<p>Séamus Power. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile</p>
SÉAMUS POWER took a massive step towards securing his Masters debut when he began his WGC Dell Technologies Match Play campaign with an emphatic 5 and 4 win over Sungjae Im.
Power slammed the door shut on Im after following a steady but unspectacular front nine with a clinical putting performance on the homeward stretch at Austin Country Club.
Two up after the South Korean bogeyed the first two holes, the West Waterford man lost the fifth to a par but won the par-five sixth in par and halved the ninth in birdie to turn two up before following a clumsy bogey at the 10th with winning birdies at the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th to claim a priceless win.
The top 50 in the world on Monday next will get invitations to Augusta and while 48th ranked Power (35) would be hugely unfortunate to get overtaken now after putting a point on the board, he can make the Masters his first major by finishing first or second place in the group.
"Yeah, it was interesting," said Power, who has launched his bid for a place in Europe's Ryder Cup team by joining the DP World Tour and now faces world number four and US Ryder Cup star Patrick Cantlay, whose halved match with Keith Mitchell also helps Power’s chances.
"I didn't get much going on the front nine. He made a couple of mistakes that I was able to take advantage. I made a real mess of 10, which is disappointing. I was back to 1-up, and he kind of lost momentum there hitting it in the water on 11 (coming up 20 yards short at the par-three) and I was able to capitalise and make birdie on the last three.
"Yeah, it's nice to get a point on the board. It's my first time playing here, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but one for one, so it's a good start."
Hoping to keep up his putting form against Cantlay, he said: "I know it's going to be the same breeze tomorrow, so hoping it'll kind of play the same way, but it's a very fun golf course in great condition, and you'll definitely see some putts going in."
Article Link: Power takes giant steps towards Masters debut with matchplay win - News - Irish Golf Desk