Seamus Power’s Ryder Cup bid remains on course after Paul McGinley revealed the West Waterford man impressed European captain Luke Donald at January’s Hero Cup.
Power will tee it up in the Masters next week for the second year in succession after a T-27 finish on his Augusta National debut.
The Tooraneena star bowed out of the WGC Match Play last week at the group stage but he was unlucky in the process with all three of his matches going the distance, and McGinley believes Power can stake a huge claim for a Ryder Cup place at Augusta.
“We were all very, very impressed with how we hit the golf ball,” McGinley told Irish Golf Desk. “This guy’s a different league player than he was at the Olympics in 2016. How he hits the ball, the distance he hits the ball, the confidence and body language that he’s got on the golf course is in a different place.
“He’s a real quality player. In terms of being a golfer, I’d say Luke would have walked away from the Hero Cup more impressed with him than anybody else.
“We all know he’s a great guy and a good putter and all of that. But in terms of hitting the golf ball, I think he impressed more than anybody.”
Power’s match play record in 2023 appears to be underwhelming having won just two matches across both the Hero Cup and WGC Match Play (one in each), but McGinley a 2014 European Ryder Cup captain, knows Power’s major performances in 2022 have impressed Donald.
Power enjoyed a fruitful maiden major championship campaign with finishes of 9th at the US PGA and T12 following his Masters excursions.
“Honestly, this guy is real top-notch,” McGinley added. “You see guys having a good run and say, yeah, he’s having a good run. But then you see the quality as well and you think, okay, this guy has just got to wait for the wheel to turn his way.
“He really is that good a golfer. People don’t talk about how well he hits it and how long he hits it. How solid the golf ball comes off the clubface. But he’s right up there with the very top players in the world.
“This run of form he’s on is no fluke. It’s not just good form. This is a real quality player and there is more to come.
“He was the guy that we that we came away thinking,’ This guy’s a much better player than we thought.’ He’s right in that top echelon.”
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