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The GCSAA National Championship and Golf Classic is presented in partnership with The Toro Co. |
A T.K.O. in Orlando
In record-setting fashion, Seth Strickland blows away the field at the 2008 GCSAA National Championship.
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Seth Strickland’s second GCSAA National Championship came in dominating fashion, as he finished at a 12-under-par 204 to win by 16 shots. |
Seth Strickland had one very clear message he wanted to get across after his record-shattering victory in the 2008 GCSAA National Championship in Orlando last month — yes, he does indeed know one end of a cup cutter from the other.
“Make sure you write that down and put that in the story. I absolutely don’t just play golf all day, every day,” he says with a wry smile on his face, one obviously born of some light-hearted ribbing from many in the 97-man championship field who witnessed the Florida superintendent’s onslaught on the Independence Course at Reunion Resort, an onslaught that produced a winning score more often associated with a PGA Tour event than GCSAA’s annual tournament.
“I work 45-50 hours a week on the course, just like a lot of other guys,” the superintendent at Miami Shores (Fla.) Country Club continues. “Now, I do prepare really hard for this tournament. My wife probably hates me right now because I work eight or nine hours a day, hit balls for two hours, then go home and I’m in bed by 8 o’clock. But I don’t play in a lot of amateur tournaments; mainly just superintendent events. This is the one I focus on.”
That much was plainly evident by Strickland’s performance in late January in central Florida. He led wire-to-wire with three consecutive rounds of 4-under-par 68, a three-day total of 12-under-par 204 that is believed to be the lowest total winning score in the event’s 58-year history.
In addition, his margin of victory was a whopping 16 strokes over his nearest competitors, runners-up Shawn Westacott of Jackson (Tenn.) Country Club and Mike Stieler, CGCS at Riverbend Golf Club in Madera, Calif. That also is thought to be one for the tournament’s record books.
Oh, and just for good measure, the win makes Strickland one of just 11 superintendents to ever win more than one GCSAA National Championship. He picked up his first the last time the tournament was played in Orlando, in 2005.
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Shawn Westacott (top), superintendent at Jackson (Tenn.) CC, and Mike Stieler, CGCS (center), superintendent at Riverbend GC in Madera, Calif., gave chase but in the end couldn’t overtake Strickland and his record-setting performance. |
Proving a point
It was living up to the expectations the six-year GCSAA member created for himself by winning that first championship three years ago that drove Strickland in his preparations for this year’s event.
In his title defense at Redstone Golf Club in Houston (the first year the tournament switched to a 54-hole format played at one venue as opposed to its previous 36-hole, two-venue structure) and then again last year on the Pete Dye Challenge Course at Mission Hills Country Club in Palm Springs, Calif., Strickland struggled mightily, hardly mounting anything even close to a serious charge at the leaders each year.
“I played so poorly in the two events after I won, I wanted to go out and prove to people that this wasn’t just going to be a one-time thing,” Strickland says.
That quest began on the driving range, on the practice green and on the golf course. Beginning in early December following a stretch that, in an agronomic sense, treated Strickland and Miami Shores very well (“the golf course was very, very good to me this year,” he says), he dove head first into serious preparations for the tournament.
“I practiced harder for this golf tournament than I’ve practiced for any other event in my life,” he admits. “I would get off work at 2 or 3 every afternoon, hit balls for two hours and I did that probably five days a week. I’d play a round once a week and I did all this probably two months in advance of the golf tournament.
“I honestly felt like I had prepared the right way and had three really good rounds in me this week.”
Not even Strickland realized how good those rounds would be.
Uncharted waters
In 54 holes of golf, Strickland carded just three bogeys, a startling feat for a competitor in a professional event, let alone an amateur tournament. He increased his lead at the end of each day — it was four shots after day one over Westacott and Thomas Ashfield of Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, N.Y.; it grew to six shots after round two, with Westacott again leading the chase group; and it ballooned to a jaw-dropping 16 shots by the end of the final round.
Needless to say, it was Strickland’s finest stretch of competitive golf. “No, no. I’ve never had a run like that,” he says, shaking his head. “I played in an amateur tournament several years ago where I shot something like 66 or 67 in the first round and had a six-shot lead going into the second day.
“But I lost that golf tournament. So I realize nothing is ever guaranteed.”
That never-take-anything-for-granted attitude was clear to anyone watching Strickland play in this tournament. From the first tee shot to the last putt, he sweated all the small stuff, fretting over two-foot putts as much as the 20-footers. He rarely took unnecessary chances, played within himself and always put the impetus on the rest of the field to take risks in order to reel him in. He would not be sliding back to the pack; they would have to come and get him.
He also played with a healthy dose of fear, at least for the first 36 holes. “On the first day, I was nervous,” he says. “On the second day, I was extremely nervous, just wanting to prove that the 68 on the first day wasn’t a fluke. But in the third round, I was much more calm because I knew that if I could do it the first two days, I could probably shoot a low round again on the third day.”
