Ireland’s Seamus Power carded a superb seven-under-par 65 to claim a share of second place at the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Mississippi.
The PGA Tour rookie registered seven birdies and trails Kevin Streelman of the United States by just two shots.
Taking advantage of ideal conditions on a steamy day of low scoring at the Country Club of Jackson, Streelman mixed 10 birdies with a lone bogey to soar to the top of the leaderboard.
Swede Carl Pettersson holed out from 162 yards to eagle the par-four 16th en route to a 65 alongside Power and American Trey Mullinax.
Former US Open champion Lucas Glover was one of seven players on 66.
Speaking after his first round, Power told PGA Tour.com: “Your goal is to win, so you’ve definitely thought about it, but there’s no FedExCup points given out on Thursdays. It’s a nice start, but there’s a long ways to go.”
The 29-year-old believes the experience of representing Ireland at Rio 2016, where he finished tied for 15th, has been of huge benefit to his development.
Rookie Seamus Power leads in Mississippi.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 27, 2016
His dad worked two jobs to help support his golf dreams. https://t.co/4grHQLaRO6 pic.twitter.com/pBvsjmn6c2
“It’s nice to play with some of the top players in the world in an event, and it gives you a little bit of inner confidence just knowing that you’ve played with these guys,” the Waterford man said.
“It makes me feel a little more comfortable knowing that I’ve already played on a big stage with some of these guys.”
Power has also been buoyed by seeing the success a number of familiar faces have enjoyed in recent seasons, including Peter Malnati, who won here last season.
“I played with him on the Web.com in 2015 and then he comes out here and wins,” Power said.
“Smylie Kaufman won in Las Vegas, and all of a sudden, you’re like ‘they’re the same guys we played with all year, and they’re obviously good enough to compete on the PGA Tour’.
“It kind of hits home that the gap isn’t that big, as long as you can produce your golf on a big stage.”
