Seamus Power on 'scary' injury and Irish Open and Ryder Cup hopes

SCARY INJURY: Seamus Power during a media conference after his round in the Pro Am before the Amgen Irish Open. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Seamus Power has opened up about just how “scary” his hip injury was last year.

The Waterford man tried to play through the pain barrier before withdrawing from July’s 2023 Scottish Open. He ultimately missed a four-month swathe of the calendar year.

“I got the MRI and got the diagnosis,” he explained ahead of the Amgen Irish Open.

“There was nothing massively torn so I thought that was good news, but then I came back in January after months and months of rehab and it wasn't right at all.

“Twelve holes I think into Maui, I was limping up the fairway. That was the first moment it was scary. You kind of start to wonder how far is this going to drag on for because you know it's a pretty condensed schedule now.”

His national open was among the tournaments that had to press on without him as he rested and recuperated. He is hoping to channel that “hurt” into a win here that would mean far more than any other regular tour event on either side of The Pond.

“During the season, if I'm playing in the US, most of them don't mean a whole lot to me. It's just your job … but this one, the people you care about are going to be following and you have Irish fans and stuff and you want to play well for them.

“Golf is such a popular sport in Ireland. Irish people in general are very, very proud, and it would be such a huge honour to get up and be in an exciting part of the tournament. That's where the pressure for me comes from.”

He’s not 100% fit as it stands. A left arm issue is an ongoing thing but he has felt better in the last six-to-eight weeks than at any time in the last few years. Injury cost him any shot at the last Ryder Cup. The next one is dangling up there as a carrot.

Staying inside the top 60 on the PGA Tour is the immediate base-level ambition but changes to the Ryder Cup qualification parameters for Team Europe would seem to suit Power as they add more weight to elite PGA Tour events in the US where he plays most of his golf.

“It did seem to be a little bit more skewed towards guys playing in America at first glance, but these events in Europe in the second-half of the season are going to count, too,” said the 37-year old.

“I'm not entirely sure. I feel like if I get back to my form, I'll have a good chance and I'll play Europe some, and I'll obviously play a lot in America and maybe kind of see what happens, but it's going to be a huge goal.

“Every golfer from Europe dreams of playing in Ryder Cup and you know it's going to be a nasty atmosphere in New York, and it's going to be difficult. It's going to be one of the most difficult places for an away team in history.”