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The Tom Watson-designed Independence Course at Reunion Resort in Orlando hosted the 2008 GCSAA National Championship. |
The finishing touches
That calmness, paired with the comfortable six-shot lead over Westacott and an eight-shot bulge over Stieler entering the final 18 holes, is certainly a recipe for confidence in a golf tournament. But if there was any reason for a raised eyebrow from Strickland as he walked to the first tee in the final round, it was the extremely windy conditions players faced, especially on the front nine, where many of the most difficult holes on the course played directly into the teeth of the wind.
But just like every other challenge Strickland faced during the week, he was ready for this one too.
“I knew that we would come here and it would be windy, so I worked on low shots, worked on hitting baby drivers, worked on hitting everything lower, and it changed my whole outlook on golf,” he says. “I feel like I can play a good quality round of golf in a lot of wind and not have a lot of worries about it. I’m naturally a high-ball hitter. I’ve never had a low shot in my bag until this golf tournament.”
And how quickly did that new shot pay dividends? Just six holes into the final round, Strickland was at 2-under-par for the day and 10 under for the tournament. Over that same stretch, his nearest competitors were at 3 over (Westacott) and 2 over (Stieler) and now found themselves facing a double-digit deficit. The tournament, for all practical purposes, was over.
There was, however, the pesky matter of actually playing the remaining 12 holes of the event. And although the natural temptation for someone in Strickland’s position would have been to take the foot off the gas and cruise to the finish line, that just wasn’t his style this year. Aside from throwing caution to the wind and hitting driver on the par-4 16th and 18th holes at the Independence Course, Strickland toed the straight and narrow on the way home.
“If I thought there was any possibility that I might lose the golf tournament, then I would have hit a six iron on 16 or something crazy like that,” he says. “On 18, maybe I hit seven iron off the tee. But I kind of knew that I wasn’t going to make anything worse than a quadruple on any hole and that no one chasing me was going to realistically do anything better than an eagle on any hole, so I felt I could take chances in spots.
“For the most part, though, I played to the center of the green on every hole, to the fat side of the green if the pin was tucked behind a bunker or something. I didn’t try to do anything crazy that would have shot me out of the lead and brought me back to the field.”
Carolina dreamin’
The National Championship wasn’t the only attraction at this year’s event, presented in partnership with The Toro Co. for the 14th consecutive year. All told, 504 competitors traveled to Orlando to take part in either the Championship or the 10 other flights that made up the Golf Classic portion of the festivities.
In addition to Reunion Resort’s Independence Course, competitors tackled four other central Florida gems — the Panther Lakes and Crooked Cat courses at Orange County National; Hawk’s Landing Golf Club and Grande Pines Golf Club.
In the chapter team competitions, groups from the Carolinas GCSA ruled both the gross and net divisions. In the gross competition, the chapter’s A-team of B. Rhett Baker III, superintendent at Palmetto Golf Club in Aiken, S.C.; James Boring, the superintendent on the North Course at Berkley Hall Golf Club in Bluffton, S.C.; Ronnie Davis, superintendent at Boscobel Golf Club in Pendleton, S.C.; and Paul Jett, CGCS at Pinehurst (N.C.) No. 2 took the top prize.
The net division crown went to the Carolinas GCSA B-team: Chuck Green, superintendent at Sage Valley Golf Club in Graniteville, S.C.; Billy Lewis, superintendent at Carolina National Golf Club in Bolivia, N.C.; Charles Sheffield, superintendent at Croasdaile Country Club in Durham, N.C.; and Matthew Tacilauskas, superintendent at Callawassie Island Country Club in Bluffton, S.C.
In advance of next year’s GCSAA Education Conference and Golf Industry Show in New Orleans, the National Championship and Golf Classic heads to the white-sand beaches of Gulf Shores, Ala., for competition Feb. 1-3, 2009.
