By Bernie McGuire in Abu Dhabi.
Seamus Power admits his efforts to secure a place in the European Ryder Cup team will all depend on getting his season schedule correct.
For a first time in his career, Power is exempt into all four major championships as well as a return to the Players Championship where he had a hole-in-one in the 2019 event.
This is the luxury of capturing the Bermuda Championship that’s not only handed him a virtual three-year PGA Tour exemption considering he won the sixth event of the 2022/23 PGA Tour wraparound schedule, but also it’s a win that sees him riding high at No. 29 on the World Rankings.
“This is where the scheduling is going to be tough as it’s nice knowing I am into the four majors, the WGCs and the Players,” he said.
“So, if you can properly work out your schedule around those events then that helps but before I was starting to qualify for the majors, I had scheduled myself to play in other events and that was slightly difficult.
“Though knowing you are into the four at the start of a New Year is great but then take last week, as I was playing in Hawaii and here I am in Abu Dhabi for two weeks.
“Then when I return to the PGA Tour there’s the ‘elevated’ events you want to be playing, so I am going to work around them and see what other events I will tee-up.
“It’s great having the luxury but it’s also a balancing act where and where not to tee-up. The great thing also is that winning the Bermuda was like a three-year exemption.”
The first confirmation of teeing-up in the four majors of 2023 arrived in his letter box with an envelope postmarked ‘Augusta, GA’. Though it could have been a ‘Scott Stallings’ scenario as Power has only moved recently to a new address in Las Vegas.
“I was joking with Scott last week at the Sentry about what happened with his Masters invitation but I didn’t know that both men had a wife with the same name. Now, that is more amazing
“No, my invitation arrived safe-and-sound even though I have changed addresses since last year.
“Though last year was very different to this year as I did not receive my Masters invitation till after the tournament because I only qualified the week prior.
“It’s nice knowing that I was exempt before the invitation officially arrived before Christmas, and even nicer to be able to plan it out with a good few months before I head back to Augusta
“It’s going to be again a special moment going back to the Masters and while you know the official invitation is coming, it’s just great when it arrives. I can also imagine now how the ‘other’ Scott Stallings must have felt in receiving a little postmarked Augusta, GA.”
All 20 players competing this week wound-up their Hero Cup preparations playing an 18-hole Pro-Am ahead of the two captains naming their the opening day Foursome pairings for Friday’s 11am (local UAE time) at a BBQ on the new Falcon Terrace here at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
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