Opportunity knocks for Mark Power at this week’s Amgen Irish Open at Royal County Down in more ways than one. Twelve months ago, the Kilkenny man had barely wiped the tears from his face after an emotional ending to his amateur career at the Walker Cup when he rocked up to the K Club for his professional debut at the Irish Open.
Power impressed with a 33rd place finish and a cheque for over €40,000. Unfortunately, a DP World Tour card at Q-School was not forthcoming, meaning he has had to take the long road towards the top level and a return to Royal County Down this week offers a chance for him to take stock of his first twelve months as a professional.
“My very first pro event at the K Club, one of the big DP World Tour events, I picked up a nice paycheque and thought ‘wow this is brilliant’,” laughs Power.
“And soon realised how tough it is and how good the standard is out here on the Challenge Tour.
“That first event was on the main tour but there is very little difference – the standard is very good – but it’s good to see progress when you keep practicing hard and it’s been a good start. I’m learning lots.”
Power has been learning how to deal with pressure and he overcame another hurdle at the recent Irish Challenge when he carded a final round of 70 to finish in 11th place and secure a place in the Irish Open as the leading Irishman.
“Just learning to deal with different pressure situations. Learning what it’s like to be around the cut line on a Friday – that’s probably the most stressful part of the week. Playing on Sundays are actually quite easy, playing on Friday is the stressful part when you’re just trying to get there, because if you have a chance going into the weekend you can make up ground so it’s about being patient and trying not to skip ahead. And I can be impatient at the best of times on the golf course, looking ahead, so I try to catch myself when I do that and stay in the present.”
There is more to being a touring professional than on-course performances. The 24-year-old has been learning to operate as his own business, planning for tournaments, preparing correctly and dealing with the change in mentality from being one of the top dogs at amateur golf to being a puppy in the pros. He’s starting from the bottom and looking to work his way up.
“We’re on the road a lot with hotels and the like, so you just have to stretch a lot. I have a pretty good routine with what I need in terms of getting the best out of my body, so I’m just trying so stay consistent,” Power explains.
“It’s definitely different. I suppose I was one of the best Great Britain and Ireland players when I turned professional so there was a bit more expectation on my shoulders. But when you start your professional career, you are down at the bottom and have to work your way up.
“I embrace that challenge, you still have to do the same things right, you still have to work hard and it’s a different mindset, but I am enjoying it so far.”
Admittedly it has been a tough learning curve for Power, but golf is all he has ever wanted to do.
Power can list off a catalogue of memories from watching the European Tour as a child in the family living room, but it’s not just silhouettes from the television that gave him inspiration. His parents, Eddie and Eileen Rose both won Irish Close Championships.
“My mum and dad were both Irish champions, so I just grew up with golf all around the house and different trophies, so I just got into it naturally,” Power says. “I was never pushed into it, it was very much a case of if you like it, play it.
“I played a bunch of sports growing up, I was probably best at golf, so I just stuck with it. Being from Kilkenny I did play some hurling until I was getting too many whacks and realised it wouldn’t be the best thing for golf. I still follow it a lot but it was hard to mix the two.”
The Challenge Tour is not a tour you want to stay on for too long and at the time of writing, Power is ranked 111th on the Road to Mallorca Rankings with his goal set on securing a full card on Europe’s second tier before Q-School in November. The former Wake Forest student feels indebted to his sponsors for helping him through his first season as a professional and believes Irish players are in a very fortunate position compared to other countries.
“Especially starting out, it’s tough and travelling from week to week is definitely not cheap, but just to have some support starting off is great, because the last thing you want to be thinking about standing over putts, is ‘how much money this is worth!’ You must try to stay relaxed out there.
“It’s great though, Irish companies are great to get behind our own and we are lucky in that regard because it’s definitely not the case in other countries.
“Mum and Dad have come to a few events as well, which is really nice. I got into the Open de Bretagne in France on the Tuesday night a few weeks ago and we arrived on the Wednesday morning. Mam came with me and did all the driving and told me to sit back in the car and relax; my girlfriend travels as well so I can’t complain – she would be giving out to me if I left her out!”
The outlook for Irish men’s professional golf in Europe is a sticky one. Tom McKibbin is in a good position to earn a PGA Tour card next year but there is hope that Conor Purcell will secure his DP World Tour card via the Challenge Tour rankings at the end of the season.
Power left amateur golf as the top scorer for Great Britain and Ireland for the second successive Walker Cup and has been tipped to make the grade at DP World Tour level and beyond.
Power admits he probably didn’t get the individual wins his amateur career warranted but he bowed out at the very top at St Andrews last year.
“I’d say it was the first time I cried on the golf course since I was about 10 for different reasons. It was extremely emotional to finish my amateur career at the Home of Golf and to finish as the leading points scorer for GB&I was great. Coming up the last couple of holes at St Andrews is very special but to do it for GB&I, and your country was just amazing.
“It hit me at the very end that I have parked one side of my golfing career and another side has begun. It was just a whirlwind of emotions, and I quickly snapped back into reality when I started off my pro career at the K Club. I started off brilliantly so hopefully I can keep that going, hasn’t been the fastest professional start but I am building on something.
“I went to college in America at Wake Forest University which is a good golfing school and that prepared us for what is ahead even though you don’t really know what that’s going to be like. I do feel it has helped. I’m good at looking after my time schedules.
“I enjoyed amateur golf when I was there but there are a bunch of Irish on tour and we have great craic in the dining halls. Even travelling around, we all stay together generally, and I am starting to integrate myself into the Irish squad a bit and some of the older guys have looked after me with a few bits of advice but I suppose it’s not as friendly as amateur golf we are still trying to beat each other.”
Power is eager to learn from his peers with Pádraig Harrington taking a particular interest in him.
“Harrington definitely likes to take the young lads under his wing,” he explained, “and when you get him talking about golf it’s hard to get him to stop! He has so much knowledge that if you can take a couple of percent of what he says to you it’s brilliant. Playing practice rounds with Jonny Caldwell, Gary Hurley, guys who have been around and done it so it’s just great to see how they do things as well.”
Royal County Down will be Power’s fifth appearance at his home event and over the next twelve months his goal is to make dining at the top table of European golf a regular occurrence.