Brett Rendina roomed with golfing buddy Mike Blodgett freshman year. Ever since, Rendina's career has gone down a seemingly opposite path.
While Blodgett made an impact from his debut season onward - ultimately becoming Penn's first individual Ivy League champion last spring - Rendina competed in just two events combined during his first two seasons.
"My freshman and sophomore [years were] kind of a letdown for me," the senior admitted.
But Rendina's standing in the program changed dramatically last season, when he participated in eight of nine events. He remains the only Penn golfer to top Blodgett since October '07, doing so at each of the past two Big 5 Classics. As fate would have it, Rendina is being forced into his teammate's shoes as Penn's leader this spring.
That's because Blodgett has been shut down with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, a neck and shoulder injury, which he successfully played through during his fall campaign. Still, Rendina does not believe his fellow senior's absence will affect team dynamics.
"I wouldn't necessarily say [my role] has changed at all - he's still the captain," Rendina said. "I feel like we're always out there as a team."
And don't expect Rendina to put any added pressure on himself even though his team needs him more than ever.
"That's probably the last thing I'd want to do because golf's enough of a mental game as it is," the Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., native said.
Besides, he gets enough pressure from his former roommate. Even aching arms can't stop Blodgett from pushing his teammate to improve.
"Even though I'm not playing against him, I've kind of assumed another role and that's [as] his coach," the captain said.
At other times, however, Blodgett has merely acted as a witness to Rendina's tremendous progression.
"I think throughout his career he's become more patient, and he's been able to learn how to harness his mental strength," Blodgett said. "It's a pretty cool story to see him continue to grow [and] continue to have that desire to play the best golf he [can]."
First-year coach Scott Allen recognizes Rendina's value despite the little recognition he receives.
"Mike is the guy that gets the publicity," he said. "[Rendina] kind of flies under the radar and sometimes that gives him a little bit of an advantage because some of the pressure's not on his shoulders."
With Blodgett now out indefinitely, the focus will be on Rendina's stepping to the forefront. Thus, the two have become linked once again, now as weathered veterans. While the gifted Blodgett has been a mainstay for the program, this spring it is up to Rendina to take a leading role if Penn has Ivy championship aspirations.
Throughout his struggles, Rendina - who captained Cardinal Newman to a second-place finish in the Florida state tournament as a high school senior - could have griped or given up. Instead, he acknowledges the experience's importance in bringing him to this point.
"It's helped me become who I am now," the senior said of the past three-plus years. "I'm completely happy with how my Penn golf experience has been and hopefully we can go out with a bang."
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