Marino's steady climb reaches East Lake

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Less than four years ago, Steve Marino was making a great living as a professional golfer.

Or so he thought.

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Wouldn't you like to be single, in your mid-20s, earning close to six figures a year for playing a game? That's where Marino was -- a dominant mini-tour player whose biggest score came when he cashed a $60,000 check for winning the Gateway Tour Championship.

But Marino, who slightly resembles Clint Eastwood with his ever-present five-o'clock shadow, knew he was fighting the wrong battle. So he gave up his somewhat cushy life of the mini-tours to try and do something many attempt but few succeed: To Monday qualify.

Not on the PGA TOUR, mind you, but on the Nationwide Tour.

"Even though I had no status on the Nationwide Tour at the time, I knew it was the right thing to do," Marino said Monday. "I didn't want to be one of those guys who played on the mini-tours for 10-to-12 years and never made it."

Look at where Marino spent his Monday this week -- practicing for THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola -- and it's easy to see Marino has made it. He's one of 10 players to qualify for their first TOUR Championship and all the perks that go with it.

Marino wasn't even asked that question Monday as he was leaving East Lake before he spoke of what this week means to him.

"I get to play in the Masters for the first time," Marino said, "and I don't have to qualify for the U.S. Open and the British Open. Making THE TOUR Championship was a big goal of mine this year, so I'm proud of what I've accomplished."

He should be. Few players have come as far as he has in the last three years, and even fewer have continued to show an upward climb.

Marino's gamble to try to Monday-qualify his way on the Nationwide Tour paid off with five top-10 finishes in 2006. That gave him the confidence to make it through the PGA TOUR's Qualifying Tournament that fall by finishing tied for eighth.

As a rookie, he played alongside Michelle Wie in his first start, easily made the cut and posted his first top-10 by his fifth event. He ranked 80th in 2007 with earnings of $1.18 million.

Last season saw more improvement, with Marino recording a runner-up finish, two thirds and six top-10s to surpass $2 million in earnings and rank 34th on the money list.

This year he lost in a playoff to Steve Stricker at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, played alongside Tom Watson in the final group on Saturday at the British Open and posted three other top-10s. He qualified for East Lake by ranking 25th in the FedExCup standings, earning almost $2 million.

"I feel like I've played more consistent this year," Marino said. "I'm getting myself in position to win more often. I feel like every week I show up, I have a chance to win."

The fact he hasn't won in 90 starts on the PGA TOUR the last three seasons is about the only omission on Marino's playing record. He ranks 10th this year in scoring average (69.91), second in birdies (345) and 13th in greens in regulation (68.4 percent).

If there's a blemish on his season it's been his scoring in the critical fourth round. While he ranks in the top 20 in scoring for each of the first three rounds, he's 66th in the final round at 70.72. That stat alone explains why he's yet to raise a trophy on the PGA TOUR.

"It's tough to win out here," Marino said. "A lot of things have to go your way. I felt like I got a bad bounce at 18 at New Orleans (where he finished T5), I kept hitting good putts at Colonial that kept burning the edge and I felt good at The Barclays until I had one bad hole (he finished T15 after a 77)."

At least Marino is coming close, giving himself opportunities to win. Whether you're Tiger Woods or Willie Wood, that's all you ever want as a golfer.

But as sports psychologists like to say, it's more about the journey than the final destination. Marino's most pleasant memories of 2009 will not be of numbers he wrote on his scorecard.

"Getting to play alongside Tom Watson that Saturday at the British Open, was special," Marino said. "But what I'll probably remember most is getting into the playoff at Colonial. My mom grew up just off that course, and she always wanted me to play in that tournament."

Marino arrives at East Lake on a bit of a roll. He has finished in the top 20 in three of his last four starts and has a 63, a 65, a 66 and a 67 in his last 16 rounds.

He knows how a special year can turn into a spectacular year with a victory this week at East Lake. Less than four years removed from Monday qualifying on a tour where he had no status, Marino has shown he now belongs among the game's top players.

"One of these days," he says, "it's going to be my time to win."

And soon.

Craig Dolch is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.