Marcel Siem birdied his final two holes—including the first playoff hole—to win the Italian Open at the end of June. It was his sixth DP World Tour victory, his fourth event back after hip surgery in February and he took home over $500K at Adriatic Golf Club. One would not blame him for a wild celebration, but the German has loftier goals to accomplish.

While on the Sky Sports Golf podcast, Siem admitted that his penchant for fun has sometimes gotten the better of him in the past and he’s trying to lock in more this go-around, especially with the Scottish Open and Open Championship quickly approaching. The 43-year-old is ready to “perform better in the big events.”

“The Rolex events, the majors, the big ones – that is the only way to get into the top 50 in the world, get into the Ryder Cup and qualify for The Masters,” Siem said. “That is my big goal going to the Scottish Open and The Open. I will not throw this away with partying anymore. I have three or four weeks off after The Open and this will be party time, trust me – massively, but these three weeks I’ll be working hard.”

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Siem has never had a major top-ten despite turning pro in 2000. The closest he’s gotten is a U.S. Open T-12 in 2014 and Open Championship T-15 in 2021. He also covets a Masters invitation, which he has yet to play in. He missed out by one spot in 2013 and doesn’t want any potential hangovers to get in the way of this newfound ambition.

“I just started a little nutrition program to concentrate more on proteins instead of carbs with my food,” Siem added. “I started last Monday [before the Italian Open], so that worked out nicely! And to be honest, my hangovers last three days nowadays, so there’s no point doing it anymore!”

Marcel Siem of Germany reacts on the fourth green during the 114th U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in 2014.

Andrew Redington

Better late than never for the journeyman. Siem seems to be more dialed in than ever before and knows that he’s in solid form to keep these winning ways going. There’ll be more booze down the road. Right now, it’s all about the golf.

“It’s going to be massively busy this week, but I’m just going to try and ride the wave,” Siem said. There’s so much more to play for. The European Swing finishes this week, I’m third or fourth in that so I still have a chance to win that, winning two in a row, all these things are on the plate right now.

“I’m trying to give it all, go with the flow and celebrate with the spectators. Let’s make a golf party, not an alcohol party.”

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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com