Mark Power hopes the Irish Challenge at Killeen Castle can be the week where his HotelPlanner Tour season bursts into life and vaults him towards the promotion spots on the season long rankings.
Power feels he has taken a step forward in his career this season. He has gone from battling to make cuts to making nine of his last ten. But a best finish of T17 this season has left him feeling unfulfilled as he chases the top-10 and top-5 finishes he needs for one of the 15 DP World Tour cards available.
“I have been very solid, very consistent, made a lot of cuts. Feel like off the tee I have been very consistent. Trying to get the scoring clubs better, wedges and short irons have let me down recently haven’t made as many birdies as I should hence why I haven’t had those top-10s or top-5s, hopefully this week I like this place and hopefully it can click.
“It has been frustrating at times. Last year I was missing cuts by one and I was trying to make them but now I am not even worried about the cut I feel like the golf is there and it’s about trying to get those big finishes and stay patient but at the end of the day there are plenty of tournaments left but you want to get yourself into position to earn one of the valuable cards. I still believe I can do it so hopefully there is no better week than this week to kick the year into gear.”
Power struggled with his driver for much of last year but this season it has returned to being the asset that it should be. His length off the tee makes Killeen Castle the ideal challenge for him and although the lush green grass has been replaced by firm fairways and blonde fescue rough he still intends on taking it on full throttle.
“I love this place, it’s a big golf course and it’s the highlight of the year for us so can’t wait to get going.
“We’ve had a lot of sun this summer and it’s baked out in spots. They’ve done a great job at keeping around the greens nice and green and they are receptive enough but the fairways are firm and you can get flyer lies from the rough. It isn’t juicy but you don’t want to go into it because you lose control into greens. It will be a good test, a different test to what we are used to but I am looking forward to tackling the course.”
From an Irish persuasion there is so much on the line this week in County Meath. The winner of course would get their hands on a huge national title and earn crucial Road to Mallorca points but should victory prove elusive, there is the bonus of the Christy O’Connor Jnr Trophy and a place in the Amgen Irish Open for the low Irishman this week.
Power was a beneficiary of that incentive two years ago.
“I was lucky enough to get my hands on the Christy O’Connor title in 2024 in the K Club. Was disappointed to miss the cut here last year so it is a big goal of mine to win it this year. Plenty of Irish lads have played decent this year but would be nice if we can kick each other along towards the end of the season.
“We do feed off each other. We know we are all capable of doing it so there is a bit of that trying to encourage each other even though we are all trying to beat each other it’s nice to see that we can feed off each other.”
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