Power hopes USGA doesn't "freak out" after birdie blitz in LA
Seamus Power plays his tee shot on the 12th hole during the first round of the 2023 U.S. Open at The Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles, Calif. on Thursday, June 15, 2023. (James Gilbert/USGA)
Seamus Power hopes the USGA goes not “freak out” and go into revenge mode after he matched Shane Lowry with a disappointing opening 72 in the US Open to find himself ten shots adrift of record-breakers Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele in Los Angeles.
The West Waterford man battled back from an opening bogey six and birdied the eighth and 10th to move into red figures.
But nothing went his way down the stretch and he bogeyed the 12th, 14th and 18th to share 90th with Lowry on two-over as his amateur playing partner, Belfast’s Matt McClean, shot 73.
“Yeah, I actually played better probably than I scored, which is always disappointing,” said Power after three-putting the last for a 33-putt round.
“Couple of loose shots on the par fives, couple of bad breaks. And that's kind of what happens in the US Open. A disappointing start and end but overall, not my worst.”
He’s ten strokes behind Fowler and Schauffele, who set a new major championship low by firing eight-under 62s to lead by five shots from Bryson DeChambeau, Scottie Scheffler, Korea’s Si Woo Kim and Frenchman Paul Barjon.
“Yeah, I mean, that's impressive,” Power said. “Like you could see some birdies to be had but you had got to be hitting it really well and obviously those guys were and making some putts.
“But it's good going because it's tough to make the putts, if nothing else because there is a lot of slope on the greens. Two of them, that's amazing.”
A 72 is never a bad score at a US Open and Power is hoping the USGA does not react to the low scoring of the opening morning by tricking up the course.
“I’m actually delighted with how I played today,” he said. “Everything was kind of decent. It just didn't add up properly. So that was a bit disappointing.
“But it's one of those ones. I know there's room for improvement there. And, you know, hopefully I'll get a couple of better breaks tomorrow and we'll see what happens.”
Low scores were possible on an overcast morning that brought some misty rain for a short spell. But the USGA may want to reign in the scoring on Friday.
“Yeah, I mean, it depends what to do with the course,” he said of the possibility of bouncing back with a round in the sixties.
“They have seen some low scores and they may be freak out and do something crazy.
“So hopefully that doesn't happen. But if it's set up the same, like there is definitely opportunities to be had out there.”
McClean double bogeyed the second after moving fairway bunker shot just 44 feet into the rough. But he birdied the third from nine feet, then got up and down from 102 yards for par at the fifth.
But he bogeyed the 10th, 11th and 14th and followed a birdie two at the 128-yard 15th with a bogey at the 17th to sign for a three-under 73 that left him tied for 113th.
