Mark Power believes that the major championship floodgates will open once again for Rory McIlroy after he completed the career grand slam at the Masters last week.
Power has been inspired by not just McIlroy’s on course performances over the last few years but also how he conducts himself and prepares off the course and these are habits he is looking to take into his own career as he tries to grind his way through the levels on tour.
“I’ve met him a couple of times. I’ve played a few Irish Open’s back in the day as an amateur and met him a few times there,” said Power.
“He really keeps up with the Irish youngsters coming through. I met him once when I was over in America at the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles, we were over there with our college team, it was just after the Walker Cup that I had played in and he said he’d watched it, which was really cool. He’s such a high profile figure but he does keep in touch with the younger Irish guys, and it was great to see him win. The floodgates could open for him now, he’s that good.
“It’s so impressive the strength he has and even to swing as hard as he does but maintain a perfect swing. He’s a big inspiration, even in the gym it’s one part that I’ve really tried to focus on in the past year or two. I probably didn’t have a consistent plan when I got to a tournament and that’s something I’ve worked on in the off season, working out a lot more and putting a plan in place. Someone like Rory has pushed on in that aspect and everyone has kind of followed suit.”
McIlroy naturally took all the headlines last week, but Power has found some form of his own in the UAE after a tied sixth finish on his first start of the HotelPlanner Tour season vaulted him into the top-51 in the Road to Mallorca Rankings.
The former Walker Cup star is relying on invites on Europe’s second tier while he keeps his game sharp on the Clutch Pro Tour in the mean time and he is looking to make his mark again this week at Abu Dhabi Challenge which is staged at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club where he played on the Clutch Pro Tour last month.
“I felt like I had a right shot heading into the last round,” Power added. “I missed a good birdie chance on the first and then three putted the second and obviously the leader started five under after five. Renato’s a winner on the main tour, obviously a great player and it shows how deep the standard is on this tour. It’s not easy to win at all. I still put myself in a decent position coming down the stretch but made three three putts on 15,16 and 17, so the putter kind of broke my heart in the final round.
“I played here last year and made the cut, and I know the course well. I played it three weeks ago on the Clutch Tour and I think I finished eighth in that, again I felt like I was in a good position on the back nine to get it done.
“Hopefully just get into contention will stand me in good stead this week. Also playing the course so recently is a big advantage, it’s still so fresh in my mind.”
The 24-year-old endured a tough learning curve during his first full professional campaign last year, narrowly missing out on improving upon his category 15 status on the Hotel Planner Tour.
Although he is relying on invites, Power is determined to put the work in to ensure he is ready to strike when the opportunities come his way. After last week it is perhaps no surprise that he is working on his putting to eradicate the three-putts which could be the difference between struggling for status or fighting for promotion to the DP World Tour.
“Putting is something I am working on. My good rounds are really good, but you can’t afford to have a round where you make three three putts and miss good birdie
chances. Consistency with putting for me and feel like I am knocking in those eight ten footers when you need them, that will be key for me.
“If you turn pro and all you think everything is going to be brilliant, then you are not really mentally prepared for the grind and challenge that comes with that.”
Power feels they key to improving this season will be how he prepares for events after initially finding the transition from amateur events to professional events difficult.
“I played most of my golf in America and College before that and they are only three
round events. We generally get there a day or two days before, here we get in on a Monday and have so much time before we tee it up.
“I am just trying to work out the best way for me to approach an event, whether that’s just focussing on short game or that kind of thing. I felt like I’ve already approached tournaments better than last year and played decently well last week, so my season will hopefully kickstart from now on.
“I’ve played a few events on the Clutch Tour. I’ve been out here three of four weeks
already and played three events before last week, so I felt like my game was fairly
fresh and wasn’t too rusty. I’ve been playing nicely, and practice has been going well
so it’s one where you hope it translates to the tournament.”
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