It wasn’t even noon yet, but as Steve Marino approached the 16th tee in the opening round of the AT&T National, the loudest fan in his gallery, toting a Budweiser in his left hand, extended his right. Marino slapped a high five, shook his head, and shared a laugh with his caddie.
Leading a PGA Tour event in your hometown is cool, even if it’s just the opening round. With a 5-under par 65 Thursday at Congressional Country Club, Marino, a native of Fairfax, leads the AT&T National by a stroke, much to the delight of his pals from W.T. Woodson High and the University of Virginia.
“I got some crazy friends that came out to watch me,” said Marino, 28. “I know tomorrow is July 4th, and I’m teeing off in the afternoon, so that gives them plenty of time to get looped up for tomorrow.”
Marino, who failed to make the cut at the AT&T as a PGA Tour rookie last year, leads by a stroke over Jeff Overton, Rod Pampling and former Kemper Open champs Bob Estes and Frank Lickliter II.
The emergence of Marino is no surprise. In a year and a half on the tour, he has earned more than $2.2 million and rung up seven top 10 finishes. His best came in February at the Mayakoba Classic in Mexico, which ran concurrently with the Accenture Match-Play. Marino placed second, two strokes behind Brian Gay.
Playing in the third group off the first tee Thursday morning — and oddly enough, with two other players also wearing green shirts and gray slacks — Marino was on the leader board quickly, getting the most out of his new set of irons. Pinpoint shots from the fairway led to birdies on three of the first four holes as he made putts of 3, 2, and 12 feet on Nos. 1, 3, and 4.
“I just put them in on Tuesday afternoon. This was the first round of golf that I had played with them,” said Marino, of his Cleveland CG Tour irons. “I think they are going to stay.”
After his quick start, Marino kept his card clean in his bogey free round, and adding birdies at No. 13, with a 10-foot putt, and at No. 18, with an 8-footer.
“I never though about the score today,” said Marino. “The course is playing a little bit easier than last year. I think the rough is probably half as tall as it was last year. Last year it was unbelievable.”
Marino found himself in the rough on No. 17, a par four, but followed with two of his best shots of the day. From under a low canopy of pine trees, with 229 yards left to the pin, Marino ripped a low hybrid that landed on the green. It tricked into a back bunker, but Marino saved par with an explosion to 4 feet.
Then at No. 18, Marino found himself in the right rough again, but hit a pure wedge to set up his final birdie and ignite the loudest cheers Thursday at Congressional.
“They are a little rowdy,” Marino said of his friends. “But it definitely feels good to have them out there supporting me, and it’s fun. I mean, when you have got people out there yelling and screaming, it kind of takes your mind off things, and makes you laugh a little bit.”
