Power fades as Armour claims maiden PGA Tour victory

Seamus Power talks to the media at the Country Club of Jackson at the weekend

Seamus Power had a bad day on the greens as he closed with a three-over 75 to finish tied 18th behind winner Ryan Armour in the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi.

The West Waterford man, 30, was tied for third with a round to play but he took 34 putts in the final round to finish 13 strokes behind Armour on six-under par.

There was a real sense of deja vu for Power, who was in contention at the same event 12 months ago but shot 77 on the final day and finished tied 28th.

This year he was six adrift of Armour in a share of third overnight but bogeyed the third and ninth and followed his lone birdie (from 10 feet) at the par-three 13th with a bogey at the 16th and another, courtesy of a three-putt, at the 18th

While he earned $52,337, it was a costly final day for the popular Waterford man, who made 19 of 25 cuts last year but shot over-par in 42 percent of his final rounds.

Armour, 41, claimed his maiden PGA Tour win when he carded a four-under 68 to beat Chesson Hadley by five shots at the Country Club of Jackson.

Seamus Power

The American, who began the final round with a five-shot lead, cruised to victory for the first time in 105 career starts.

"It's a big monkey off my back, I'm not going to lie," said Armour, who finished on 19-under-par.

"There's a lot of emotions running through my head. Part of me wants to fly home immediately and see my wife and kids.

"And part of me wants to go hang out with the boys."

A short hitter compared to some of the young guns, 

"It's validation that you don't have to hit it 330 in the air to still win golf tournaments," Armour said. "I hit a lot of fairways. I hit a lot of greens and made a lot of putts, and somehow you still win."

Jonathan Randolph shot 67 to finish third on 12-under-par with Smylie Kaufman, Brian Stuard and Monday qualifier Scott Strohmeyer tied for fourth on 10-under-par.

Armour is a career journeyman who first earned his PGA Tour card in 2007. 

He lost his card after the 2008 season and played in just one PGA Tour event from 2009 to 2014. 

In 2013, he didn't even qualify for the Web.com Tour, spending most of his time at home in Florida, hanging out with family and working on his game.

Now he's playing some of the best golf of his career.

"You've got to believe in something out here if you don't hit it 330," Armour said. "I'm sticking to the fact that I hit fairways and greens."

He won $774,000, which now accounts for about a third of his career earnings on the PGA TOUR. He also earned his PGA TOUR card through the 2020 season.

"It's job security for a few years, which I've never really had out here," Armour said.

from News - Irish Golf Desk http://ift.tt/2iIiDvt