Mark Power ended his professional debut in professional fashion, birdieing each of the closing two holes to sign off for a level-par 72 that saw him finish tied for 32nd at the Horizon Irish Open at the K Club.
“Yeah, it’s been unbelievably memorable,” he said, “finishing with two birdies is unbelievable. I started the tournament with a birdie. Start with one, finish with one. It was definitely tense coming down the stretch for me. But look, I really enjoyed it all.
“If you told me that at the start of the week, I definitely would have taken it. But the way I was playing going into today, I’m a little bit disappointed that I didn’t really get the putts on the front nine, and the back nine, a couple of unlucky breaks I felt like, but that’s golf. Ebbs and flows, but I’ll definitely be back.”
Adjusting to professional life is something that the two-time Walker Cupper found himself quickly faced with as three bogeys in an eight hole stretch saw him fall down the leaderboard having been within touching distance of the top 10 after birdieing the first.
“First ever paycheck,” he said, “so that’s a bit different.”
The closing birdies were effectively the difference between a tied 44th finish and a tied 32nd finish and in the professional ranks more than anywhere else, every shot matters.
“It was honestly something I was thinking about on the course,” Power said “because I was a little frustrated that I dropped off and then I started to think “I’m losing money here.”
“So I just tried my best to dig in even when I was feeling a little deflated, just dig in and to finish with two birdies… I’m very happy with that.”
And if any additional motivation was needed as he heads off to Austria to compete in DP World Tour Q-School, Power had a front row seat to playing partner Vincent Norrman’s seven-under 65 that saw the Swede stage a smash and grab and, ultimately, walk away with the spoils.
“Playing with Vincent Norrman there, he went on a tear and it was really cool to see,” Power explained, “yeah, just playing alongside that.
“I would’ve played with him in college and to see him do it here in my home was pretty cool. So, yeah, definitely whetted the appetite.”
Power went on to add: “He’s a really nice guy. When I saw the pairings, I was really looking forward to it and, you know, to see him do that is very special.
“Obviously, I was hoping one of the Irish guys would get the win, but it doesn’t look like it.”
Power, who was competing in the Walker Cup this time last week, only found out that he’d been granted a place in the event at the start of the week and given the emotional rollercoaster of the Walker Cup followed by his professional debut, it’s understandable that his energy reserves may be running a little low when he flies to Austria tomorrow [Monday] morning.
“I was on such a high from playing the Walker Cup at St. Andrews, “he said, “and then that dropped and then to find out I was getting in here, it was a whirlwind of emotions but, definitely feel tired now, but, very happy with the week.
“But to hit some of the shots I hit at the end, I’m really proud of myself. That seven-iron into the last is one of the best I’ve ever hit. So, you know, to do it in high stakes now is great.”
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