PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Seamus Power set one tournament record and tied another Friday in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Yet he wasn’t jolted by the news.
“It’s a nice thing to have, but does anyone know who had the 5-shot lead? They’re only going to remember who won,” Power said when asked about tying the record for the largest 36-hole lead in tournament history in relation to par. To answer his question, Power joined Bob Rosburg (1958) and Charlie Wi (2012) in the record books for the largest 36-hole advantage.
With a second consecutive 64, this one at sparkling Pebble Beach, Power moved to 16 under and in prime position to win his second PGA Tour title.
“It’s a great start for the tournament, but it’s only halfway,” Power said. “There’s a long way to go and there’s a lot of good players in the field that I’m sure are going to make a lot of birdies over the weekend. So I’m going to have to keep going and see what happens on Sunday.”
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Power was more energized by his 128 total, the lowest 36-hole tally in tournament history; the previous record of 129 was held by Phil Mickelson (2005) and Nick Taylor (2020). The total is testament to Power’s continued fine form and staggering emergence in professional golf.
On another picturesque, soothing day on the Monterey Peninsula, Power recorded his seventh round of 65 or better in the 14 he’s played this year. The man who was 463rd in the world rankings last March is well on his way to his 13th top-20 finish in his last 18 starts on the PGA Tour. He’s is presently ranked 50th.
His superb stretch included his first PGA Tour title in the Barbasol Championship, which he said was “massive,” for it not only confirmed his belief he could win out here, but it allowed him to set his own schedule with basically unlimited starts.
“It’s night and day, to be honest,” Power said of his confidence level now compared to last March. “It’s one of those things, you want to play with confidence but how do you get confidence without playing well? So it’s one of those things I’ve been able to work on off the course and it’s led to some improved results on it. But I just feel much more comfortable in these positions.”
Power is clear of three players at 11 under – Andrew Putnam shot 67 at Spyglass, overnight leader Tom Hoge shot 69 at Monterey Peninsula, and Adam Svensson shot 63 at Monterey Peninsula.
Three players are at 10 under, including Patrick Cantlay, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 4. Cantlay, who has two wins and two other top 10s in his last four starts, shot 68 at Spyglass. He moves to Pebble Beach for the third round.
“Obviously the lead’s a little ways away, but there’s a lot of golf left, it’s only halftime?” Cantlay said. “Pebble Beach two days in a row, which is always nice. We should get another couple days of great weather, some of the best I’ve seen at this tournament, so Pebble will probably be ripe for scoring.
“I’m not so worried about the sole leader, per se. I’m right there with the rest of the group of guys and like I said it’s only halftime. I still would be surprised if he continues to run away and extend that lead. I’m just going to keep trucking along.”
Cantlay was joined at 10 under by Austin Smotherman, who shot 68 at Monterey Peninsula, and Matthias Schwab, who shot 62 at Pebble Beach.
A large collection of players are at 9 under, including Jason Day, who has eight top-7 finishes in the event without winning it.
They are all chasing Power. After a sluggish start, Power flipped the switch with birdies on six and seven and then birdied nine, 10, 11 and 12, one of the toughest stretches in golf, the ninth and 10th, for instance, hug the coastline. Three of those birdies came on putts inside 8 feet, the other from 20 feet.
“That’s not always the stretch that you’re thinking you’re going to get,” he said. “But sometimes you’re just on and you just got to roll with it.”
His roll ended with three birdies in his last five holes, including a wedge to inside 5 feet on the par-5 18th.
“My wedge play was great,” he said. “I had like three or four shots I hit very, very close and the way I’ve been putting, they were not gimmie birdies, but certainly ones you would expect to make, and it just changes your whole complex of your round, of your score.”
Power has been putting much better since switching to the claw grip.
“I figured out my putting early last year and I had always been a good putter and I kind of was struggling, but I changed the grip and it’s solidified that for me,” he said. “And then found a couple things with my swing. It doesn’t take much. I mean it’s only a shot here and a shot there that really separates from finishing top 20 versus 40th or 50th and I’ve been able to tidy up some of those loose ends and it’s been much better.”
