Mike Van Sicklehas all the necessary requirements to be the player of the year in collegiate golf. He ended a fall season in which he won four times in six starts and posted a 69.28 scoring average with an impressive victory against an elite field of players, thrusting him to No. 4 in the Royal & Ancient's world amateur rankings. His birdie conversion rate of 37.8 percent produced 91 birdies, more than any player in the country.

All that followed a summer in which Van Sickle, a Pine-Richland High School graduate, became the first amateur in 92 years to post back-to-back victories in the Pennsylvania Open, an event dominated by club professionals. He also became only the second player to win the state Open and the Pennsylvania Amateur in the same year (Jay Sigel did it twice, in 1974 and '78).

No wonder Van Sickle, a senior at Marquette University, is one of 10 semifinalists for the Ben Hogan Award, given annually to the best player in all of college golf, regardless of division size.

"He's been on a great run ever since," said Tim Grogan, Van Sickle's coach at Marquette.

Van Sickle's 11 career victories at Marquette -- not exactly a traditional golf power -- are seven more than the previous school record held by Tom Uutala. But one has eluded him -- the Big East Conference individual championship, a title he will go after for the final time, beginning today at Lake Jovita Country Club in Dade City, Fla.

A month ago, he earned Big East golfer of the week honors in back-to-back weeks and, for good measure, is Marquette's men's representative to receive the Big East Institutional Scholar Athlete Award. He is scheduled to graduate in May with a degree in broadcast and electronic communications (his father, Gary, is a senior golf writer for Sports Illustrated; his mother, Betsy, is a former sports information director at Marquette).

If there were any questions about his individual talent, or whether he is a legitimate candidate to be player of the year, consider his performance at the Western Refining All-America Classic in December, playing against an elite field of 26 players who earned All-American honors the previous season.

Van Sickle shot a bogey-free 63 in the final round to force a playoff with Oklahoma State's Trent Leon, then won the event with a birdie on the sixth extra hole of sudden death. Past tournament winners include Tiger Woods and David Duval.

"What he did at the All-America Classic, against the 30 best players in the country, Mike beat them all," Grogan said. "He really made a statement -- that he's as good, if not better, than any of the players out there."

But there is only one problem.

Unlike basketball, where the Big East is arguably the premier conference in Division I, it is not among the elite conferences in the world of college golf, certainly not among the likes of what is known as the Elite 5 -- the Atlantic Coast Conference, Southeastern, Big 10, Big 12 or Pac-10. Despite his impressive numbers, Van Sickle could get overlooked for several of the nation's top individual awards -- Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Fred Haskins -- because of where he plays.

According to Golf World magazine, since the Golf Coaches Association of America started handing out the Jack Nicklaus Award to the nation's top golfer 20 years ago, only one player has won the award who didn't compete in one of the top five conferences -- Ryan Moore of UNLV (2005). In the past 25 years, there have been only two winners of the Fred Haskins Award who didn't play in those conferences -- Moore and Graeme McDowell of Alabama-Birmingham (2002).

"His ball-striking has always been heads and shoulders above the guys he plays against," Grogan said. "He brings his game every single round. That's amazing. I don't think those other top five, top 10 players in the country bring their game to every match they play. He just brings it every time we go out."

Which player who appeared in the Masters last week holds the record for most consecutive rounds in the 60s at Augusta National? Answer at end.

Sean Swidzinski has come a long way from learning to play golf with a broom stick in gym class, hitting plastic balls into a garbage can. He is now head professional at Olde Stonewall Golf Club in Ellwood City, the premier public course in Western Pennsylvania and one of the best in the state.

It's a great place," said Swidzinski, a Lyndora native who graduated from Butler High School and Slippery Rock University. "We have a facility that's nationally known. We get players from all over the country and even all over the world. It's great to be at a place like that."

Swidzinski, 33, had been an assistant under Jesse Horner since Olde Stonewall, a Michael Hurdzan-Dana Frye design, opened in 1999. But, when Horner left last fall to become general manager at Oakview Golf Club (formerly Armco CC) in Slippery Rock, Swidzinski was promoted to head professional.

It has been quite a climb for Swidzinski, who played golf in high school and college but also spent several years as an intern under conditioning coach Buddy Morris at Pitt. Swidzinski learned to play from his gym teacher at Lyndora Elementary School, Paul Uram, a former strength and conditioning coach for the Steelers.

"He taught me how to play golf with a broom stick," Swidzinski said. "We'd be hitting plastic balls in garbage cans all the time. He convinced me to play golf and give up baseball."

Trevor Immelman, Masters champion in '08, doesn't have to give back his green jacket because he didn't successfully defend his title at Augusta National. And good thing.

He has been amazed at the jacket's power.

"Well, it's incredible that a garment -- no disrespect by using that word -- but it's incredible that a piece of clothing has such tremendous history and mystique to it," Immelman said. "The way you are received, because you're wearing the green jacket, really is special. I mean, people have the utmost respect for the history of Augusta National, the history of the Masters tournament, everything that Cliff Robertson, Bobby Jones set out to make it.

"It really, to me, always strikes me how people are so respectful of the green jacket and are in such awe of basically just being in its presence."

Immelman really discovered this during a trip from China to Japan in December when, getting off a plane, he was approached by several fans who had recognized him.

"I wasn't wearing the jacket, obviously, but I had it in a suit bag that I was carrying with me obviously onboard," Immelman said. "When these guys realized it was me, then realized that I was carrying the green jacket with me, I mean, these guys started crying. They were so in awe of the fact that they were in the presence of the green jacket. These guys were just so happy to be able to be standing next to the green jacket. It really was something quite cool."

Tom Lehman on his elbow injury: "I'm not sure if you ever had tendonitis. It's a pain in the rear."

• Greensburg native Brian Skatell, who has never played competitive golf, is one of 12 contestants in Golf Channel's "Big Break Prince Edward Island" that begins airing tomorrow. Skatell, 36, who attended Pitt-Greensburg and lists Totteridge GC as his home course, lives in Virginia Beach, Va.

• The PGA of America and the local Tri-State PGA section are offering Free Fitting and Trade-Up Month in April. Players can get a free 15-minute fitting session to evaluate clubs they currently play or plan to purchase. To find local participating professionals, go to PlayGolfAmerica.com.

• Greg Normansigned an endorsement deal with TaylorMade Golf to play the company's clubs and TP Red ball, use a TaylorMade staff bag and display the logo on his headwear.

• The 11th annual Parkway West Rotary Golf Classic will be July 20 at Diamond Run GC. Entry is $180 and includes gift, box lunch, dinner and silent auction. Call 724-947-1234.

Greg Norman, who made his first appearance since 2002 at Augusta National last week, holds the tournament record with five consecutive rounds in the 60s.