Kilkenny's Mark Power turns Pro ahead of Horizon Irish Open

Mark Power will tee off at the Horizon Irish Open at the K Club this lunchtime and when he does it will be his first competitive shot as a professional golfer.

The Kilkenny native departed the amateur scene last weekend at the Walker Cup but not without a bang as despite Great Britain and Ireland going down to the USA, Power still held his head high when leaving as the leading scorer on the home team with three points from a possible four.

It was Power's second appearance in the Walker Cup and after a stellar amateur career, the 22 year old is now ready to take the next step on the ladder.

The former US College student has been in the fortunate position of being able to compete in the last two Irish Open's at Mount Juliet and he will again be in the local and national spotlight over the next few days after receiving the call-up for this week's tournament from sponsors Horizon.

Power will take to the course that staged the 2006 Ryder Cup at 1.10pm alongside Belgium's Nicolas Colsaerts and England's Alex Fitzpatrick as he aims to make an immediate impact in his maiden tournament as a professional.