Seamus Power wins first PGA Tour event: 'Without West Waterford, I definitely wouldn't be here'

Seamus Power won the Barbasol Championship in Kentucky in a dramatic sudden death play-off.

Seamus Power poses with the trophy and his caddie Simon Keelan after winning the Barbasol Championship in Nicholasville, Kentucky. 

Waterford's Seamus Power won his first PGA Tour title in dramatic style last night when claiming the Barbasol Championship after a sudden death play-off.

The 34-year-old edged out J.T. Poston on the sixth play-off hole at the Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Kentucky. Poston squandered a three-stroke lead on the back nine and then lost on the sixth playoff hole when he hit his tee shot into the water on the par-4 18th.

“It hasn’t begun to sink in yet,” Power told Golf Digest. “It’s been a bit of a struggle early, but I’ve had quite a bit of form recently. But this changes everything for me. Forever, I’ll be able to say I’m a PGA Tour winner. I couldn’t be more proud.” 

Power birdied two of the last three regulation holes to shoot a five-under 67 while Poston made double bogey at the par-5 15th and a bogey at the par-3 16th to stumble into the playoff with a 70.

The playoff began at the par-4 18th, where Power chipped in from the fringe for birdie and Poston rolled in a birdie putt from just outside 10 feet to extend matters.

Both parred 18 on the second playoff hole and then parred the par-3 ninth on the third and fourth extra holes, sending the playoff back to 18, where both parred the fifth extra hole and Power won it with another four on the next attempt.

Six playoff holes later, @Power4Seamus is a winner @BarbasolChamp. pic.twitter.com/dv0M8CuyFU

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 19, 2021

Power told Golf Digest: "The last -- my last three, four weeks, it's unbelievable. You could finish 15th and be three shots out of the playoff. It's just there are so many guys playing good golf. The standard of golf right now, I mean, I don't know, it just seems like there are so many good players and so many players that are playing well under pressure.

"Collin Morikawa today is an unbelievable example. He's 24, is he? He's 24? I watched him for 16 holes and it looked like he was out playing with his buddies on a Saturday, to be honest. It was remarkable.

"You seem to have more guys capable of doing that whether it's -- for me it was a Tiger Woods influence. He's the guy that you kind of saw do this in these situations. I guess a lot of people grew up watching him and that's the kind of stuff you're trying to like copy under pressure. But it is amazing. Just as you said, a couple of shots here and there. I haven't even seen the final leaderboard, but there's probably guys three shots out and they're struggling to finish in the top-10. It's just amazing. Yeah, that's why everything matters right from the get-go on Thursday morning, you've got to get into tournaments, you can't let the tournament come to you it seems like anymore, and you've got to stay aggressive, and I was kind of lucky enough to be able to do that.

And on his greatest day, he remembered all those who had made it possible for this dream to become a reality.

"Without West Waterford Golf Club, I definitely wouldn't be here. 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. 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.