Wake Forest Athletics
Deacon Sports Xtra: Power Glad to be Back in the Gold and Black
6/1/2021 12:00:00 PM | Men's Golf
It's been a frenetic couple of months for Wake Forest sophomore Mark Power — who's competed with the Demon Deacons in the ACC Tournament and NCAA Cle Elum Regional in Washington, while squeezing the Walker Cup in the middle.
"It was amazing, and the most fun I've had on the golf course," Power said about his Walker Cup experience. "People say it's the pinnacle of amateur golf. I didn't know what to expect, given the circumstances of Covid and the number of fans.
"It completely lived up to what I expected. It definitely got the best of me. I ran out of steam on the last day, but it was great. It lived up to what I thought it would be."
After returning to Winston-Salem from regional play, recovery has been the focus point for Power and the Deacs as they prepare for NCAA Championship play at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. A deep run would mean six-straight days of high-stakes golf.
"It's not always physical fatigue, but mental fatigue," Power said. "If you aren't thinking correctly in a game like golf, it's really tough to perform. It can be a mental grind. Arizona is going to be a long week, but we'll have no problem adjusting."
Power made back-to-back eagles in the regional, helping push the Demon Deacons to a third-place finish as a team to earn a berth in the NCAA Championship.
"He's a real grinder who wants to do well," Wake Forest coach Jerry Haas said. "He hasn't played his best, but each tournament he gets a little bit better. He's a very conscientious, great kid who wants to play well for Wake Forest."
In interviews following the Walker Cup, Haas likened Power to what he witnessed from Will Zalatoris during his stint wearing the Old Gold & Black.
"Coach Haas has been great ever since I've arrived," Power said. "He always believed in me. He's been around so many good players. I know I have ability and can do great things, but just need to stay level-headed. Someone like Will Zalatoris is a perfect example of progressing through college."
Many of Power's friends back in Ireland count Zalatoris as one of their favorite professional golfers after his incredible second-place finish in the Masters earlier this year.
"I'm going to try to stay levelheaded and work through the same path Will took here at Wake Forest," Power said. "This golf program is perfect. I'm only a sophomore but feel like a freshman with the way last season went. I'm still learning things about myself. I have the potential to be at that level, but I just have to do as much as I can for our team until I graduate."
The Covid-19 pandemic sent all Wake Forest students off campus last March, forcing Power to return home to Ireland where his home country instituted stringent lockdown policies.
"I thought it would be just for the rest of the school year," Power said. "Ireland was hit hard. It's a small country and the health system isn't the greatest. We had some tough lockdowns and are still experiencing some of that.
"I stayed at home and couldn't get to a golf course until late May or June."
To stay fresh, Power had to devise a way to get swings in from his backyard, which was quite a challenge.
"My backyard is not big," Power said with a chuckle. "I was chipping into a bucket. Then I ordered a net off Amazon and started hitting balls into my net. I just wanted to get my body moving again. It was miniscule but was all I could do at the time."
Later in the year, he was able to enter in some tournaments in both Ireland and England and didn't return to Wake in the fall since there was no collegiate competition taking place until the spring.
"I decided not to come back in the fall, because I was told we wouldn't have any fall season," Power said. "I stayed here and did my schoolwork online. I couldn't wait to get back and I got here again in January. It's been great since we've been back. We've been busy this semester."
Former Wake Forest golfer Paul McBride is also from Ireland and referred Power to Haas.
"I ended up getting a great offer, and you can't not love the place once you get here," Power said. "I did weeks of research, but I couldn't have picked a better place. I love it here. I love my teammates, my coaches and the entire environment. This is exactly my kind of place."
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"It was amazing, and the most fun I've had on the golf course," Power said about his Walker Cup experience. "People say it's the pinnacle of amateur golf. I didn't know what to expect, given the circumstances of Covid and the number of fans.
"It completely lived up to what I expected. It definitely got the best of me. I ran out of steam on the last day, but it was great. It lived up to what I thought it would be."
After returning to Winston-Salem from regional play, recovery has been the focus point for Power and the Deacs as they prepare for NCAA Championship play at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. A deep run would mean six-straight days of high-stakes golf.
"It's not always physical fatigue, but mental fatigue," Power said. "If you aren't thinking correctly in a game like golf, it's really tough to perform. It can be a mental grind. Arizona is going to be a long week, but we'll have no problem adjusting."
Power made back-to-back eagles in the regional, helping push the Demon Deacons to a third-place finish as a team to earn a berth in the NCAA Championship.
"He's a real grinder who wants to do well," Wake Forest coach Jerry Haas said. "He hasn't played his best, but each tournament he gets a little bit better. He's a very conscientious, great kid who wants to play well for Wake Forest."
In interviews following the Walker Cup, Haas likened Power to what he witnessed from Will Zalatoris during his stint wearing the Old Gold & Black.
"Coach Haas has been great ever since I've arrived," Power said. "He always believed in me. He's been around so many good players. I know I have ability and can do great things, but just need to stay level-headed. Someone like Will Zalatoris is a perfect example of progressing through college."
Many of Power's friends back in Ireland count Zalatoris as one of their favorite professional golfers after his incredible second-place finish in the Masters earlier this year.
"I'm going to try to stay levelheaded and work through the same path Will took here at Wake Forest," Power said. "This golf program is perfect. I'm only a sophomore but feel like a freshman with the way last season went. I'm still learning things about myself. I have the potential to be at that level, but I just have to do as much as I can for our team until I graduate."
The Covid-19 pandemic sent all Wake Forest students off campus last March, forcing Power to return home to Ireland where his home country instituted stringent lockdown policies.
"I thought it would be just for the rest of the school year," Power said. "Ireland was hit hard. It's a small country and the health system isn't the greatest. We had some tough lockdowns and are still experiencing some of that.
"I stayed at home and couldn't get to a golf course until late May or June."
To stay fresh, Power had to devise a way to get swings in from his backyard, which was quite a challenge.
"My backyard is not big," Power said with a chuckle. "I was chipping into a bucket. Then I ordered a net off Amazon and started hitting balls into my net. I just wanted to get my body moving again. It was miniscule but was all I could do at the time."
Later in the year, he was able to enter in some tournaments in both Ireland and England and didn't return to Wake in the fall since there was no collegiate competition taking place until the spring.
"I decided not to come back in the fall, because I was told we wouldn't have any fall season," Power said. "I stayed here and did my schoolwork online. I couldn't wait to get back and I got here again in January. It's been great since we've been back. We've been busy this semester."
Former Wake Forest golfer Paul McBride is also from Ireland and referred Power to Haas.
"I ended up getting a great offer, and you can't not love the place once you get here," Power said. "I did weeks of research, but I couldn't have picked a better place. I love it here. I love my teammates, my coaches and the entire environment. This is exactly my kind of place."
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