Senior golfer Steve Marino is on a hot streak. He finished first individually at the Wofford Invitational on April 12 and 13 with a nine under par performance, leading the Cavaliers to a top place finish in the Invitational. Marino finished the ACC championship in eighth place at six under par. Marino also has made plans to play professional golf after graduating.
Marino's coach Michael Moraghan said he sees almost no limit to Marino's ability the golf course.
"He's won at every level, so there's no reason to believe he won't win in the pros," Moraghan said. "He's very streaky, very hot and cold, but that's the kind of guy that can do well in the PGA tournament."
Marino played in every tournament in his four years at Virginia. He also has the privilege of playing in the ACC, which boasts the first, second and third ranked teams nationally.
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"At the college level you play with people who go on the PGA and do well," Marino said. "It definitely helps me" prepare for the PGA.
Marino started the spring season with a cold streak that would last for several weeks. He finished the Puerto Rico Classic tied for 37th, shooting seven over par. In his next competitive outing, Marino tied for seventh in the Seminole Intercollegiate that he won last year.
"I usually don't play well at the beginning of the spring season because I don't play golf over the winter," he said. "This year it took me a bit longer to heat up than usual."
But Marino can heat up, and heat up quickly. Marino tied for second in the Birkdale Classic, hitting five under par. Although he dropped to 33rd in the Furman Intercollegiate, he resumed his hot streak at the right time at the Woford Invitational and ACC championships.
"I think the end of the season is when you want to start playing well," he said.
Marino, however, was not pleased with Virginia's seventh place finish at the ACC championships.
"I was a little disappointed," he said. "I thought we could have done a little better, but I guess it's an experience for the younger guys to build on."
Even in the best golf conference in the nation, Marino sets his sights high.
"I wanted to win, so I'm not really happy," he said. "But I didn't play terribly so I'm not really upset."
Last fall, he started the season with another great performance.
"In September, he shot 10 under par, but lost in a runoff," Moraghan said. "He and the other guy were six ahead of the third place finisher."
Marino said he plays his best golf over the summer, which proved a major factor in his September success.
"Once school started to get a little hectic, I had more trouble" with golf, Marino said.
If he can continue to enjoy hot streaks when he goes pro, he will be able to make a splash in the PGA scene. Moraghan said the PGA favors streaky players because players who get hot like Marino might wind up winning a tournament, while the consistent college golfers consistently will be in the middle of the pack.
"In order to play professionally on the PGA tour you have to shoot really low scores," Marino said. "I may not shoot those low scores all the time, but I can shoot them"
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