Collegiate debuts are never supposed to be so easy, or so difficult at the end.
What's "supposed" to happen and what did happen to sophomore Penn State golfer Greg Piecyzinski at last weekend's Badger Invitational were polar opposites in both instances.
At University Ridge golf course in Verona, Wisc., Piecyzinski led the field of 15 schools after the first two rounds, shooting an identical 67 in both for a combined 10 under par. His score bettered the old Penn State mark by two strokes through the first 36 holes of a 54-hole tournament.
Things did not bode as well on Sunday morning, though. Struggling some, Piecyzinski shot a five-over 77 to finish with a five-under three-round total of 211. This allowed Toledo's Brad Heaven (eight-under 208), N.C. Wilmington's Derek Brown (six-under 210), and Illinois' Patrick Nagle (six-under 210) to slip past him on the leader board. Piecyzinski finished fourth.
Despite his difficult last round, Piecyzinski remains upbeat.
"I'm pretty satisfied with my overall play for my first tournament," he said. "I felt like I was in a good position. In that respect, I'm looking forward to our next tournament. I have some work to be done yet."
Penn State men's golf coach Greg Nye expressed his pride with Piecyzinski's play, de-scribing it as simply "re-markable" and "stunning."
"If he's av-eraging a 74 per round scoring, he will be a real difference-maker in pushing our team forward," Nye said.
As far as Sunday morning's round, neither Piecyzinski nor Nye express any bitterness or disappointment.
"He held up pretty well under the circumstances," Nye said. "He's never been down the stretch before, and he hung in there really well."
Piecyzinski said there was a scheduling conflict that made him play early in the morning instead of with the top of the leaderboard for the final round, and that with his team and well-wishers rooting him on, it was difficult to focus at the outset. However, he refused to offer those as excuses.
"I've been brought up to be mentally prepared," he said. "Before a tournament, I focus totally on myself ... I try to be oblivious to all else then, to sort of be in my own cocoon. That way, I don't have to change [under] greater pressure."
With an abundantly young team this season, contributions from newcomers such as Piecyzinski are vital for the team's success.
Jim Fuller, a senior leader of the team, was the lone senior in last weekend's lineup for Penn State.
Joining Piecyzinski and Fuller (four-under 212) were junior Ted Neville (three-over 219), and sophomores Mark Leon (two-over 218) and Andrew Price (13-over 229).
Fuller sounded like a proud father in regards to Piecyzinski's weekend.
"He's a great young kid," Fuller said.
"I told him to not to be content, keep your edge on, and [that he's] got to play Greg Piecyzinski golf."
Piecyzinski playing "Greg Piecyzinski golf" is exactly what the team is hoping for.
