McGinley: “Top-notch” Power has hugely impressed Luke Donald
SEAMUS POWER will make his second Masters appearance next week and Paul McGinley reckons the West Waterford man has only strengthened his Ryder Cup hand.
Group elimination by Sam Burns at last week's WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play meant he was knocked out by the eventual champion for the second year running.
But McGinley doesn't rule out a big week for him at Augusta and admits European skipper Luke Donald was even more impressed with the Tooraneena man after seeing him at the Hero Cup in January.
"We were all very, very impressed with how we hit the golf ball," McGinley said. "This guy's a different league player than he was at the Olympics in 2016. How he hits the ball, the distance he hits the ball, the confidence and body language that he's got on the golf course is in a different place.
"He's a real quality player. In terms of being a golfer, I'd say Luke would have walked away from the Hero Cup more impressed with him than anybody else.
"We all know he's a great guy and a good putter and all of that. But in terms of hitting the golf ball, I think he impressed more than anybody."
Power won just one match in Abu Dhabi, but after finishing tied 27th in the Masters, tied ninth in the US PGA and tied 12th in the US Open on his Major debuts, the European inner circle walked away from Abu Dhabi hugely impressed.
"Honestly, this guy is real top-notch," McGinley added. "You see guys having a good run and say, yeah, he's having a good run. But then you see the quality as well and you think, okay, this guy has just got to wait for the wheel to turn his way.
"He really is that good a golfer. People don't talk about how well he hits it and how long he hits it. How solid the golf ball comes off the clubface. But he's right up there with the very top players in the world.
"This run of form he's on is no fluke. It's not just good form. This is a real quality player and there is more to come.
"He was the guy that we that we came away thinking,' This guy's a much better player than we thought.' He's right in that top echelon."
On the LPGA Tour, Leona Maguire’s one-over 72 left her seven shots behind Korea’s Mi Hyang Lee in DIO Implant LA Open at Palos Verdes.
Maguire double bogeyed the second and also bogeyed the par-five 18th but birdies at the fifth and 18th left her tied 47th with Stephanie Meadow tied 135th after fighting back from an eight-over outward nine of 43 to card an opening 78.
In India, Conor Purcell's one-over 73 left him 10 shots behind Lars Van Meijel heading into the final round of The Challenge presented by KGA.
He was tied 34th on seven-under while Castle amateur Robert Moran and Rosapenna's Ruaidhri McGee were joint 50th on three-under after third-round 71s in Bangalore.
