Seamus Power is the man for the the major occasion.
The Waterford native finished 27th in his major debut at last year's Masters, aged 35, and also went on to make the cut at the US Open and PGA Championship.
He was ninth at the USPGA, just four shots off making the play-off won by Justin Thomas, and is fine form ahead of this week's renewal at Oak Hill.
Power shot a final-round 64 to finish in the Top 20 at the Byron Nelson last Sunday and was 18th in the Wells Fargo the week before in Quail Hollow.
"My game is in a great spot," he told RTÉ Sport's Greg Allen. "It's probably the best I've ever played, recently, but it’s frustrating, results haven’t quite shown it.
"Some top 20s but I’ve not really been in contention. So I do feel very good in my game and I think that’s a good sign coming into a place like this.
"Last week, I played really nicely, just couldn’t quite get it going on the greens. Whereas this week I think you’re going to be rewarded more for some of the stuff I’ve been doing well. That’s kind of exciting.
"I don’t see any reason why I can’t put myself in a good spot on Sunday. I feel like it’s in that good a position but obviously things are still going to have to go your way."
'I've always prided myself on course management... and that's rewarded a little bit more in the majors' - Seamus Power spoke to @gregallenRTE in Rochester this week about the Oak Hill layout for the 2023 PGA Championship plus his fine performance in the majors in 2022 #rtegolf pic.twitter.com/yD5ZnPphVK
— RTEgolf (@RTEgolf) May 16, 2023
How has he gone from fighting to retain his PGA Tour Card in 2021 to making the cut in five of six major appearances?
"I have always prided myself on pretty good course management and I think that is rewarded a little bit more in a major," he suggested.
"Last week I played in Dallas and there was no hanging in there, you were just trying to make birdies every way you turn.
"But we grew up with [the situation that] sometimes even par or one under/one over are really good scores. That's a skill that is tested more in the majors, from what I’ve seen so far, and I think it’s going to be similar this week.
"It is a different skill. You’re going to be looking at pins, that on a normal week you’d go at it and this week you’re not, you’re going to hit it to 25 feet. Some guys are more comfortable with that than others.
"It’s breezy today, if it blows like this something around par is going to be a good score."
Power is now firmly established among the game's elite, currently ranked 39th in the world and in contention for a Ryder Cup spot.
"It gives you a lot of confidence," he admitted. "My game has come a long way and I do feel more and more comfortable, seeing those top guys more often and being in the same groups as them.
"It [playing in the Ryder Cup] is a huge goal. I'm never one to shy away from it. But I’m not thinking about it on the course.
"I don’t follow the exact points or know how it works but obviously playing well in a tournament like this, you know it’s going to be positive.
"Three majors coming up in the next stretch, you know that some good results can go a long way. You know it’s going to look good. These are the higher levels, more pressure, more eyeballs and I know it would go a long way."
Power is a fan of the revamped course at Oak Hill and is hoping his experiences of playing courses designed by the legendary Donald Ross stands to him in in New York.
"I love it," he said. "It’s in perfect condition. It’s going to be tough but I like it.
"I’ve been driving it really well the last few weeks and you’re going to need that there.
"I’ve always liked Donald Ross designs. I lived in Carolina for a long time so I saw a lot of that and I kind of feel comfortable, you know what to do.
"They are going to try and lure you in with some back pins but anything I know about Donald Ross, you can never hit it over a green.
"There’s still a lot of chess match to it though obviously you don’t have the trees, you have a bit more length and thicker rough. I heard there were so many trees [500] gone but it’s still beautiful looking and a really good golf course.
"You're still going to have to hit a lot of good shots. The rough is thick, the course is going to be difficult. The conditions aren't going to be great, it’s not going to be overly warm.
"It’s going to be a tiring and a good test but I think it’s going to be very enjoyable."
