When Steve Marino stepped onto the 18th tee in the final round of the AT&T National Pro-Am, he was two shots back with a par five to play. He wouldn’t know it at the time, but there hadn’t been an eagle on the hole all day; but nonetheless, he’s thinking eagle to tie. It’s exactly what he should have been thinking. It’s after his tee shot that it all goes sideways.
Marino blocked his tee shot into the right-side fairway bunker, making it certain that he wouldn't get home in two. So eagle was instantly out of the question. No doubt Marino spent that walk down the famed 18th hole producing enough steam to boil Still Water Cove; but what he should have been doing was planning for a second place finish and an extra 400 grand. Instead, he wedged out and then tried to hit a two hundred yard four iron to a pin tucked behind a bunker. What happened was he hit the ball into Still Water Cove, took a drop, hit it on in five, and three putted for triple bogey. He said later that he was trying to win, but the question is why? What were the chances of holing out for eagle from two hundred yards out with that particular pin placement? A near impossibility is what it was.
Once Marino hit in the fairway bunker, he should have been thinking PAR. PAR equals to more money, PAR equals more fedex cup points, PAR means qualifying for more tournaments, and PAR means playing for more money. Also, last year to keep your PGA tour card for the 2011 season, you had to make almost $800,000. To date, Marino has made almost $500,000. So par, also would have meant locking up his tour card for the 2012 season. Next time Marino should be thinking like Michael and not Sonny.
1 | D.A. Points | 63 | 70 | 71 | 67 | 27 | $1,134,000.00 |
2 | Hunter Mahan | 70 | 67 | 70 | 66 | 273 | $680,400.00 |
3 | Tom Gillis | 67 | 68 | 70 | 70 | 275 | $428,400.00 |
T4 | Spencer Levin | 71 | 68 | 67 | 70 | 276 | $277,200.00 |
T4 | Steve Marino | 65 | 66 | 71 | 74 | 276 | $277,200.00 |
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