July 18, 2021 By Michael Dorgan
Ireland’s Seamus Power won his first-ever PGA tournament Sunday when clinching the Barbasol Championship in Kentucky after a dramatic six-hole sudden-death playoff against J.T Poston.
On the final hole of the playoff – the par 4 18th – Power hit the fairway, played his second to 12 feet and two-putted for the victory while Poston drove into the water that lines the right side and made a bogey.
The County Waterford man had earlier birdied two of the last three regulation holes to shoot a five-under 67 while Poston let slip a comfortable four-stroke lead with a double-bogey at the par-5 15th and a bogey at the par-3 16th to stumble into the playoff with a 70.
The win secured Power his card for the PGA Tour for the next two years and the biggest payday of his career – a $630,000 winner’s cheque.
“It’s been a bit of a struggle of a season early but I had found a bit of form recently,” Power said afterward.
“This changes everything for me. Forever, now, I’ll be able to say I’m a winner on the PGA Tour.
“It’s not going to sink in yet but I couldn’t be more proud of Simon [Keelan, caddy]– I just have too many people to thank. It’s unbelievable.”
The win also sees Power move to the 60s in the FedEx rankings from 123rd and claim entries to the Sentry Tournament of Champions, the Players Championship and the PGA Championship.
First playoff hole …
Tournament on the line …@Power4Seamus is CLUTCH. pic.twitter.com/MYayPEH14K— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 18, 2021
In an interview with Golf Digest, Power heaped praise on the people who have helped him in his career.
“Without West Waterford Golf Club, I definitely wouldn’t be here,” Power told Golf Digest.
“I started down there when I was 12, 13 years old. And all of the Spratt family, it was pretty much like my second family, they’re incredible.”
“They helped me through all sorts of stuff, it’s just incredible. I’ll be so happy to see them. I can’t wait to see them and talk to them, all the Spratts, all the members at West Waterford.
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“I’ll see my own family, and I have a nephew and a niece now. Just the whole thing, just everything comes to this point. Anyone who’s got older brothers knows that that’s a massive motivating thing when you’re trying to walk like them, you’re trying to play like them, just everything right from the start.
“Family, friends, West Waterford, all the Munster GUI coaching, the national GUI coach, I mean, you don’t get here without everyone along the way making a difference and helping you.
“I can’t wait to kind of see them all and thank them all. Hopefully, they were able to stay up and enjoy it,” he told Golf Digest.”
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