Marino shows signs of PGA TOUR superstardom
By Craig Dolch, PGATOUR.COM Contributor
It was just the first step, but it showed how far Steve Marino's journey on the PGA TOUR would last.
In his first tournament as a card-carrying PGA TOUR member in 2007, Marino found himself paired with media sensation Michelle Wie at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Unlike many players, Marino couldn't have been happier.
"There were a lot of rookies I know who were praying they wouldn't get paired with her, because they dreaded it," Marino said after he made the cut and finished 34th. "I welcomed it, because I knew playing well with that kind of attention was only going to help my game."
Marino showed again last Sunday he doesn't wince from the spotlight. Using a third-round 62 -- the low round of his two-year TOUR career -- to vault into contention, Marino found himself dueling partner Tim Clark for most of the back nine at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. Marino never made a mistake, but he never made a putt, settling for all pars on the back nine and eventually losing to Steve Stricker on the second playoff hole.
Afterward, Marino had to make one of those glass is half full/half empty decisions. A victory, coming at a course just two blocks from where his mother grew up, would have been a sentimental and psychological boost far beyond the seven-figure first prize. Yet, how can a guy be too bummed about his fourth top-three finish in just his 81st career TOUR start?
He can't be.
"I feel good about it," Marino said Monday. "I played well all week. Things didn't work out for me in the playoff. If more putts had fallen, it would have been my tournament. But it just wasn't my time."
That last thought says so much about the moment. Golf almost always provides some entertaining twist. Who would have given Stricker a chance after he missed another short putt, this time at the 16th hole, to fall two shots behind Clark? Stricker missed the 17th green from the fairway with a wedge -- but then chipped in for an unlikely birdie that got him into the playoff.
"When you win, those are the kind of things that happen," Marino said of Stricker's chip-in. "I just have to keep putting myself in those kind of situations."
Marino seemed to enjoy the moment. CBS announcer Gary McCord noticed Marino's brisk stride and said it was obvious he couldn't wait to get to the next hole, the next shot.
"There were times when I wasn't even using a yardage book," Marino said. "I was just feeling it."
The tie for second moved Marino into 22nd place in the FedExCup standings, virtually assuring him a prime spot when the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup begin this fall. Marino's game is such that swing coach Matt Messer says he's on "auto-pilot."
"He's put himself in good situations and risen to the challenge each time," said Messer, the Director of Instruction at Bear Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach. "Other guys, they get in that (contending) situation and they can fade pretty quick. He's proven he can handle it."
Other than the Wie pairing, Marino felt like his "I've arrived" moment on the PGA TOUR came at last year's Mayakoba Golf Classic, where he finished second to Brian Gay. Marino didn't make a bogey over his last 36 holes while shooting 130 (64-66).
"I put some heat on Brian, but he was just too far ahead," Marino said. "That proved to me I could play well when I was in contention."
Marino has made great strides with his home-made swing. Three years ago, he was Monday qualifying his way onto the Nationwide Tour while playing the Gateway Tour in South Florida. He prepped for q-school by winning the Gateway Tour Championship, thanks to a third-round 59.
Messer started working with Marino not long after Marino had a decent career at the University of Virginia. Messer, a former long-snapper for the Georgia Bulldogs football team, didn't want to make major changes.
"You can walk up and down the range of the Nationwide Tour, and it looks like a Xerox machine -- everyone is swinging the same way," Messer said. "Steve has his own way. We built some things in his swing that we think make it work. I think a lot of vets like the fact they see some of their own swings in Steve's."
Marino's game is built on consistency. He has missed just 20 career cuts and has finished in the top 25 in half of his 16 starts this year. He ranks 14th on the PGA TOUR in greens in regulation (69.3 percent) and he's 32nd in driving distance (294.6 yards). One stat that really stands out, however: He's 16th in final-round scoring (69.4).
"I'm telling you, when some of his putts start to fall, Steve is going to win, win, win," Messer said.
That first victory could come this week at the Memorial Tournament. Remember, this is a journey still in his early stages. Marino may be 29, but he's played in just three majors, making the cut at last year's PGA Championship.
"The most important thing is I've continued to improve," Marino said. "I think that's pretty much true in golf as well as anything."
Not much more improving to do when you finish second.
Craig Dolch is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.
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