SOUTH, Bermuda — Seamus Power did enough on the right side and avoided all mistakes for PGA Tour rookie Ben Griffin to win his second tour title at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship on Sunday.
His 25-foot birdie putt on the 14th took the lead. A bogey on the final hole gave the Irishman a 1-under 70 and a one-shot victory over Thomas Dieter.
But it was Griffin who had the best chance.
After a year as a loan officer, Griffin had a shot at winning on the PGA Tour and going to the Masters. He started the back nine at Port Royal with back-to-back birdies, putting him at 5 for the day and a two-shot lead at Power.
And then everything fell apart.
Griffin bogeyed four straight holes, then followed with a double bogey on the par-3 16th to effectively end his chances.
The turning point came on the 14th when Griffin holed his tee shot, made a free putt and made his third straight bogey, while Power birdied him for a two-shot swing and his first lead of the day.
Both made bogey on the 15th. Griffin hit a tough shot into the gusty wind in the hazard over the Atlantic Ocean, leading to another penalty drop and another miss for a double bogey.
“This course is always going to be a tale of two sides,” Power said. “I knew it was going to be tough going in and it was. I’m so glad I did it.”
Hail won last year’s Barbasol Championship in Kentucky, the same week as the British Open. This victory moves him to number 32 in the world. He came to Bermuda at number 48, the highest player in the field.
After making four straight bogeys and then a double bogey, Griffin used an iron off the tee on the par-5 17th to watch him run across the fairway and into the water. He took his third penalty shot in four holes, though he made at least one par.
Power went over the green and chipped to 3 feet for birdie, giving Detri a two-shot lead and room for an error playing the final hole.
“It was a fun week. I’d hate to finish the tournament the way I did,” said Griffin, who shot 72 and tied for third with Patrick Rogers (65) and Kevin Yu (67). “As I get more experience, I get more comfortable.”
Griffin and Power were tied entering the final round, and it was Griffin who dominated early with four birdies in the opening six holes. He looked victorious when he rolled in birdie putts at the 10th and 11th to extend his lead to two shots.
But he missed a 6-foot putt on the 12th, and a 4-foot putt on the next hole, and it just got worse.
DIVOTS: Entering as Monday’s qualifier, Aaron Baddeley was in the mix until a pair of late bogeys. He was still in sixth place and was one of the top scorers for Mayakoba in Mexico the following week. … Tennessee freshman Caleb Surratt shot a 64 to finish the tournament. He followed up with an 85 in the third round, bettering his 65 on Sunday by 20 strokes.
