Séamus Power left to reflect on the positives after top 10 finish at Pebble Beach

Seamus Power hits from the 13th tee of the Monterey Peninsula Country Club Shore Course. Picture: AP Photo/Tony Avelar

Séamus Power clinched his third top-10 of the season in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and revealed he didn't even have his best stuff.

The West Waterford star had a five-shot lead at halfway thanks to a brace of stunning, eight-under 64s for a record 36-hole total.

But after carding a disappointing, three-over 74 at Monterey Peninsula Country Club on Saturday to fall two shots off the lead, he birdied the last and carded a level-par 72 and finish tied ninth ($237,075) on 13-under, six shots behind first-time winner Tom Hoge.

"It was fun and I really enjoyed it," said Power, who followed a birdie at the sixth with a double-bogey at the eighth and a bogey at the ninth before getting back to level for the day thanks to birdies from 15 feet at the 15th and 18th.

"I've never played Monterey well and it kind of got me yesterday and took my momentum away. But overall, it was nice to pick up a couple of shots on the back.

"It's weird to say after having a very good opening two rounds, but I didn't have my best game this week. But I was able to manage it, and my wedges and putting we're good enough to keep me in it, and that's encouraging.

"It was nice today and it was fun to play Pebble when it was firm with a bit of breeze.

"It was a different challenge, but it was very enjoyable."

Set to play the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale this week, he's hoping for better luck than he had on his first appearance in 2019 when he missed the cut after rounds of 71 and 77 "I've only played it once and didn't play particularly well, but I don't remember much about the course," he said. "I will do a little bit of work the next few days and get ready for next week."

Power was projected to move up from 14th to eighth in the FedEx Cup standings and from 50th to 46th in the world rankings.

As for Hoge, the 32-year-old from North Carolina claimed his maiden PGA Tour win in style, moving up to 39th in the world.

He started the day tied for the lead with Beau Hossler and Andrew Putnam, but after slipping to one-over for the day with a double-bogey five at the short fifth, he turned in level par, then went past leader Jordan Spieth down the stretch.

Spieth got to 18-under with five holes to play but bogeyed the 17th to finish on 17-under as Hoge took command.

Without a win since he won on the Canadian Tour in 2011, he birdied the 11th and 14th to get to 17-under, then hit his approach stone dead at the 16th before rolling in a swinging, 22 footer for a two at the iconic 17th.

"I really thought I made too many mistakes to really have a chance on the front nine, to be honest with you, and I looked up and I was still kind of right in the game then making the turn," said Hoge, who finished two clear of Spieth (69) on 19-under.

"So I just tried to hang in there as best as I could and I finally started making a few putts."

As for his birdie at the 17th, he said: "I was just trying to get two good looks for birdie on 17 and 18 and still expected Jordan to make a birdie or eagle on 18 coming up the stretch.

"Putt was kind of a bonus. You never expect to make that putt, a big swinging downhill putt like that. When I hit it, I initially thought it was short, but it went right in the middle. It was pretty nice.”