Struggling, Seamus Power superbly muscled his way to a lowest round all season with a five-under par 67 to join Rory McIlroy in playing all four rounds of the Players Championship at Ponte Vedre in Florida

The West Waterford golfer leap-frogged 65 places to move into a share of 39^th place at three-under and two shots inside the one-under par cut-off mark.

Power is contesting the event for a first occasion and in what is the richest event he’s contested but after an opening level par 72 he needed something special to be assured of playing all four rounds.

In starting with a double-bogey ‘6’, and where he sent his opening tee shot at the 10^th hole well right into trees, it looked then that the very affable Irishman may be headed for a ninth missed cut in 11 events in this his rookie PGA Tour season.

Seamus Power looking pretty pleased with himself. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)

However, Power lived-up to his surname birding four of the next seven holes, and none better than holing a six-footer at the famed par-3 17^th.

Power stormed into his back nine birdieing both the first and second holes, including landing his 101-yard wedge shot at his 10^th to just five inches for easiest of birdies.

He moved to five-under for the round in holing a monster 37-footer at the par-4 fifth that Power was playing as his 14^th.

A bogey followed at the next but Power was not to be denied and ending a brilliant display in sending a 90-yard third shot wedge at this last hole, the par-5 ninth to just four-feet for his round of 67.

The 32-year old had played just 27 rounds in his 11 events this 2018/19 wraparound season and only twice, and that is with two 68s in finishing T11t in last October’s Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi.

Now Power is competing over the weekend in the richest tournament in golf and staring also at possibly the biggest prize cheque in his career.

“I haven’t been doing the simple things like getting it in the fairway and hitting greens,” he said on the eve of the event to colleague, Adam Schupak in an article he wrote for The Examiner.

“I haven’t been having birdie opportunities, at all.”

Power began the New Year working with esteemed Irish pro Justin Parsons, who is based in Georgia after a long tenure in Dubai. Parsons, a Butch Harmon disciple, has worked with the likes of Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel and Peter Uihlein. They met on the range at Riviera Country Club during the Genesis Open in February.

Funnily enough, the Genesis was the first cut Power made in 2019 and with the Irishman playing the third round in the company of Major champions, Ernie Els and Sergio Garcia.

“It’s very simple stuff,” added Power.  “He’s given me a lot of knowledge on how the body works.”

Sadly,  Shane Lowry was headed home early in missing the cut with scores of 73 and 74 for a three-over total

Lowry was even par for his round heading to the last where he found the water off the tee in taking a double-bogey ‘6’.

After the euphoria of winning his first event of the New Year in Abu Dhabi, Lowry has now missed the cut in three of four events Stateside.