Séamus Power was inspired by Liverpool’s Champions League success as he shot a best-of-the-day 65 on the tough South Course to get off to a flying start in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.
As Brooks Koepka returned to PGA Tour action with a lacklustre 73 at the former US Open venue, Power rolled in 160 feet of putts and birdied his last three holes en route to a seven-under round that left him just three shots off the lead.
Justin Rose (45) rolled back the years and blasted a 10-under 62 on the easier North Course to lead by a shot from Justin Lower, who also played the North.
But now that he’s injury-free and sharp again after finally getting in a proper run of off-season practice, Power (38) believes he’s got the game again to play his way back into the megabucks Signature Events.
“I scored well today,” beamed the West Waterford man, who was tied for fifth after making eight birdies at the tougher of the two San Diego courses.
“I putted very, very well. Actually, I was a little off with some of my ball-striking—I’m struggling on left-to-right winds—but I was able to manage it enough, and then obviously birdieing the last three was huge.
.“I always say when you break 70 around that course, you’re doing a lot of things right, so obviously, 65, very happy with the start, and hopefully I get after it and continue there tomorrow on the North.”
Power battled injuries in 2024 and 2025 and after finishing outside the top 100 in the FedExCup last season, he’s on the outside looking in when it comes to the Majors and the big money Signature Events.
But he believes he’s getting his confidence back and has the sharpness to make hay and potentially play his way into the big-time tournaments again, as long as he remains patient.
“It’s been a strange couple of years for me,” said the Tooraneena native, who birdied all four par-threes in a round where his only dropped shot in a brilliant putting display was a long-range three-putt at the fourth that erased his birdie two at the third.
“Starting at the Sony, it was the first year in three years I was actually able to practice in the offseason, just with injuries and all this kind of stuff.
“So it was great to come out and feel like the game is already in a good spot, instead of trying to find it out here, because it’s tough if you don’t have your A game out here and you’re trying to find it.
“There are so many good players and tough golf courses. So it’s nice to be sharp and ready to go. And I think that’s the biggest thing.
“Otherwise, you’re knocking your confidence here and there, whereas I’m kind of feeling like I am building in the other direction. So I’m very happy with everything.”
After making birdies at the sixth and par-three eighth, Power birdied the 10th and rolled in a monster 52-footer for a two at the 11th before following another birdie two at the 16th with two more birdies to finish.
As an avid Reds fan, he admitted he was inspired by Liverpool’s 6-0 Champions League win over Qarabağ in midweek
“Absolutely, yes, it was (an inspiration),” he grinned. “We needed it! So it was great to see them into the last 16 there.”
As for his four birdie twos, he’s only the fifth player to birdie all four on the South Course since 1983.
“It was funny, because at the start, I was hitting it really well and not making the putts,” Power said.
“I mean, they’re not easy par threes out here, so it was fantastic. My college coach always said twos add up very slowly on the scorecard, so that helped a lot there.”
While scoring is always lower on the North Course, Power has struggled to play well there and hopes to buck that trend today.
“It’s more of the same,” he said of his game plan. “You definitely have some more obvious birdie opportunities on that side, but you still have to hit the fairways.
“Hopefully, I can get in the right spots to give myself some chances again.”
As for his schedule, which remains ill-defined after he failed to make the top 100 in the FedEx Cup who are exempt most weeks, he believes he’s going to have to be patient, put his head down and hope good golf sorts it out.
“I’m not great at this because in my first couple of years, I was in the Elevated Events, so I didn’t pay a lot of attention,” he confessed, adding that he may have to win this week to have a chance of qualifying for next week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the first of eight Signature Events.
“So I don’t quite know how it works, but look, if I play well, I think it’s going mean good things.
“I think I’m looking pretty good for the Cognizant Classic and then Puerto Rico the week after, and then it’s going to be more of the same from there.
“Maybe I can play my way into The Players, or Bay Hill, but I haven’t really looked past that, because the numbers are tricky with the new setup of the tour.
“I’m hoping to maybe get into Valspar, Houston and San Antonio. If I get one or two of those, that would be great. Once I get to 144, I think I should be good for the rest of the summer, so we’ll see.
“The cool thing is, my game is a good spot, so I feel like it’s easier to be patient.”
As for former LIV star Koepka, the Floridian admitted he was nervous on his PGA Tour return and while he missed too many fairways to give himself chances to make birdies, he enjoyed the crowd and felt his first tee nerves were a good thing.
“Just because I care,” he said of his reason for being nervous. “I think I’ve fallen back in love with the game.
“And honestly, watching my son play a little bit and wanting to be able to see him watch me, or I guess want him to watch me play well and realise how much this game’s given me, how fun it is and how cool it is to just be out here.”
