The early bird catches the worm and all of that. For Séamus Power, the advantage of being the pioneer of the morning run, playing the back nine for the first time, was that he literally followed a team of USGA officials eyeing up possible pin placements and a greenkeeping duty watering the greens with mobile hoses.
Welcome to the US Open, an examination like no other; and, especially so on a sand-based course such as Pinehurst No. 2, where playing approach shots to small, upended greens provides all the surety of throwing a dollar into a one-armed bandit and waiting for whatever comes your way.
When he’d finished up the 18th, rolling up putts from the run-off area to a series of cups – circular rubber mats placed on the putting surface – Power caught the eye of Bob MacIntyre and a brief conversation ensued along the lines of how they, or anyone, would find birdies when the 124th US Open provides the questions to be answered.
There was agreement between the two. They’re be hard found. Their conclusion brought some nervous laughter. “You just look at the slope and it’s like, ‘Where are you going to hit it?’ Sometimes it happens in practice rounds where the tees are hanging off the back edges and the pins are in weird spots and you’re anticipating they’re putting the pins in the four worst places. So, not everything is going to play hard. There are going to be chances. I just think in practice rounds when you’re seeing it for the first time, it’s one of those courses that has that ominous feel to it,” said Power.
This will be Power’s third US Open – tied-12th at Brookline in 2022, a missed cut in Los Angeles Country Club last year: “I do like this one a lot more. It is tougher but it fits my eye,” he said. And, having earned his ticket to Pinehurst through the qualifying tournament, there is a sense from the Waterford man, fully recovered from the hip injury that blighted the second half of last season, that he is ready and able.
“My game is in a pretty good spot. It’s so strange. My putter was very, very cold out the gate at the start of the year, which is odd for me. That’s usually the strongest part. But my iron play so far has been the best it’s been on tour and now my putter is finally coming along.
“So, I’m actually excited about it. I’ve played some of the tougher courses recently really well. It’s just almost been very good. It’s just trying to manage around here and I think the key is going to be figuring our which pins you can get at rather than versus another one you’re hitting away from, that sort of stuff.”
A conundrum worth solving,
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