Power: "I'd like to think I'm going to bring to the table a person who's going to win some points next year in Rome"

Seamus Power plays a shot on the 11th hole during the first round at the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. on Thursday, June 16, 2022. (Kathryn Riley/USGA)

Séamus Power believes he has the confidence to deliver Ryder Cup points for Luke Donald if he makes next year's team in Rome.

Speaking at World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba, the West Waterford man admitted getting his second tour win in Bermuda as the pre-tournament favourite was a huge confidence booster.

"Something I will take a lot of confidence from is knowing that even when the expectations and pressures are high, you can still perform," Power told Golf Channel from a windy El Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba, where he's drawn with Emiliano Grillo and US Ryder Cup star Collin Morikawa in a field that also features world No 2 Scottie Scheffler, Tony Finau and defending champion Viktor Hovland.

Asked what he could bring to the table in Rome next year should he make the team, Power had no doubts.

"Everyone's got a lot of confidence in their game and I'd like to think I'm going to bring to the table a person who is going to win some points next year in Rome," Power said.

"I'm going to be 36 by then, so you're also going to bring a bit of maturity and experience. So those things combined will hopefully be enough to get me a spot there next year and I can play a lot of good golf over the next 10 months."

Padraig Harrington pointed out on Twitter that Power could take confidence from delivering a win as the highest-ranked player in the field for last week's Butterfield Bermuda Championship.

"What a great win for Seamus," Harrington tweeted. "Never easy to win with the new expectations of being the leading player in the field. That's a new level that should bring some well-earned confidence going forward."

Power insists he feels no extra expectation now, but he was nonetheless pleased to get his second win.

"It definitely was a new one for me being the highest rank player going into the tournament," he said. "It's not something I've had before, but to be able to pull through and get the win in that situation, it's definitely new and, as he said, something I will take a lot of confidence from."

Séamus Power speaking to Golf Channel from a windy El Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba

He's fully recovered from his efforts in Bermuda and the post-tournament celebrations and feels fresh heading into an event where he was tied 11th on 14-under in his fourth appearance last year, nine shots behind Hovland.

"I was definitely feeling a little bit yesterday, but I feel back to myself today," he said. "I was lucky I was able to have some time off in the Fall. I had five weeks off after the Playoffs, so I feel very fresh and ready to go down here. Hopefully, the forecast comes through over the weekend and we're going to be able to play some golf."

As for the Ryder Cup, he believes he's got a good matchplay pedigree having played lots of matchplay as an amateur and reached the quarter-finals of the WGC Dell Match Play in Texas earlier this year.

"Austin last year was the first Matchplay I've played in over a decade," he said. "But it's the same as playing in tough conditions in that it just depends how things go and momentum can change quickly, especially in a match you can look like losing or winning and hole and something's going to happen.

"Like you can hole a shot and flip a whole match, so you've got to be on alert for that and always assume that things are going to happen and again not get flustered or don't get too far ahead of yourself. You've just got to try to win every hole that you can. It's different. It's hard to explain.

"We always had it growing up. You can have guys who can be really good players, but they're not very good match players. If you're playing against a guy and you can stand up there and knock in a 20-footer, and they have another 12 feet after you, it becomes a lot more difficult. Whereas a lot of times in strokeplay, you're not playing exactly head-to-head. So I was lucky enough to play a lot of that growing up and have some experience with it."

As for getting over the line on Sunday, he pointed to last year's maiden at the Barbasol Championship in Kentucky as key.

"For me, it was definitely the first time," he said when asked which of his two wins was tougher. "Once you get the first one under your belt, you have that confidence that you know your best golf can get it done.

"So knowing that even last week going in on Sunday morning, I felt very comfortable right from the get-go and hit some really good shots on Sunday and I definitely felt a little more at ease than I did in Kentucky last summer.

"I wasn't sure going in, but during the round, I really felt comfortable, and I just had that inner belief and confidence that I know I can get it done, and I was in a position against a lot of guys who had not been in that position, and it just gave me that extra little bit of belief, and it was just enough to get me through."