Hard work starts now for Seamus Power

Seamus Power shows off his 2016-17 PGA Tour card

Seamus Power might have officially clinched his PGA Tour card in Oregon on Sunday night but the West Waterford star was in no mood for setting off any fireworks just yet.

While he’s up 500 places in the world this year to 264th and has made $209,590 from 19 Web.comTour starts to clinch ninth place in the money list and one of 25 guaranteed PGA Tour cards, he knows the hard work starts now.

Having won in May to all but clinch his card for the start of the 2016-17 campaign in October, Power’s goal since then has been to keep pushing for a better ranking and a chance of more starts.

The first step is to try and play well in the four-event Web.com Tour Finals — the equivalent of the PGA Tour’s FedExCup playoffs — which begin with the DAP Championship in Ohio next week.

Disappointed to finish only tied 11th in the final regular event of the season, the WinCo Foods Portland Open on Sunday, Power said: “I have been in the situation where I have known for a while that I had my card and I was just waiting for it to be official. 

“I just wanted to get as good a card as I can and sure, it’s going to feel nice to get my hands on the actual card. But I am a bit disappointed after today that I let one get away but that’s golf at times.”

While the top 25 players from the Web.com Tour Regular Season have earned their PGA Tour cards, their order of priority won’t be determined until the conclusion of the Web.com Tour Finals. 

Power carries his regular season earnings into the Finals and priority for 2016-117 will be established on the combination of Regular Season and Finals earnings.

In addition to his PGA TOUR exemption, the No. 1 player after the Finals receives an exemption into The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass next year.

Power will return to West Waterford in a fortnight for a special celebration but he will likely play three of the four events in the Finals, which sees the top 75 money leaders from the Web.com Tour mix with the players ranked 126th to 200th on the PGA Tour.

Power is confident he can do well and even though some were surprised that he finished tied 15th in the Olympics, he’s long known that he has what it takes to mix it with the big boys.

He said: “There was nothing in particular I saw at the Olympics that makes me want to work on this or that part of my game. I just need to clean up around the edges. 

“To be honest, I had high expectations going down there. My plan was to contend for a medal and I did that pretty well but didn’t finish it off as well as I’d have liked. 

“But I had confidence in myself that I was going to be able to compete and do well there just brings it home a little bit more. 

“It’s going to feel great to have a PGA Tour card but you have got to get off to a good start to the season. There is no time to sit around enjoy it. 

“You have got to play well now in the Playoffs and immediately in the Fall Series. So there is a lot of work to be done and it is going to feel really nice.”

Power said he’s looking forward to meeting up for amateur team mates Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy but after his recent experience in Brazil, Pádraig Harrington is certain to be a regular dinner date next term.