Steady start for Power at Shriner’s as Pendrith soars clear

It’s another low scoring week in the FedEx Cup Fall series on the PGA TOUR meaning Seamus Power has work to do despite opening with a round of 68 at the Shriner’s Children’s Open.

TPC Summerlin has provided little resistance with 96 players under-par including Power who shares 46th place on three-under, seven shots behind Taylor Pendrith.

The Waterford man was bogey free on Thursday, picking up birdies on the ninth, fifteenth and sixteenth holes but he will need to go low today to ensure he makes the cut.

Canadian star Pendrith (-10) fired ten birdies in his opening round of 61 as he roared three shots clear of a group of ten players sharing second place on seven-under.

The 33-year-old is making his first start since the Presidents Cup.

“I think I played maybe three times since the Presidents Cup, and then was planning on practicing and everything was closed,” he said Thursday at the Shriners Children’s Open, where he opened with a 10-under 61. “So my coach was here, Derek [Ingram], on Monday and Tuesday, and we got a lot of good work in. For me, I feel rested and excited to play.”

“I thought I would be a little bit more rusty than that,” he said. “You know, obviously thrilled and yeah, just got to keep getting back into the rhythm of things and the next few days. Yeah, feel good.”

Meanwhile, former PGA TOUR winner Joel Dahmen found an unlikely surprise in his golf bag on the fourth tee when he realised he was carrying an extra 4-iron meaning he had fifteen clubs.

Dahmen was penalised four shots and signed for a five-over 76 to leave him second last in the field.

“I travel with 15, 16 clubs,” said Dahmen.

“I think most people out here do pending conditions and courses. I’ve been travelling out here for a long time and it has never happened before.

“I played Tuesday and Wednesday out there and we didn’t see it in there. So I had two four-irons in the bag.

“You just want to get so mad and you want to get mad at everything but at the same time you have got to keep playing golf and I didn’t do a great job of that afterwards.”