Power seeks Ryder Cup lifeline at Torrey Pines

Seamus Power overcame Irish-like conditions and fired a three under 69 to lie just a shot off the lead in the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines.

As Rory McIlroy was forced to dig deep to shoot a 72 and Shane Lowry fought back from three over after five holes on the South Course to post a 73, Power carded one of just three rounds in the sixties.

Bidding for a third PGA Tour win that could catapult him into the Ryder Cup conversation, the West Waterford man (37) battled wind and rain in the first group of the day to share the early lead with playing partner Patrick Rodgers.

Denny McCarthy went on to finish birdie-eagle for a 68 and a one-shot lead over Power and Rodgers, while world number one Scottie Scheffler chiselled out a 70 to share fourth.

“It's just tough, no let up,” Power said after getting up and down from sand for a closing par five after following a bogey at the second with birdies at the sixth, ninth, 15th and 17th.

“It’s nice to get in there in the 60s.”

It was only Power’s second sub par score in six trips around the feared South Course, which he says he prefers to the easier North Course.

After missing the cut in all five appearances in the Farmers Insurance Open, where they use both courses, he was pleased that the venue switch from Riviera to Torrey Pines due to the Los Angeles wildfires near Los Angeles’ meant tackling just one course.

“I've always liked the South course,” he said. “The North Course, I've struggled more on, and that's normally the opposite of guys in the tournament here. 

“One year, I shot maybe three under in the first round on the South and shot a very poor one on the North. So I was delighted to see it was just the South.”

While he dropped an early shot after tangling with the rough at the second, he made two brilliant birdie fours at the sixth and ninth.

Forced to lay up from the thick rough both times, he hit a 146-yard approach to two feet at the sixth, followed by a 130-yard third to six feet at the ninth to turn in one-under

After making a 10 footer at the 15th, he hit a wedge to two and a half feet at the 17th and then scrambled a par five from five feet at the last after hacking out of heavy rough and putting his 175 yard third into sand.

As a Las Vegas resident, Power plays little bad-weather golf these days but he knew how to stay upbeat in the conditions on the exposed bluffs north of San Diego.

“It's been a long time, obviously, since I've played a lot of golf in Ireland, but I think the mentality becomes the biggest thing,” Power said.

“It's pretty easy to get down and get a bit like mad at everything and conditions and everything is hard there today.

“You’ve somehow got to keep your keep your head in it and stay positive somehow, and, kind of get through it.

“It's not going to be easy for anyone out there, and you're trying to stay dry, you're trying to stay warm, and you're trying to hang in there as best you can.

“It's been long time since I played golf in those conditions but you know it's going to be a tough today and tomorrow, probably all four days, really.

“You know what's coming; there's no real let up. You just gotta hit some good shots. And that's the beauty of this golf course. It's right there in front of you, but you do have to hit a lot of good shots in a row, and it's, it's going to test every part of your game.”

Ranked 124th in the world and with no major starts or signature events secured beyond this week so far, he knows making Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup team is a long shot.

But he feels he will have a chance if he can win an event and make the season-ending Tour Championship for the top 30 in the FedExCup.

“Yeah, I mean, realistically for me, I’ve got to win at least one time,” Power said.

“But I feel like if you get multiple wins and get all the way to Atlanta, you know it's going to be tougher for him not to pick you.

“So I mean, that's going to be my goal. I feel if I reach a lot of my own things that I want to do, I feel like things like that will fall into place.”

McIlroy started on the back nine and three-putted the 11th from 82 feet.

But he made a 12-footer at the 18th to turn in level par, then followed a dropped shot at the first with some remarkable short gameplay.

He almost holed his 88-yard third to salvage par at the fifth, then chipped in for a birdie two at the eighth to open with a 72 that left him joint 14th.

Lowry’s short game was key as he recovered from three bogeys in a row at his third, fourth and fifth holes to shoot a 73 that left him joint 20th.

Scheffler also played well, embracing the conditions to shoot 70 and share fourth with Davis Thompson and Wyndham Clark.

“I think it's interesting,” Scheffler said. “The only other time we see weather like this would be The Open Championship and, I guess, when I practice in Dallas.

“Overall, I think it's fun, it's a different test, and I like the variety.”