He wasn't even considered a member of the team. To the Penn State men's golf team his scores meant absolutely nothing, but to him it was a tournament that meant everything. It was time to make a statement.

Nittany Lions redshirt freshman Marco Poccia went into the Northern Intercollegiate this weekend as the sixth man. When collegiate golf tournaments only allow for five men from each school to compete Poccia was an extra piece to the puzzle.

However, because the Northern Intercollegiate will host the Big Ten Championship in May, it is the discretion of the hosting school's coach to allow a sixth man to play -- only on an individual basis. In this case, Andrew Sapp, the University of Michigan men's golf coach, allowed for the sixth man to participate, but only for the Big Ten schools in the tournament.

It was a golden opportunity for Poccia to get some tournament action and make a bold statement. He left everything he had on the University of Michigan Golf Course.

Poccia shot rounds of 74-71-67, which was good enough to capture fourth place in the individual overall, and was nine shots better than the second best Lion scorers -- Greg Pieczynski and Mark Leon at eight-over. However, because he was the sixth man, his one-under score for the tournament was not computed in the Lions scoring, which resulted in the team tying for fourth in the event.

"It would mean a lot more to me if my score counted," Poccia said. "I really wanted to be in the top five. I know I can play with these guys. I knew it before, but now I kind of have evidence."

Evidence may not have been what Poccia needed -- he just needed a chance.

"It's just a matter of getting an opportunity and playing with confidence," Pieczynski said. "I mean [Marco] has a ton of skill.

As a junior golfer he probably had the best resume and achievements coming into Penn State than anyone has ever had."

Poccia played in numerous national events held by the American Junior Golf Association in the northeastern sector of the country, and he laid claim to the New York State junior title and public high school championship as a 17-year-old.

Head coach Greg Nye responded to Poccia's performance by saying, "Good for Marco and good for the team as well. We've got another person to add to the depth of our squad."

Nye felt that the real positive from the weekend, however, was the team's ability to persevere and maintain its focus in desperate times. At one point during the second round the Lions were in 15th place out of 15 teams in the tournament, but they kept grinding and shot up the leaderboard to fourth place by the end of the final round on Sunday.

"The guys responded at that point to competing well and keeping their heads in the game," Nye said.

Senior Ted Neville is excited about the depth of the team, which has been given a boost by the recent head-turning success of Poccia.

"The whole top five is real solid ... It's just a real dogfight for the last couple of spots, and any spot for that matter," Neville said.

"I think [Marco's] done pretty well ... he was getting acclimated to the collegiate scene [in the Northern Intercollegiate]."

A spot in the top five is not a spot that Poccia contemplates whether or not he deserves it.

Poccia spent the summer working on his technique with a swing coach and sacrificing scoring in tournaments to have a drastically improved swing in the fall. Working with a swing coach was something Poccia had never done before, but was something he had to do to get to the next level as a golfer.

"My weight shift was terrible, my swing plane wasn't good and my setup needed some tweaking," Poccia said. "Everything before was just feel and timing, and I still have the feel, but my mechanics are much better -- more consistent."

Golf is a game so fickle that momentum can rarely play a role in an individual's success. However, Poccia has broken a barrier -- getting to compete in a tournament for the first time -- that should keep him going forward, especially since the Lions play four consecutive weeks after this weekend.

"I've never played an event before, I mean, college is to prepare yourself to get to the next level as a professional ... it's a whole different ballgame [compared to junior and high school events]," Poccia said.

"The thing about shooting a good number is you just have to tell yourself you're supposed to," Poccia said. "Tell yourself you're a legitimate golfer."

If Poccia keeps firing rounds of 67, then he won't need to tell himself that much longer.