Power looking forward to big challenges ahead
SÉAMUS POWER faces a huge test on the road to Masters qualification in the Genesis Invitational but insists he’s up for the challenge at The Riviera Country Club.
The West Waterford man is now ranked 45th in the world and with the top 50 on March 28 guaranteed spots, he needs to perform against some of the strongest fields in the game over the next month to make sure of that trip down Magnolia Lane in seven weeks.
The challenge starts tomorrow with world number five Rory McIlroy and the rest of the world’s top 10, all keen to sparkle in Tinseltown.
While Power missed the cut in last week’s raucous WM Phoenix Open, he’s keen to improve on his 64th place finish at Riviera in 2019 before returning from a quick trip home for the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players.
“I do like Riviera but have only played it once, so looking forward to getting to know it more,” said Power, who said he “just didn’t get it going on the greens” in Arizona
Former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley knows Power faces at least three of the PGA Tour’s top-20 toughest courses over the next few weeks — Riviera (17th), Bay Hill (9th) and TPC Sawgrass (16th).
“What I am looking forward to from Seamus is competing when the big boys are around,” McGinley told the Sky Golf Podcast. “With all due respect, he’s performed well in these tournaments when the scoring has been low, and the fields are not particularly strong, so I am looking forward to seeing how he’s going to compete on the tough courses against strong fields.
“These top-10s he’s having have been really important as he climbs the world rankings. But starting at Riviera this week, the fields get stronger, so that will reveal a lot, and hopefully, he’s going to be up for the challenge.”
“I’m looking forward to them myself,” Power said. “My game feels in good shape, so it’s a matter of getting to know the courses and playing my game.”
To put Power’s challenge in perspective, the strength of field rating for the Genesis Invitational this week is the highest of the year at 696, compared to just 17 for Power’s Barbasol Championship win opposite The Open last July.