On the night before Tuesday's final round of the men's golf Big East Championships, senior Marquette ace Mike Van Sickle had a sit-down with redshirt freshman Matt Haase and redshirt sophomore Ben Sieg. Little did he know how big of an impact his words would have.
Haase set a Big East Championship record-low by firing an 8-under 64, while Sieg shot a 4-under 68 and Van Sickle posted a 2-under 70. The three combined to help Marquette earn a second place finish and the runner-up trophy at Lake Jovita Country Club in Dade City, Fla.
Van Sickle, who entered the day tied for the lead, finished runner-up to Louisville's Adam Hadwin for the individual title. Haase placed in a tie for fifth.
"I tried to give Matt a little tip on trying to stay focused every time he pulls a club out of the bag," Van Sickle said. "I hope that was a help for him, but he played well whether or not my tip helped him at all. When I got done and found out he shot 64, I had to triple-check the scoreboard. I was like 'Wow, he just went off today.' "
While Marquette came just five strokes short of Louisville and a second consecutive title, Haase was the story on Tuesday. His record round included nine birdies, six of which came on the back nine.
"I had a really good feeling on the green," Haase said. "I really didn't hit a putt off line all day. The putter was just really going good for me."
Despite the stage and his experience level, the 6-foot-5 Medford, Wisc. native didn't seem too surprised about the record.
"It was pretty special," Haase said. "Birdieing those last three holes was pretty cool to be able to do, especially since it was the Big East Championship. It was just a special feeling."
Coach Tim Grogan said that he's seen Haase's potential before, but never anything like this.
"He's shown signs of doing it at times," he said. "The times where he's focused, he's as good as anybody. It was great for him to string it together for 18 holes."
Although Grogan was disappointed the Golden Eagles weren't able to make it back-to-back
triumphs, he was thrilled with Marquette's charge in the final round. Each Marquette scorer finished under par to help the Golden Eagles make it close after being 22 strokes down to Louisville.
"Overall, it's a disappointment. Our goal was to win the Big East and every tournament we compete in," Grogan said. "But I was most definitely happy with how we played (in the last round). I just wish it was five strokes better."
The second-place finish likely signifies the end of the season for the Golden Eagles, as they are a long shot to receive an at-large bid for one of six NCAA regional sites. However, with Van Sickle currently placed in the top-10 of the Golfstat.com rankings, he will almost assuredly earn an at-large individual invite.
He admitted he still has plenty to work on as his Marquette career comes to a close.
"My wedge game isn't where it needs to be," Van Sickle said. "I made some critical errors, so that's one thing I need to continue working on. But the more you practice, the more comfortable you feel and the more confident you get, so I just need to spend some hours chipping and putting and hitting those wedges, and I think that will be a big improvement for me."