Web.com Tour Regular Season are guaranteed PGA TOUR cards.
– Another 25 cards will go to those players who earn the most cumulative money in the four Finals events.
What happens in the event of a tie?
In the event of a tie for the first position from the top 25 Regular Season players using combined money earned on the official Web.com Tour Regular Season Money List and money earned in the Web.com Tour Finals at the conclusion of the Finals events, no playoff will be conducted and those players tied for the leading money winner position will receive exempt status for the following season.
In the event of a tie for the first position on the official Web.com Tour Finals Money List at the conclusion of the Finals events, no playoff will be conducted and those players tied for the leading money winner position will receive exempt status for the following season.
In the case of a tie for the last PGA TOUR card positions on either list which would affect the number of PGA TOUR cards awarded, no playoff will be conducted and any players tied at the final position on either the official Web.com Tour Regular Season Money List or the official Web.com Tour Finals Money List will receive a PGA TOUR card for the following season.
For the purposes of breaking ties within the 50 card positions for eligibility for the following year’s PGA TOUR season on either list, cumulative score in the last Finals event will be used. Should there still be a tie, round scores will be compared, beginning with the final round and working backwards. Should there still be a tie, hole-by-hole scores in the final round will be compared, beginning with the final hole and working backwards.
How is the leading money winner determined?
The exempt player from the Web.com Tour Regular Season top 25 will be identified at the conclusion of the four Finals events, using combined Regular Season and Finals money. Therefore, any top-25 player can earn the coveted No. 1 position if he performs well enough in the four Finals events.
Another fully exempt position will be awarded to the player who earns the most money in the Finals among the PGA TOUR Nos. 126-200 and Web.com Tour Nos. 26-75 players.
In addition, the players earning fully exempt positions will receive an exemption into THE PLAYERS Championship for the upcoming PGA TOUR season.
Also note, any player No. 1-25 on the official Web.com Tour Regular Season Money List as of the final Regular Season event who earns enough money solely as a result of his play in the Web.com Tour Finals events such that he would have been No. 1 on the Web.com Tour Finals Money List shall be placed in the No. 1 position on that list and shall be entitled to the benefits of that position. In such case, such player’s other position on the Nos. 1 to 25 Regular Season and Finals Combined Money list shall be skipped and the ordering of players shall continue as identified above. In such case, the leading 25 players from the official Web.com Tour Finals Money List will still earn their PGA TOUR card.
If a player wins twice on the Web.com Tour during the Regular Season and then wins a Finals event, does that count for a three-win promotion?
Yes, a third win during the Finals would earn that player a promotion to the PGA TOUR with fully-exempt status for 2017-18.
What happens to players who do not earn their PGA TOUR card via the Web.com Tour Finals?
There are various scenarios depending on a player’s status when they entered the Finals.
> The next 25 money earners on the Web.com Tour Finals money list, not counting those players who earned TOUR cards, will earn fully exempt Web.com Tour status for 2018.
> The 25 who follow those players, again not counting those who earned TOUR cards, will be exempt into the Final Stage of the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament.
> Those who finished Nos. 26-75 on the Web.com Tour Regular Season money list will be fully exempt on the Web.com Tour in 2018 (should they fail to earn a PGA TOUR card).
> Players finishing Nos. 76-100 on the Web.com Tour Regular Season money list will have conditional status in 2018 on the Web.com Tour.
Players who finish between 76th and 85th on the Regular Season money list will be exempt to Final Stage of the Qualifying Tournament, while players who finish between 86th and 100th on the Regular Season money list will be exempt to Second Stage.
> For the PGA TOUR, Nos. 126-150 on the FedExCup points list through the Wyndham Championship will be placed in the Nos. 126-150 category which comes after the 50 players receiving their card via the Web.com Tour or the Web.com Tour Finals (consistent with how it has historically been).
> For the Web.com Tour, players Nos. 126-150 on the PGA TOUR money list are fully exempt for the following season on the Web.com Tour.
> Non-members or Special Temporary Members finishing the equivalent of Nos. 126-150 on the PGA TOUR money list will be exempt into Final Stage of the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament.
> Those finishing Nos. 151-200 on the FedExCup points list through the Wyndham Championship will have no membership status on the PGA TOUR. On the Web.com Tour, they will be part of the PGA TOUR Extended FedExCup Points List Category. This category is subject to the first reshuffle.
Is it possible for college players to qualify for the Web.com Tour Finals?
Amateurs cannot qualify for the Web.com Tour Finals. They do not earn money nor FedExCup points; therefore, they would not appear on the Web.com Tour money list nor the Non-member FedExCup Points List.
How many Finals events are there?
There are four 72-hole stroke-play events, with a 36-hole cut coming at the Web.com Tour’s standard 65 and ties.
Aug. 31-Sept. 3, Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship
Sept. 14-17, Albertsons Boise Open presented by Kraft Nabisco
Sept. 21-24, DAP Championship
Sept. 28-Oct. 1, Web.com Tour Championship
How much money does the winner of each event receive?
Each Finals event has a $1 million purse. The champion wins $180,000.
How big will the fields be?
The field size is projected to be approximately 144, depending on player overlap with other eligibility for the PGA TOUR.
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