PGA CHAMPIONSHIP TEE TIMES
Round 1, first tee/Round 2, 10th tee
7:00am/12:25 pm (12pm/5.25pm Irish time): Shaun Micheel, Collierville, TN; Braden Shattuck, Aston, PA; Steven Alker, New Zealand
7:11 a.m./12:36 p.m.: Ben Griffin, Chapel Hill, NC; Chris French, Rockford, IL; Joel Dahmen, Scottsdale, AZ
7:22 a.m./12:47 p.m.: Wyatt Worthington II, Reynoldsburg, OH; Nico Echavarria, Colombia; Wyndham Clark, Denver, CO
7:33 a.m./12:58 p.m.: Tom Hoge, Fort Worth, TX; Ryan Fox, New Zealand; K.H. Lee, Republic of Korea
7:44 a.m./1:09 p.m.: Paul Casey, England; Adam Svensson, Canada; Beau Hossler, Mission Viejo, CA
7:55 a.m./1:20 p.m.: Zach Johnson, Cedar Rapids, IA; Kurt Kitayama, Las Vegas, NV; Sahith Theegala, Houston, TX
8:06 a.m./1:31 p.m.: Corey Conners, Canada; Ockie Strydom, South Africa; Joaquin Niemann, Chile
8:17 a.m./1:42 p.m.: Kevin Kisner, Aiken, SC; Jimmy Walker, San Antonio, TX; Padraig Harrington, Ireland
8:28 a.m./1:53 p.m.: Alex Noren, Sweden; J.T. Poston, Sea Island, GA; Mackenzie Hughes, Canada
8:39 a.m./2:04 p.m.: Lee Hodges, Athens, AL; Callum Tarren, England; David Lingmerth, Sweden
8:50 a.m./2:15 p.m.: Taylor Moore, Edmond, OK; Denny McCarthy, Jupiter, FL; Brendan Steele, Idyllwild, CA
9:01 a.m./2:26 p.m.: Jeremy Wells, Estero, FL; Justin Suh, San Jose, CA; Adri Arnaus, Spain
9:12 a.m./2:37 p.m.: Anthony Cordes, Johns Creek, GA; Mark Hubbard, The Woodlands, TX; Dean Burmester, South Africa
12:30 p.m./7:05 a.m.: Matt Cahill, Palm Beach Gardens, FL; Taylor Montgomery, Las Vegas, NV; Cam Davis, Australia
12:41 p.m./7:16 a.m.: Michael Block, Mission Viejo, CA; Hayden Buckley, Tupelo, MS; Taylor Pendrith, Canada
12:52 p.m./7:27 a.m.: Alex Beach, Stillwater, OK; Brendon Todd, Watkinsville, GA; Sihwan Kim, Las Vegas, NV
1:03 p.m./7:38 a.m.: Patrick Reed, The Woodlands, TX; Rasmus Hojgaard, Denmark; Nick Taylor, Canada
1:14 p.m./7:49 a.m.: Christiaan Bezuidenhout, South Africa; John Somers, Brooksville, FL; Chez Reavie, Scottsdale, AZ
1:25 p.m./8:00 a.m.: Tommy Fleetwood, England; Cameron Young, Scarborough, NY; Hideki Matsuyama, Japan
1:36 p.m./8:11 a.m.: Adam Scott, Australia; Max Homa, Valencia, CA; Tony Finau, Lehi, UT
1:47 p.m./8:22 a.m.: Xander Schauffele, San Diego, CA; Tyrrell Hatton, England; Dustin Johnson, Jupiter, FL
1:58 p.m./8:33 a.m.: Patrick Cantlay, Jupiter, FL; Rickie Fowler, Murrieta, CA; Phil Mickelson, Rancho Santa Fe, CA
2:09 p.m./8:44 a.m.: Alex Smalley, Greensboro, NC; Russell Henley, Columbus, GA; Mito Pereira, Chile
2:20 p.m./8:55 a.m.: Adam Hadwin, Canada; Matt Kuchar, Jupiter, FL; Talor Gooch, Edmond, OK
2:31 p.m./9:06 a.m.: Justin Rose, England; Billy Horschel, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL; Francesco Molinari, Italy
2:42 p.m./9:17 a.m.: Russell Grove, Coeur d'Alene, ID; Patrick Rodgers, Jupiter, FL; Ben Taylor, England
