After Mississippi blues, Power eyes Las Vegas jackpot
West Waterford’s Seamus Power was singing the Mississippi blues on Sunday but he’s already regrouped and set his sights on a Las Vegas jackpot this week.
The 29-year old was just two shots off the lead entering Sunday’s final round of the Sanderson Farms Championship but crashed to a five over 77 to slip from sixth to tied 29th.
Most players would be devastated, but the pride of Tooraneena insisted he’s even more confident than before that he can win on the PGA Tour.
Up to 103rd in the FedEx Cup standings, $26,705 richer and five spots higher (he’s 20th) in the priority list with three events to go before the reshuffle, Power can’t wait to tee it up in this week’s Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas.
“If you can beat everyone for 18 holes, you can build it up to 36, 54 and then 72 holes,” said Power. “I have to look at it that way. Obviously it was a bad last round and I was disappointed.
“But to be honest, I didn’t play my best all week. I was scrambling and doing things around the green very well. Then the putter got a little cold in the last round and that exposed the rest of my game.
“But it was a great experience obviously to be in contention in only my second start And it is still early enough in the season that if I can learn from it, it will be a good lesson for me.
“It seems weird to say that but it definitely gives me confidence, even after a poor last round — knowing that I can easily put myself in that position again and it is just a matter of finishing it off.”
Power confessed that he had a “two way miss” going with his driver all week and that made it tough to stay in contention, especially when the putts stopped falling on Sunday.
Seamus Power at the Sanderson Farms Championship
“I hung in there as best I could and while the last round was obviously disappointing, my game feels close and I have three more weeks to go before we wrap up for the end of the year,” he said from Las Vegas, where he spent his day off recharging and working out in the gym.
“In that sense, I certainly have something to build on for the next three weeks and if I get myself in that position again, I will be able to handle it a lot better.”
Power must remain psychologically strong if he is to finish in the top 125 in the FedEx Cup standings and keep his card and he is determined to take advantage of the three events he has remaining before the Christmas break — this week's start in Las Vegas, the OHL Classic at Mayakoba in Mexico and the RMS Classic at Sea Island in Georgia.
And he is adamant that he has more belief than ever after outshining a field featuring the likes of Jerry Kelly, Jonathan Byrd, JJ Henry, David Toms, Rory Sabbatini, Robert Allenby, Stuart Appleby, Camilio Villegas, Seung Yul Noh and Angel Cabrera for three days.
“I know deep down I can [win a PGA Tour event], otherwise I would have no interest in playing,” Power insisted. “When you put yourself in the actual position, it definitely gives you a bit more added confidence.
“I wasn’t at my best but with 18 holes to go, I still had a chance to win a PGA Tour event. So it was very encouraging.
“Okay, it wasn’t a full name field but there was still a lot of good players there and just to be able to play with those guys and see those guys on the range and interact with them in the last few groups, it was definitely eye opening.”
Power pipped tournament winner Cody Gribble for his maiden Web.com Tour success back in May and having seen the left-hander struggle late this year before hitting the big time on Sunday, he knows he must be patient.
“That’s the thing with golf, it’s one of the few sports where it is very difficult to peak your game when you want it,” Power said. “Sometimes it is just going your way and you get a bit of confidence.
“Don’t get me wrong, I am very disappointed and I would prefer to have played a lot better yesterday. But that’s golf.
“It doesn’t always go your way, otherwise it would be very boring. You have got to pull the positives out of it because it is a long season.”
Power will make just his third PGA Tour start at TPC Summerlin this week but having played the course earlier this summer, he has high hopes.
Looking ahead, Power said: “If I can learn from Sunday instead of worrying about it, it is going to be a lot more healthy for the rest of my year and my career.
“I played the course this summer. It’s a nice course, it should really suit my game and the weather is beautiful. If I have three good weeks between now and the end of the year, I will be in good shape.”
