"Crazy altogether": Impressive Mark Power wins East Lake Cup
Mark Power wins the East Lake Cup
Kilkenny's Mark Power followed in the footsteps of heroes Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy by winning at the home of Bobby Jones.
The 19-year old Irish international lifted the East Lake Cup at the famed Atlanta venue, going one better than 2018 winner, sophomore Viktor Hovland, by becoming the first freshman to win the individual strokeplay title in the Golf Channel devised event.
The Wake Forest star made eight birdies in a five-under-par 67, fist-pumping as he drilled home a 12-footer for a closing birdie four and a two-shot win over Texas duo Pierceson Coody and Travis Vick.
“It’s amazing,” said Power, who explained to Golfweek that he was forced to work hard on his putting after some recent struggles. “The minute we got here this week… I have seen this place on TV so many times watching Rory and Tiger. Actually getting here was amazing but to be standing here now after winning the individual is crazy altogether.”
World No 2 Cole Hammer tied for fourth after a 70 while Power's Wake Forest team-mates Alex Fitzpatrick and Marco Steyn tied for seventh after level par 72s.
The win marks Power's first individual triumph for Wake Forest, who finished six shots behind Texas in the team standings.
He went out in two-under 34 as he mixed a bogey at the fourth with birdies at the first, fifth and sixth.
He then birdied the 10th to get to three-under, and while he double-bogeyed the 211-yard 11th, he recovered with birdies at the 12th and 14th, then picked up two more shots at the 17th and 18th.
Asked how he managed to make eight birdies on such a tough course, he told Golf Channel: “I really don’t know. After the practice round yesterday I was talking to the guys and thinking, this is a hard course. I was thinking what holes you’d call birdie holes.
“Once I started hitting greens, I started to get a really good feel on the greens and started rolling some putts good and once they started going in, I got really confident. Even the putt on the last, that 12 footer, I thought I was going to make it. When you have rounds like that I guess it is just meant to be.”
With the win, he follows in the footsteps of Scottie Scheffler (2016), Will Gordon (2017) and Hovland, who was a sophomore when he won the men's individual title last year.
The East Lake Cup was founded in partnership with the Golf Channel in 2015 and televised nationwide.
It is designed to showcase eight of the top teams from the 2019 NCAA Division I men's and women's golf national championships.
The women's division features reigning national champions Duke, 2018 national champion Arizona, as well as Wake Forest and Auburn while the men's division includes 2019 runner-up Texas, 2018 NCAA national champions Oklahoma State University as well as Wake Forest and Vanderbilt.
The individual strokeplay element was added in 2016.
Women’s Individual | Women’s Team
In the women's individual event, Duke's Ana Belac and Wake Forest's Vanessa Knecht topped the leaderboard with three-under 69s.
Wake Forest's Lauren Walsh was 16th after a 76 with Auburn's Julie McCarthy tied 19th after a 79.
There will now be a matchplay event over the next two days with Wake Forest taking on Oklahoma State - Power plays world No 21 Austin Eckroat - as Texas take on Vanderbilt.
Turing his thoughts to matchplay, Power added: “Me and Alex (Fitzpatrick) played a lot of matchplay at home in Great Britain and Ireland so we are used to it. We all like the matchplay challenge.
“You just have to beat what’s in front of you and if you are mentally strong, just don’t let anything get to you. Just maintain good composure. That’s a really important part of matchplay.
“Strokeplay is slightly different but you need to aggressive sometime and conservative others. You just have to beat what’s in front of you and try to be as steady as possible.”
In the women's matchplay event, Duke face Auburn with Forrest Little’s star McCarthy taking on Jaravee Boonchant.
Arizona meet Wake Forest with Castlewarden talent Walsh set to face Vivian Hou.
