Power’s major goal
Waterford star took a decade to smash golf’s glass ceiling, now he’s eyeing the big prizes
AHEAD of his 35th birthday on Friday, no one begrudges Waterford’s affable Seamus Power his success. The Tournament of Champions, the Hawaii season opener was for 2021 Tour winners only and Power lapped it up.
‘It was such a cool experience. There were only 38 allowed to play there and it was so easy-going, everyone was cruising around in golf carts.’
Power finished 15th, ahead of such major winners as Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson, and collected a cheque for $132,500, no less.
That’s the way the breaks go in pro golf. Smash through the ceiling as a winner, as Power did last July in the Barbasol Championship, and doors open, such as his two-year alliance with The K Club this week.
Fail to do so and it becomes a precarious existence with a high casualty rate.
Power served a 10-year apprenticeship in the pro ranks, at all tour levels, before becoming an overnight success.
Along the way, he questioned himself at times if it was worth it.
‘On the Korn Ferry Tour (feeder to the PGA Tour). I missed my first four cuts. I didn’t make a cent. And I’d probably gone through 18 or 20,000 dollars by the end of March.
‘I didn’t have any benefactors and could see the bank balance going down and down.
‘I remember several times being close enough to tears, not tears of sadness but it is so frustrating at times, it can be crippling if you hit a bad stretch.’
The ‘crippling’ side of things, before you win, include the running costs of being on Tour.
‘A caddie is your biggest expense. Then you’re looking at hotels, flights. In total, you’re looking at between five and six grand a week (dollars).’
When did Power, who has won almost $5.7m, stop fretting about money? ‘When I kept my card on the PGA. You’re always thinking about the mini-tours,’ he said.
With an exemption until the end of the 2022-23 season, and a world rank of 46th, Power has no intention of returning to the grafter’s playground. It’s onwards and upwards now.
He hasn’t played a major yet but he’s a confirmed starter for the US PGA in May and is knocking on the door for The Masters, US Open and The Open — he’d love to be part of the 150th Open at St Andrews.
Along with advice from golf guru Dr Bob Rotella, and the partnership with caddie Simon Keelan, a move to Las Vegas has contributed to Power’s progress.
‘It’s been brilliant. I have a cousin who’s been living in Vegas for 15 years and he was at me for years to join him there.
‘The previous winter in Charlotte, North Carolina, was one of the worst on record. I was sitting there early last year, thinking, “What am I doing here?’.
‘So, I moved. And I love it there. There’s no traffic and the courses are very close by.
‘And being on tour, you’re automatically a member of the TPC courses. There are two of them in Vegas. You just drive up, collect your ProVs or whatever golf ball you use and away you go. It’s brilliant for practice.’
Power has avoided the gambling traps on the Strip, although he does have the odd tenner flutter.
‘I enjoy doing it for small amounts. I wouldn’t enjoy it for big money. It would take all the fun out of it. Sometimes, you see guys throwing thousands on a table.’
Just as he flies the Déise flag on the PGA Tour, so Power carries another legacy of his days with St Mary’s GAA club in Tooraneena in west Waterford.
As a two-sided hurler, Power is also a two-sided golfer and can give the ball some heft left-handed.
‘There were two left-handers on our college team at East Tennessee and I used to mess around with them in practice. I can carry the ball 300 yards playing left-handed with a hurling grip. It’s just something I can do.’
Power has a habit of playing down his abilities while accepting there are a few flaws in his game which he has come to live with.
Others have pushed that message before, notably Rotella in his bestselling book, Golf Is Not A Game Of Perfect.
It took Power a while to cotton on to that. He gets it now.
‘I REMEMBER MANY TIIMES BEING CLOSE ENOUGH TO TEARS’