Power looking to form "strong partnership" with Lowry in Hero Cup

Seamus Power, the touring professional for The K Club. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

SÉAMUS POWER admits he's "excited" to be named alongside Shane Lowry and believes they'd form a formidable partnership for Great Britain and Ireland in January’s inaugural Hero Cup in Abu Dhabi.

Power and Lowry were among the 18 players names by European Ryder Cup skipper Luke Donald and Hero Cup captains Tommy Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari for the match between GB&I and Continental Europe at Abu Dhabi Golf Club from January 13-15.

"It's amazing to be named in it," said Power (35), who has won twice on the PGA Tour since July 2021, rising from outside the top 500 in the world just 29 months ago to a career-high of 28th. "I haven't been a part of anything like this before, but it will be incredible to meet everyone and represent my team.

"I'd love to play with Shane. With the golf he has played this year and knowing his game, I think we would make a strong partnership. But I would be very happy to be matched up with anyone really."

Donald announced nine players on each side with the final two spots on each team to be announced following the conclusion of the DP World Tour calendar year in three weeks.

"Having the experience of Shane and Tyrrell will be invaluable for the rest of the team in a match play environment, but I think we are really strong throughout the team," Fleetwood said. "We have proven winners in some of the biggest DP World Tour events and it will be great to have Séamus with us following his excellent start to the season in America."

Power and Lowry, ranked 20th in the world ahead of his season-ending appearance in Tiger Woods' Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas this week, will be joined by DP World Tour winners Ewen Ferguson, Robert MacIntyre, Callum Shinkwin, Jordan Smith and Matt Wallace.

The Irish duo will remain in Abu Dhabi to compete in the following week's Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links, where Belgium's Thomas Pieters defends.

Pieters, one of three Ryder Cup players in the Continental Europe team alongside Molinari and Sweden's Alex Noren, is joined by Austria's Sepp Straka, Rasmus Højgaard, Victor Perez and Horizon Irish Open winner Adrian Meronk.

Power, who has gone first-third-fifth in his first three starts of the 2022-23 PGA Tour season to top the FedEx Cup standings, will start 2023 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions before playing the Hero Cup and the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the WM Phoenix Open and the Genesis Invitational at Riviera.

Power hopes to get home for a few days over Christmas and he’s sure to congratulate West Waterford clubmate Gary Hurley, who emerged from nowhere to win his DP World Tour card this year.

“Unreal from Gary,” Power said. “He’s played lovely golf all year and seems to be playing with huge confidence. It shows a lot! I couldn’t be happier for him.”