Cleveland Tour star heads to U.S. Open with experience and momentum...

By Dominic Dastoli                         

            Geoff Sisk appears to be peaking at the right time. Less than one week away from competing in the U.S. Open, he is riding a wave of momentum that he hopes will last into the foreseeable future. It began two weeks ago when he nearly lapped the field at the Cape Cod Open en route to a five shot win. This past week he won the Cleveland Golf Tour’s season opening Atkinson Open in a duel with rising stars Eli Zackheim and Sean O’Hair.

            Now he will travel to Southampton, NY not looking to merely soak up the atmosphere that surrounds a major golf tournament, but to put himself in a position to prove that he is just as talented as anyone else in the field. “It’s time to play some good golf,” said Sisk, the leading money winner on the Cleveland Golf Tour for the past two seasons.

His game plan is simple: to follow his routine and rely on the experiences that he has accumulated since he turned professional in 1989. “I’ve learned an awful lot over the last few years,” said Sisk, who played full time on the PGA Tour in 1999.

Sisk will also draw upon his sound judgment and a strong mental approach in order to navigate the meandering links style design of Shinnecock Hills. “You do it one shot at a time,” he said.  That’s the only thing you can try and do in this game.”

As for the intimidation factor that comes along with being a sectional Open qualifier, Sisk refuses to place himself on an inferior playing field. “I can’t beat Tiger Woods on a daily basis, but I know I can compete with these guys,” he said.

With Thursday’s 12:10 am tee time rapidly approaching, Sisk admits that he “still has an awful lot of work to do.” His current streak of good play, though, combined with the experience that he acquired from a 30^th place finish at Pinehurst in 1999 should serve him well as he prepares to make his fourth appearance in the U.S. Open.