From acting as a marshal, when still a teenager, on the 13th tee at Fota Island – where he dutifully lined his pockets with the tees left behind by players who didn’t bother to retrieve them – to playing in the marquee group, Séamus Power’s evolution from volunteer to competitor is part of what makes the Irish Open so special.
“This is such a young person thing to say,” said Power of his 15-year-old self at that 2002 Irish Open. “But we were at the par-three and the players would all use the long timber tee, brand new ones, they’d hit the shot and they’d leave them in the ground. We were just gathering hundreds and hundreds of tees.”
If that image of a young Power captures how teenagers can be inspired by what they witness, his trip down memory lane also included how impressed he was back then with Colin Montgomerie’s ball-striking.
“Just seeing them from three yards away was incredible, the coolest thing in the world. I was getting into golf and it was a huge thing that made me want to get back there, to play with the club [in West Waterford] … I remember little things like that. A long time ago.”
Now 35 years of age, and a comparative late developer in working his way towards the world’s elite, Power – with impressive performances on the PGA Tour this season, which include a tied-ninth in the US PGA and tied-12th finish in the US Open – is clearly excited at the prospect of competing over the Jack Nicklaus-designed course outside Thomastown, Co Kilkenny.
“It’s one I’ve had circled on the calendar for probably six months now, so it’s going to be great,” said Power, who last competed in the 2019 tournament – pre-Covid – when it was staged at Lahinch.
But the player then and the player now are poles apart, in almost every way. From fighting for his tour card, to being in the mix week-in and week-out.
Certainly, he is familiar with the course. He was a spectator when the WGC-American Express Championships were held in 2002 (Tiger Woods) and 2004 (Ernie Els) and, when his game developed, he played South-Eastern Alliance outings or would play with friends.
“For us, it was always a treat to play, it is the pinnacle of golf courses around here,” he recalled.
So it is that he is here with intent.
“The Irish Open is so special … I’ve seen the scenes of Shane [Lowry] winning, Rory [McIlroy] winning. Playing in front of your home fans and home country, it adds something to it. No matter what the size of the purse or anything like, it’s never about that. For me, it’s definitely one I’ve dreamed of winning for a long time. So hopefully I can get myself in a good spot for Sunday and see what happens,” said Power.
Even in the pro-am, it was obvious how much Power’s recognition factor has developed. For this tournament, he is in a marquee group – with Lowry and Tyrrell Hatton – and with all the weight of an ever-growing army of a fan base.
But he has shown an ability to prepare and to go about his business in his own way. That much has been obvious so far in a season that has seen him move to 36th in the official world rankings and with his performances at Augusta National, Southern Hills and Brookline in this year’s Majors so far and with St Andrews upcoming in two weeks.
For now, it’s the Irish Open, among his own, that is his primary focus. Of those weighted expectations of others, Power countered: “Your inner expectations would be higher than anything that comes from the outside. You’re going to have more people watching but, for the most part, you’re still going to prep, prepare like you’re trying to win the tournament. You’re still going to do all those things, mentally get yourself in the right frame of mind. That’s all you can do. The bigger crowds is fantastic but, at the end of the day, you’re still playing your own game and hopefully it’s going to add up to the right score on Sunday.”
