Gateway Tournament

Signed up for my first Gateway Tour event of the year and it begins tomorrow at Southern Dunes. After a month of solid practice and play, I feel great about my game and am looking forward to playing in some competitive events. My instructor from back home in Pittsburgh, Joe Boros, came down and helped me out two weeks ago. We made some excellent strides forward and I'm really becoming comfortable with where my game is at. Southern Dunes is a longer course and should prove favorable for my length. You can follow along on the Gateway Tour's website...

Just got back from watching MU blowout Louisville... love it! I'm going to be in Scottsdale for a couple more weeks yet before I head out to Louisiana for the Nationwide event that's there. Looks like I'm going to have to Monday qualify there, but I'm ready.

Team Van-Gray earn first round victory

Today Ted Gray and I played our first round match of the Phoenix Fourball at FireRock CC, earning a 4 & 3 victory. Although I got off to a sluggish start, Ted was ready to go, birdieing 2 of the first 3 holes, putting us 2 up. A deuce by our competitors, on the par 3 6th, put the match back to 1 up... until I drained a 30-footer on 7 and Ted followed with his own birdie on 8. A pitching wedge to a foot on 10 gave me another birdie, and our team a 4 up lead. After some good drives on 11, we really managed to butcher the rest of the hole, making bogey and falling back to 3 up. But a pair of birdies on the 485 yd par-4 15th gained us the 4 & 3 win. You can follow online at the Phoenix Fourball website.

Golden Eagle Tag-Team

I've just signed up for my first tournament of 2010, and although it's not on Tour, it's going to be a fun one. While practicing out at The Golf Club Scottsdale I ran into Big East Champion Ted Gray, my former teammate. He too is out at GCS and giving the golf route a roll. We decided to team up once again and Ring Out Ahoya on some other pros in the area by signing up for the Phoenix FourBall Match Play Tournament. It consists of 32 teams playing in a Best Ball Match Play format. It can be followed on www.Phoenixfourball.com and matches will take place once every two weeks.

Thanks to everyone who came out to the McCahill Award Luncheon! It was great to see so many familiar faces and I really appreciate all the support I've had through the years from the Marquette Community. It was also great to see our boys finally get a bit of a breather and not have a game come down to the wire too.

Go Marquette!

New Year, New Changes

Hey everyone, Mike Van Sickle here. I'm going to be taking over updating the site from now on. A few things have happened since making it through First Stage. Unfortunately my putter went a little cold out at Callaway Gardens in Georgia for the Second Stage of Q-School and I came up a bit short. All in all it was a good experience and I'll be able to really fine tune the aspects of my game that still need perfected this year. I'll most likely be giving Monday qualifyings a run to start the year and play some mini-tour events on the side. Hopefully I can get my foot in the door early on the Nationwide or PGA, but if not, there are many other tours to choose from.

I signed with an agent, David Winkle, from Hambric Sports Management. He's an agent with players such as Justin Leonard, Bob Tway, Dustin Johnson, and other notables... but most importantly he's a truly stand-up guy, and everyone in golf who I've talked to has had nothing but great things to say about David. Since then I have also signed on with TaylorMade/Adidas and will be sporting their equipment and apparel at upcoming tournaments, however I'm still looking to get an MU logo placed on the bag too.

I reached Scottsdale, AZ today from my home in Pittsburgh... a fun 32-hour drive. I'm looking forward to some winter training to get the game in gear. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy new year!

Fly like an Eagle, Fight like a Warrior!

PGA Q-School: First Stage

Mike Van Sickle continues his quest for a Tour card at a PGA Q-School First Stage qualifier in Valdosta, Ga. Van Sickle will play four rounds, Oct. 27-30, at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club, one of 11 First Stage sites across the country.

The former Marquette all-American has been paired with Pat Grady and Carlos Sainz for the first two rounds of the stroke play event with an opening round tee time set for 9:40 a.m. ET, Wednesday, Oct. 27.

Van Sickle won a Pre-Qualifying tournament in Lincoln, Neb., back in September, which earned him the right to advance through to the First Stage.

Link to Q-School tournament information and results.
http://pgatq.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/pgatq9/event/pgatq911/index.htm

Van Sickle Helps Pennsylvania to USGA State Team Championship

Mike Van Sickle closed with rounds of 68 and 67, respectively, to help lead Pennsylvania to the 2009 USGA Men's State Team Championship at The Country Club of St. Albans (Mo.), Sept. 23-25.

Van Sickle finished the tournament at four-under-par 207, as Pennsylvania claimed a three-stroke victory over Kansas. Partnered with Van Sickle were fellow Pittsburgh-area amateurs Sean Knapp and Nathan Smith.

Full Story (USGA.org)

Van Sickle Wins PGA Tour Q-School Pre-qualifier

Mike Van Sickle advanced to the First Stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament after winning a pre-qualifier this past weekend in Lincoln, Neb., with a final round six-under-par 64.

Van Sickle, who also shot 64 in the second round after beginning the day five strokes behind the first-round leader, carded 24 birdies in four rounds of play at Yankee Hill Country Club. He finished at 11-under 269.

First Stage of Q-School will get underway beginning Oct. 21 at one of 11 sites. More information, including complete results, are available at www.pgatour.com/qschool.

U.S. Amateur Begins Monday

Mike Van Sickle will tee off in the 109th U.S. Amateur Championship at 2:35 p.m. CT Monday at Southern Hill Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.

Van Sickle shot 146 in a 36-hole sectional qualifier back on Aug. 3 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The former Marquette star and All-American has been grouped with Trent Whitekiller (Sallisaw, Okla.) and Curtis Skinner (Lake Bluff, Ill.).

Televised coverage of the event will be broadcast on NBC and the Golf Channel.

Television Schedule
Wednesday (Aug. 26) Golf Channel 3-5 p.m.
Thursday (Aug. 27) Golf Channel Noon-2 p.m.
Friday (Aug. 28) Golf Channel Noon-2 p.m.
Saturday (Aug. 29) NBC 3-5 p.m.
Sunday (Aug. 30) NBC 3-5 p.m.

Pennsylvania Golf Association Open Championship begins Monday

Mike Van Sickle will go for a three-peat this week at the Pennsylvania Golf Association's 93rd Open Championship, which begins Monday, August 10 at the storied Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa.

Van Sickle made history last summer when he became the first player since 1955-56 (and first-ever amateur) to win back-to-back Pennsylvania Open Championships.

Bill Beckner, Jr. of the Valley News Dispatch wrote a preview for this year's event that also ran online Aug. 8 at PittsburghLive.com.

Live scoring is available.

Chicago Tribune likes Van Sickle's chances at Western Am

Mike Van Sickle will travel from Columbus, Ohio, where he recently competed in the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational -- a Nationwide Tour event, to Chicago to compete in this week's 107th annual Western Amateur Championship, Aug. 3-8, at Conway Farms.

Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune spent some time with the former Marquette University standout a while back at the Western Amateur media day. He recently posted a column titled, "Mike Van Sickle can win the "Masters" of Amateur Golf."

Here's the direct link to the Greenstein's column: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/golf/chi-02-18-holes-mike-van-sickle-aug02,0,5983527.column