Power finds struggle on 'tricky' front nine

Seamus Power’s round was more black and white.

The Waterford man started out early doors on the par-three 10th hole, carding back-to-back birdies at 11 and 12 and shooting par for the rest of his ‘front’ nine. 

Then he signed for a bogey straight after the turn and fritted away two more shots in the next three holes.

One last bogey, his fifth, wrapped up the day at 18.

A veritable round of two halves.

“Yeah, that was a strange one,” he said. “I didn't do a tonne wrong. I struggled on the more exposed greens on the front for sure, two three-putts from no distance and a bad tee shot off the first. Besides that, it's tricky out there. The front nine is very tricky.” 

The root of the problem? He underestimated the difference between the putting surfaces going out and those coming back. 

The latter nine, he said? Much more sheltered. The 18, obviously with its grandstand, but others courtesy of the surrounding gorse.

“The back is actually much easier to putt on, at least I thought.” 

This, he explained, is a course that “doesn’t give you much of a break”. In that, he was of a voice with so many others. Courses like Portmarnock and Lahinch offer the odd release, Royal Co. Down is more of a vice grips from start to stop.

“Two- or three-under is going to be a very good score. It's tricky because even if you hit good shots you need the right bounces. And even if you hit a good shot, at 10, 12 feet, it can be tough on certain greens.

“There's a couple of good chances that you kind of need to take and I didn't really take them, especially on the turn there. It puts you going the wrong way and obviously disappointing way to finish there. I had a couple of lovely shots and then made a mess of it.” 

Padraig Harrington was another of the early risers, and another to start his week at the par-three 10th. A two-over 73 that would likely end his hopes on day one on the PGA or Champions tours doesn’t necessarily rule him out of this race just yet.

As with so many others, it was a bit of a mixed bag for the 2007 champion. Harrington dropped some innocuous shots at holes that he played fairly well, but saved others with what he described as “some incredible up-and-downs.

“So, myself and Nick [Hojgaard]… I could have had a lost ball on No.3, is it, and I got it up-and-down. We were going over there and we were getting the clock started like, ‘okay, ready, off you go’ sort of thing.

“You're really thinking this could be a lost ball and we found it and I got up-and-down. Same on the back of six. I got a great up-and-down out of the down slope and the heavy rough. 

"The lads were suitably impressed with my ability to get it up-and-down as I was going around.”