Seamus Power caught Austin Smotherman at 16-under 197 on Saturday, leaving the pair tied for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship lead heading into Sunday’s final round.
Power shot a 4-under 67 at Port Royal Golf Course, while Smotherman’s 66 gave both players a two-stroke cushion after a demanding, windy third round.
Power erased a two-shot deficit over the closing holes, according to the Associated Press report carried by Golf Channel. Smotherman finished with a 10-foot par save.
Taylor Moore shot 66 to join Corey Conners and Ben Silverman two strokes behind. Both Canadians returned 69s, keeping the closest chasing group within immediate reach.
For Power, the opportunity carries significance beyond Sunday’s trophy. He entered the week outside the FedExCup Fall top 100, the threshold for retaining full playing status.
The 2022 Bermuda champion arrived at No. 103, Golf Today reported. His position makes this another important week in the race for 2027 access.
Power had already moved into contention with a bogey-free 64 on Friday. Saturday’s score followed a different test, with stronger winds complicating the closing stretch.
The Irishman’s second round left him one stroke behind halfway leaders Kensei Hirata and Chandler Blanchet, whose contrasting starts had established the early scoring pace.
Hirata’s opening rounds of 65 and 64 matched Blanchet’s 62 and 67 at 13 under. Neither held the outright lead after Saturday’s completed third round.
The cut had fallen at 5-under 137, with defending champion Adam Schenk missing the weekend. That early scoring underlined how sharply conditions changed on Saturday.
The tournament has also featured Ben Kohles’ six-birdie burst and Tour-card push, another reminder that the fall standings give this leaderboard consequences beyond one event.
More wind is forecast for Sunday. Power suggested tougher scoring could help protect the leaders’ position by making it harder for those behind to collect birdies.
That does not remove the threat from the chasing group. A two-shot margin leaves little room for an error if another contender handles the conditions better.
For the co-leaders, the immediate task is balancing opportunities against the cost of a mistake. Saturday showed that holding ground can matter alongside making birdies.
Power has turned a strong Friday into a share of the 54-hole lead. He now faces the final round with both a title and valuable points available.
