__Age:__31 | Resides: Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. | Story: Three career seconds, including a T-2 at the 2011 Sony Open in Hawaii.
Golf Equipment
What's In My Bag: Steve Marino
March 16, 2011
RETURN TRIPI finished 14th at the Masters last year and can't wait to go back. I bogeyed the last hole and thought Man, I know that just cost me a trip back here. But I found out in the scoring tent I was coming back. That place is so awesome. It's unlike any tournament I've ever played. It's so immaculate, the history behind everything, all the cabins and the clubhouse. It just has an aura you can't really describe, but you can feel it.
WINNING MARGINI've been close. I just think maybe I've got to have a few breaks go my way and make a few putts. The times I've been in contention, I've played pretty well. It just hasn't really happened for me. I've gotta keep doing what I'm doing and not worry about it. Obviously it would mean a lot to me, but I don't know if it would really change anything. It definitely would validate what I've been doing out here the last four years.
RIGHT TOOLSI use this Muirfield Village divot tool, but I keep an older one that was used by my grandpa. My grandma gave it to me at the Masters last year.
HONORING HEROESAt the pro-am in the 2008 AT&T National, they had a service-member caddie for you, and this Marine gave me his division coin, and it's pretty sweet. I've been using it to mark my ball in tournaments since.
BY THE NUMBERSI change the number of my ball (2011 Titleist Pro V1x) to match the round. That was a problem at the Bob Hope Classic. I couldn't find any 5s. I put a new ball in play every three holes.
DINNER BELLOn the course, I maintain my energy with these Nuun tablets in water. Off the course, a few of us will rent a house sometimes and get Dave Walker, one of the caddies and a great chef, to cook for us.
SO EASY ...One of my sponsors is Geico, so I've got a caveman headcover on my driver. I can look a little like that during certain times of the year, but I've been known to shave my head, too. Whatever it takes.
DRIVERThis 9.5-degree Cleveland HiBore XLS Tour (True Temper Project X, 7.0) is a little retro (all my woods are), but I know what I'm getting from them, so why change?
FAIRWAY WOODSMy 3-wood is a Cleveland HiBore XLS (15 degrees, Grafalloy ProLaunch Red, X-flex), and my 5-wood is almost seven years old (Cleveland Launcher Comp, 19 degrees, Aldila NV 95, X-flex).
HYBRIDMy Adams Idea Pro hybrid (Aldila NV 95, X-flex) lets me take out my 3-iron.
WEDGESI play the Cleveland CG14 (48, 56 and 60 degrees, True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shafts, 2 degrees upright).
IRONSFor consistency, I add lead tape to my Cleveland CG Tour irons (2 degrees upright, 4- through 9-iron, True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts).
PUTTERI was just sick of my old putter, so at the Sony I changed to this Never Compromise Gambler Series Royal after trying it out on the practice green.