In 2009 the Marquette men’s golf team will have to find a way to win events without the most decorated golfer in school history.
Mike Van Sickle left Marquette with some of the school’s all-time records, including the most victories (11), rounds of par-or-better (86), and the lowest scoring average per round in a four-year career (71.69).
Last year’s team had no one within four strokes of Van Sickle’s 69.67 average. Fellow senior Dustin Schwab was closest with a 74.13 average. Of the players back from last year, junior Kelly Kretz led the team in scoring average at 74.4. Coach Tim Grogan is well aware of what the loss means for this team.
“Mike was one of the best player’s in the country last year,” Grogan said. “Any team would have trouble replacing a player of his caliber.”
Balance is what Mike McDonald — the lone senior on the team — expects Marquette to rely on for success.
“It’s going to take all five of us to make up that void,” McDonald said. “It’d be tough to make up (Van Sickle’s) score with just one guy.”
Van Sickle may be gone, but Kretz thinks the lack of a true No. 1 may not be a bad thing.
“You’re going to see different guys finishing first from tournament to tournament,” Kretz said. “It’s going to be much more balanced. Hopefully it’s a balanced 72 or 73 and not a 74 or 75.”
The team will have one new player to add to the balancing act: junior Curtis McCormac. McCormac transferred to Marquette from McLennan Community College in Texas, but a wrist injury is expected to hold McCormac out of the first two tournaments.
Grogan characterized the 6-foot-4 McCormac as a “big strong kid who can hit the ball a long way.” He expects McCormac to contribute right away, once healthy.
Of the healthy players on the team, Grogan expects junior Ben Sieg, sophomore Matt Haase and Kretz to lead the team early on in the season.
“Kelly’s track record in national and amateur tournaments suggests he could be our best golfer,” Grogan said. “Ben (Sieg) won a college tournament as a freshman, and Matt (Haas) shot a 64 in the last round of the Big East Championship last year. But it’s really going to vary week to week as to who our No. 1 will be.”
One of the players who could be a No. 1 golfer at some point is sophomore Ryan Prickette. Grogan said he is the most improved player from last year.
“Prickette is so much better off the tee this year,” Grogan said. “He has a better understanding of his swing this year, whereas last year he came in as a freshman and had a lot of trouble off the tee.”
As important as it is to hit the driver well, Kretz believes that putting is the most important part of golf.
“You win tournaments by making putts,” Kretz said. “You can go out and not hit well, but if you’re getting up and down and making some putts then you’ll still shoot around even par.”
The team will open its fall season this Monday and Tuesday against a 14-team field at the Kansas Invitational.