The NCAA championship for men's golf is more than six months away, yet the Penn State men's golf team is playing every event this fall season like it counts just the same.

The men's golf season is split into a fall season and a spring season. The fall season begins in August and runs until the middle of November. After a three-month break, due to the winter weather, the spring season starts up in March.

The fall season in men's golf is often overlooked because it does not contain some of the high profile events that occur in the spring, like the Big Ten Championship and the NCAA championship. Although the fall season for Penn State men's golf only consists of five events, each event weighs equally with those played in the spring.

"If you have a solid fall, you don't have to worry as much about qualifying for the NCAA Regionals in the spring," junior Marco Poccia said.

The Lions are coming off a spectacular performance in last June's NCAA championship. They finished 15th and defeated defending national champion Clemson University. The Lions also were the only Big Ten team to finish in the top 15. Their finish was the highest the Penn State men's golf team has ever placed in the NCAA's.

Penn State is looking to build on the momentum it gained from the end of last season. Almost all of its key players returned this year, and the team has developed a greater confidence.

"I think there is a certain inner confidence," senior Greg Pieczynski said. "We showed we can compete with the top programs in the country."

The Lions have been a bit up and down so far this season, Penn State coach and five-time Regional Coach of the Year Greg Nye said.

Penn State started the season with a strong showing in the Northern Intercollegiate, an unofficial preview of Big Ten play. After dropping off a little at the Memphis Intercollegiate, the Lions picked up their game again at the Big Ten/PAC 10 Challenge. They recorded an eighth-place finish, but played their best golf of the season in the second and final rounds according to Nye.

The Lions' fall season concludes next weekend in Howie in the Hills, Florida, with the GCAA National Match Play Championship. Their top-15 finish in the NCAA championship in June guaranteed them an invitation.

It is important that Penn State plays well in order to finish the fall strongly.

"You don't want to go out on a sour note," Poccia said. "You don't want a poor performance sitting on your mind all winter."

A solid finish to the fall season may lead to greater success when the team gears up for the spring season in March.