Round 1, 10th tee/Round 2, first tee
7:05 a.m./12:30 p.m.: Trey Mullinax, Birmingham, AL; Josh Speight, Locust Hill, VA; Kazuki Higa, Japan
7:16 a.m./12:41 p.m.: Adam Schenk, Vincennes, IN; Colin Inglis, Creswell, OR; Thriston Lawrence, South Africa
7:27 a.m./12:52 p.m.: Min Woo Lee, Australia; Andrew Putnam, University Place, WA; Emiliano Grillo, Argentina
7:38 a.m./1:03 p.m.: Harold Varner III, Gastonia, NC; Scott Stallings, Oak Ridge, TN; Nicolai Hojgaard, Denmark
7:49 a.m./1:14 p.m.: Steve Holmes, Simi Valley, CA; Adrian Otaegui, Spain; Davis Riley, Hattiesburg, MS
8:00 a.m./1:25 p.m.: Scottie Scheffler, Dallas, TX; Brooks Koepka, West Palm Beach, FL; Gary Woodland, Topeka, KS
8:11 a.m./1:36 p.m.: Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland; Justin Thomas, Louisville, KY; Collin Morikawa, La Canada, CA
8:22 a.m./1:47 p.m.: Shane Lowry, Ireland; Jordan Spieth, Dallas, TX; Viktor Hovland, Norway
8:33 a.m./1:58 p.m.: Matthew Fitzpatrick, England; Cameron Smith, Australia; Jon Rahm, Spain
8:44 a.m./2:09 p.m.: Luke Donald, England; Adrian Meronk, Poland; Yannik Paul, Germany
8:55 a.m./2:20 p.m.: Kenny Pigman, Norco, CA; Davis Thompson, St. Simons Island, GA; Maverick McNealy, Las Vegas, NV
9:06 a.m./2:31 p.m.: Keegan Bradley, Woodstock, VT; Jason Day, Australia; Bryson DeChambeau, Dallas, TX
9:17 a.m./2:42 p.m.: Jesse Droemer, Houston, TX; Matt NeSmith, Aiken, SC; Rikuya Hoshino, Japan
12:25 p.m./7:00 a.m.: Sam Ryder, Longwood, FL; Gabe Reynolds, Dallas, TX; Brandon Wu, Scarsdale, NY
12:36 p.m./7:11 a.m.: Sadom Kaewkanjana, Thailand; Ben Kern, Grove City, OH; Thorbjorn Olesen, Denmark
12:47 p.m./7:22 a.m.: Webb Simpson, Charlotte, NC; Y.E. Yang, Republic of Korea; Danny Willett, England
12:58 p.m./7:33 a.m.: Sepp Straka, Austria; Harris English, Sea Island, GA; Robert Macintyre, Scotland
1:09 p.m./7:44 a.m.: Thomas Pieters, Belgium; Keith Mitchell, St. Simons Island, GA; Pablo Larrazabal, Spain
1:20 p.m./7:55 a.m.: Lucas Herbert, Australia; Brian Harman, St. Simons Island, GA; Callum Shinkwin, England
1:31 p.m./8:06 a.m.: Tom Kim, Republic of Korea; Sam Burns, Shreveport, LA; Abraham Ancer, Mexico
1:42 p.m./8:17 a.m.: Sungjae Im, Republic of Korea; Chris Kirk, Athena, GA; Seamus Power, Ireland
1:53 p.m./8:28 a.m.: Si Woo Kim, Republic of Korea; Stephan Jaeger, Chattanooga, TN; Anirban Lahiri, India
2:04 p.m./8:39 a.m.: Victor Perez, France; Aaron Wise, Ellerbe, NC; Jordan Smith, England
2:15 p.m./8:50 a.m.: Chris Sanger, Red Hook, NY; J.J. Spaun, Scottsdale, AZ; David Micheluzzi, Australia
2:26 p.m./9:01 a.m.: Thomas Detry, Belgium; J.J. Killeen, Lubbock, TX; Matt Wallace, England
2:37 p.m./9:12 a.m.: Nick Hardy, Northbrook, IL; Greg Koch, Orlando, FL; Eric Cole, Delray Beach, FL
