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Day of contrasts for Graeme McDowell and Seamus Power in Bermuda

Seamus Power lines up a putt on the 16th green during the second round of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship at Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, Bermuda Expand

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Seamus Power lines up a putt on the 16th green during the second round of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship at Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, Bermuda

Seamus Power lines up a putt on the 16th green during the second round of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship at Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, Bermuda

Seamus Power lines up a putt on the 16th green during the second round of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship at Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, Bermuda

Brian Keogh

Graeme McDowell took advantage of benign conditions to keep the leaders in his sights as Seamus Power suffered a rollercoaster day in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.

Playing together for the first time this week, the Irish duo were tied 16th in the clubhouse on five-under, six strokes behind Canadian Taylor Pendrith, who shot a 10-under 61.

After the mayhem of Thursday morning's high winds, a calm Port Royal Golf Club played three shots easier, Pendrith made an eagle and nine birdies (including five in a row) to lead by a shot from Patrick Rogers, who shot 64, on 11-under.

McDowell followed his opening 70 with a four-under 67, but Power couldn't keep pace and while he recovered from a double-bogey six at his 10th hole with two birdies and an eagle from his 14th, a 70 felt like a poor return.

"The golf course went from being abusive, and I have never used the word abusive, to where there is a 60 out there," McDowell said after mixing two bogeys with six birdies.

"We got quite fortunate yesterday afternoon, but today someone could tear this place apart. It's very benign and probably as flat calm as you will get here in Bermuda."

Power turned in level par, double-bogeyed the first after driving into a divot, then hit wedges close to birdie the fifth and sixth before a 195-yard five iron set up an eagle from 12 feet at the par-five seventh.

"It was a bit of an up-and-down day for me today," the West Waterford man said, shrugging off a bogey at the short eighth. "I made one bad mistake on the first… but I had a decent finish to get myself back into a decent spot going into tomorrow."

As for the change in conditions, he said: "I shot one-under today and I'm a bit disappointed, whereas one-under yesterday was a good score.

"The wind has died down a lot, so they've stretched a couple of the par threes. It's still a good test but obviously a lot easier than it was yesterday morning."

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Meanwhile, the Asian Tour is set for a major overhaul with the introduction of 10 new marquee events following its partnership with the newly-formed LIV Golf Investments, a company backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), which acquired Newcastle Utd earlier this month.

The events will be played across Asia, the Middle East and Europe and will join established Asian Tour tournaments to comprise a 25-event season from 2022.

The Asian Tour said that LIV Golf Investments had pledged a total of $200 million to support playing opportunities and for prize funds over the next decade with former world No 1 Greg Norman named as CEO.

"This is only the beginning," Norman said. "LIV Golf Investments has secured a major capital commitment that will be used to create additive new opportunities.”

In amateur golf, Maynooth University's Aaron Marshall closed with a best of the day, three-under 69 to win the Irish Intervarsity Championship by three shots from teammate Ryan Griffin on six-under at Portsalon.

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