Photo provided by Jon Rickard Jon Rickard, right, won three tournaments this summer at press time. His coach, Cortlin Marcinkowski, left, helped him refine his game to take home those titles.

By Brad D. Bates
C & G Sports Writer

Nothing helps a golf game like practice, except, of course, for more practice.

That was the case for Jon Rickard, 16, who took his game to the next level and won three junior titles this summer.

“A year ago, I was doing OK, but getting beat at tournaments,” Rickard said. “I decided to work at it because I was tired of losing.

“I’ve really improved my short game and the mental game. The support of (coach Cortlin ‘Corky’ Marcinkowski) and my family have really helped.”

Marcinkowski, the PGA head professional at Oak Ridge Golf Club, has been working with Rickard since he was 7, and said he saw how focused Rickard was by how much time he spent on the course.

“He’s been progressing, but this year he put it all together,” Marcinkowski said. “He kept showing up, and I asked him what he was doing here all the time. He said he was tired of losing.”

Rickard knew it was only a matter of time until his game reached a new level — as long as he kept working and listening to Marcinkowski.

“Corky is a great guy,” Rickard said. “He’s taught me everything, and he always tells me I can accomplish anything.”

Rickard ended his junior season with Fraser High’s team with a 39.9 nine-hole average.

Through is commitment to improvement this summer, Rickard took home the Stony Creek Metropark junior tournament title June 24, the Macomb Junior Classic June 27 at Romeo Golf Club and the Metroparks junior regional final Aug. 5 at Stoney Creek.

“The confidence factor,” Marcinkowski said of what’s made the biggest difference in Rickard’s game.

“He started hitting the ball down the middle of the fairway, then the putting came together and his scores started to plummet.”

When asked what the sweetest of his summer wins was, Rickard chose the first. After all, that’s when all that practice finally paid off.

“One day in the first tournament I won, everything clicked, and I felt like I could accomplish anything,” Rickard said.

“It’s a great feeling, the first win. You really feel like you accomplished something. It lets you know that you can really do it.”

You can reach Sports Writer Brad D. Bates at bbates@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1029.