Having taken a much deserved week’s rest after an easily forgotten season opening missed cut, Seamus Power marked his second start back on the PGA Tour with a fine four under par 68 to start his Sanderson Farms Championship bid.
It hasn’t taken the West Waterford man long to rediscover his top Tour groove either, having made it through the Web.Com Finals earlier this month, his first round effort was good enough for a tie for 10th after day one in Mississippi.
Starting on the back nine, Power picked up his first gain on the par-5 11th with a fine wedge approach to four feet setting up a birdie. He added another by holing a fine 18 footer on the par-5 14th before giving it straight back at the next having found the left rough off the tee.
One under to the turn, Power made his way onto the front half and wasn’t long stamping his authority on the round. A fine approach at number 2 set up a four foot birdie putt that he routinely dispatched as he looked to build some momentum.
He would’ve been disappointed to find fairway bunkers off the tee at 3 and 5 preventing him to do just that, two par-5s that he’d expect to score well on chalked down to par, but all was sooner forgiven when he nearly holed out from 170 yards on 6 – a tap-in birdie taking him to three under for the day.
He wasn’t finished there either, hitting it to 12 feet from the intermediate rough on the 9th, his closing hole, and duly finding another putt to take him inside the top-10, just two shots off the lead.
I must say that on a leaderboard dominated by the stars and stripes of the United States, it was a pleasure to see Power’s name standing as the lone representative of the tri-colour once more. \
One of his few regrets from his Rookie season was never managing to put all four rounds together. One or two he mustered, even three of on occasion. Well it’s one down now and three to go. What wonders a fast start would do for the confidence going into his second season on Tour.
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