The RSM Classic has proven to be a birdie blitz thus far and Seamus Power will need a barrage of red numbers if he is to retain his full PGA Tour playing rights next season.
Despite firing a second round of 68 at the Plantation Course, Power has slipped six shots behind Andrew Novak on ten-under-par and is in a share of 22nd place – dropping from 15th.
The West Waterford man began the week ranked 129th in the FedEx Cup Fall Standings with the top 100 securing full PGA Tour status for next year, while the top 125 gain conditional PGA Tour status.
Power needs a top three finish to break into the top-100 and his task would have been made easier had he not let slip a golden Sunday opportunity at last week’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
However, the two-time PGA Tour winner is looking like his old self again after two injury plagued seasons and a strong finish where he birdied three of his last six holes on Friday shows that there is still plenty left in the tank heading into the weekend.
Power opened with a birdie but after losing his tee shot on the par-5 4th he made a bogey. He responded with back to back birdies on 7 and 8 before a birdie on 10 was sandwiched between dropped shots.
Such is the low scoring, Power needed to finish well and he did just that and is five shots shy of the top-3 spot he would need in the season ending event.
Leader Novak holds a one shot advantage over Patrick Rodgers and Michael Thorbjornsen.
Novak carded a second round of 65 at the Plantation Course while Rodgers flew around in just 62 blows as Thorbjornsen shot 63 at the Seaside course.
“I thought I drove it well again today, gave myself a lot of opportunities with some shorter irons in and wedges in and really took advantage. There was a lot of close wedge shots where they weren’t necessarily gimmees but very, very good opportunities with the putter and kind of got in a rhythm with that and maximised some opportunities in the middle of the round,” said Novak.
