Van Sickle Wins Chuck Deardorff Memorial Open
8/15/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Aug. 15, 2007
LANCASTER, Pa. - LANCASTER, Pa. -- Marquette junior Mike Van Sickle won the 91st Chuck Deardorff Memorial Open Championship, the state open championship of Pennsylvania. He finished the 54 holes with a 7-under, 203 and became the second straight amateur to win the tournament, which is often loaded with professional golfers.
"This is his biggest and most impressive accomplishment in his already stellar career," said Tim Grogan, Marquette head golf coach. "To win as an amateur in a field of professional golfers is a really big thing."
Van Sickle won the event by two strokes. He held a one-shot lead heading into the final hole, where he sank a 20-foot birdie putt to win by the final margin. The lengthy putt capped a perfect day for Van Sickle, finishing the final round with a 65. He was two strokes better than second-place finisher Richie Krebs, who carded a 205. Krebs led after each of the first two rounds and held a two-stroke advantage over Van Sickle heading into the final 18 holes.
"It's certainly a day I'm going to remember for a long time," Van Sickle said. "I needed to shoot a great round to even come close to catching [Richie]. I was thinking before the day that 66 might be good enough for a playoff."
The Pennsylvania Open is a prestigious tournament that has had numerous professionals compete in its 91-year history. Most notably, Arnold Palmer finished second in the tournament in 1967.
The win in the Pennsylvania Open concludes a busy, yet productive summer for the Marquette junior. After playing in the NCAA Tournament in June, Van Sickle earned All-Region and All-America Honorable Mention honors in addition to being named the Pennsylvania State Amateur of the Year.
Grogan said he hopes that Van Sickle sets the tone for several Marquette golfers who are to play in the Wisconsin State Open in the coming week.
"I talked to everyone on the team already and told them that they need to go out and not just play and play well in the Wisconsin Open, but they can go out with an attitude that they can win it," Grogan added.
Players Mentioned
