SEAMUS POWER PUT on a show to put himself on the brink of a first Masters appearance after climbing to 44th in the world rankings in some style.

The Waterford native went head to head with world number four Patrick Cantlay in the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play and cruised to a 5 and 4 victory, just as he did against Sungjae Im yesterday.

As a result, Power, who came into the tournament at number 48 in the world, has climbed a further four spots provisionally. From Monday week, the top 50 players in the world will all receive invitations to Augusta National, and it appears only a sensational turnaround would deny Power his debut at the Masters.

I didn’t make too many mistakes and obviously I caught Patrick on a day when he didn’t play his best, so I was able to take advantage,” said Power, who made just one birdie in 14 holes and will need just a half point against Keith Mitchell on Friday to win group four.

While there was delight for Power, veteran Ian Poulter’s absence from Augusta National was confirmed on day two of the Match Play.

The Englishman’s chances were already slim after an opening loss at Austin Country Club and a 4 and 2 defeat to Ryder Cup team-mate Matt Fitzpatrick confirmed that he will miss the Masters for just the third time since his debut in 2004.

Originally published at 21.09