It wasn’t all that pretty but it didn’t need to be — when the wind blows in Bermuda, hang on to you hat and that’s what Ireland’s Seamus Power did on Sunday at the blustery Port Royal Golf Club.
After a two-day birdie-fest on Thursday and Friday, those island winds came up over the last 36 holes of the Bermuda championship and by late Sunday afternoon, Power was the last man standing and won for the second time on the PGA Tour.
Tour rookie Ben Griffin was having himself a nice run on Sunday. After rounds of 65-64-66, Griffin, a former UNC star, made birdies at 10 and 11 and took a two-shot lead with seven to play.
Then it all fell apart for the former All-American. Short missed par putts on 12 and 13 started his downhill slide. He bogeyed 14 and 15 then at the par three 16th, his tee shot found a penalty area left of the green. He’d walk off with double-bogey to end his hopes and put Power on the path to victory.
Power was three-under for the round but made bogeys at 15 and 16 and Thomas Detry was suddenly just a shot back after finishing with 67 and an 18-under par total. But Power helped himself with a birdie at the downwind, easy par five 17th and took a two-shot lead to 18. He needed it because his second rolled off the false front of the par four and he’d miss a three-footer for par to finish with a one-under par 70 and a 19-under par total.
“This course was always going to be a tale of two sides,” Power said. “I knew it was going to be hard coming in and it was. I’m delighted to get it done.”
Power won last year at the Barbasol. The win moves him to No. 32 in the world. He came into the week at No. 48 and was the highest-ranked player in the field.
As for Griffin, that horrible run put him six-over for five holes and he’d finish with a one-over par 72 that dropped him into a tie for third at 17-under. “You can’t let up in a PGA Tour event,” Griffin said afterward. “I think I almost got a little too comfortable. You know, playing golf for a living’s just really fun. It just means the world to be able to compete out here, and I can’t get mad at anything that I do because it’s so cool to be able to play on the PGA Tour. “I know my time will come soon.”
It was also a great week for Aussie Aaron Baddeley, who Monday-qualified his way into the field. Baddeley, who has lost his card, put together rounds of 65-64-68-71 and finished T6 at 16-under and the top 10 finish gets him into the field at this week’s Mayakoba championship in Mexico where Viktor Hovland is the defending champion.
 His Way To Windy Bermuda Win){kind=link}