2008 GCSAA National Championship Final Results
Seth Strickland, Miami Shores CC, Fla. 68-68-68—204
Michael Stieler, CGCS, Riverbend GC, Calif. 75-69-76—220
Shawn Westacott, Jackson CC, Tenn. 72-70-78—220 Jim Torba, Wilderness CC, Fla. 75-74-76—225 Tim Scott, CGCS, Stony Creek GC, Ill. 75-75-75—225
Paul Jett, CGCS, Pinehurst Resort and CC, N.C. 73-75-77—225 Jason Regan, Selma CC, Ala. 77-74-74—225 John Sadowski, Turner Hill, Mass. 78-74-74—226 James Rattigan, Schuylkill CC, Pa. 75-77-74—226
Robert Harper, The Club at Emerald Hills, Fla. 78-76-73—227
Roy MacDonald, Hobe Sound GC, Fla. 79-73-75—227
James Boring Jr., Berkeley Hall GC, S.C. 82-71-75—228 Chris Deariso, McArthur GC, Fla. 75-80-73—228
Chester Guzek, Lake of the Woods, Va. 79-73-76—228
Joseph Anderson, Piney Woods CC, Texas 78-70-80—228
Todd Barker, Fore Lakes GC, Utah 76-73-80—229
David Buckles, Rancho Bernardo Inn, Calif. 76-74-79—229 Tom Elliott, CGCS, Monarch Dune GC, Calif. 74-77-79—230 Sean Gilliland, Riverhill CC, Texas 78-71-81—230 Brian Vincel, CGCS, Spring Creek, Va. 79-77-75—231 Tommy Robinson, Ravinia Green CC, Ill. 80-74-77—231 Joseph Distefano, The Bridges at Black Canyon, Colo. 78-76-77—231 John T. Nickel, Wamego CC, Kan. 77-76-79—232
Bruce Burger, CGCS, The Quarry GC, Texas 79-76-78—233
Chris Webster, Lakeside CC, Texas 77-80-76—233
David Kohley, Silver Lake CC, Ill. 77-77-79—233
Thomas Ashfield, Quaker Ridge GC, N.Y. 72-82-79—233 Scott Kinnan, CGCS, Farmington CC, Va. 80-78-76—234 Charles Costello, Phoenix CC, Ariz. 77-76-81—234
Alan Pondel, CGCS, Rockford CC, Ill. 80-74-80—234
B. Rhett Baker, Palmetto GC, S.C. 76-78-81—235
Scott Lewis, CGCS, Menlo CC, Calif. 78-81-76—235
Chuck Green, Sage Valley GC, S.C. 79-78-78—235 Stephen Fox Jr., Ocean Reef Club, Fla. 83-74-78—235
Billy Lewis, Carolina National GC, N.C. 78-77-80—235
Howard Hulsebosch, Hillcrest CC, Fla. 75-81-79—235
Ronald Dobosz Jr., Ludlow CC, Mass. 78-76-81—235
Thom Charters, Bayview G&CC, Ontario, Canada 81-75-80—236 Stephen Gregg, Scituate CC, Mass. 76-80-80—236 Danny Walters, Mesquite Grove GC, Texas 74-83-79—236 Justin VanLanduit, The Ivanhoe Club, Ill. 82-73-81—236 Richard Pavlasek Jr., CGCS, Gainey Ranch GC, Ariz. 80-75-81—236 Mark Haven, Texas A&M GC, Texas 79-82-76—237
Scott Parker, CGCS, Club at Comanche Trace, Texas 80-80-77—237 Jason Bagwell, Westview CC, Fla. 78-82-77—237
Joseph Ondo, Winter Pines GC, Fla. 82-79-77—238
Matthew Tacilauskas, Callawassie Island CC, S.C. 75-80-83—238
David Brown, Flatirons GC, Colo. 73-86-79—238
Gary Laliberte, Prouts Neck CC, Maine 79-79-80—238
Sean Remington, Green Valley CC, Pa. 78-84-77—239
David Evans, Vermont National CC, Vt. 77-79-83—239
Per Gundtoft, P.G. Golf A/S, Spain 76-83-80—239
Edward Shimkus, GC of Scottsdale, Ariz. 76-82-81—239
Jared Jeffries, Tumble Creek GC, Wash. 82-79-79—240
Scott Hines, CGCS, Wind Song Farm GC, Minn. 79-79-82—240
Ronnie Davis, Boscobel GC, S.C. 78-89-74—241
Wayne Slaton, Crystal Falls GC, Texas 81-80-80—241
Mark Henderson, Gulf Stream GC, Fla. 79-83-79—241
Richard Brabec, Prestwick CC, Ind. 89-76-77—242
Luther Tew, Brierwood GC, N.C. 80-87-76—243
Ian Kunesch, Rolling Greens GC, N.J. 83-83-77—243
Thomas Grimac, CGCS, Tavistock CC, N.J. 82-84-77—243
Jeffrey Whitmire, CGCS, Williamsburg CC, Va. 82-78-83—243
Christopher Cartin, Tuscawilla CC, Fla. 82-80-81—243
Bert McFadden, Georgian Bay Club, Ontario, Canada 78-86-80—244
Mark Chant, Colonial Springs GC, N.Y. 75-84-85—244
Michael Yenny, Mayfield CC, Ohio 84-80-81—245
Brandon Johnson, University Club of Baton Rouge, La. 81-78-86—245
Mark Moriarty, Bridgeton Berry Hill GC, Mo. 82-78-85—245
Scott Bushman, Fox Valley GC, Wis. 85-73-87—245
Lane Singleton, Reynolds Landing, Ga. 84-82-80—246
Sean Cain, CGCS, Sunningdale CC, N.Y. 83-80-83—246
Russell Tippie, Eagle Pointe GC, Texas 86-84-77—247
Todd Daniels, Lancaster Riverside GC, Minn. 87-79-82—248
Blake Halderman, CGCS, Brae Burn CC, N.Y. 86-80-83—249
Tracy Richard, CCGO GC, Colo. 90-79-80—249
Dave Arden, Glencoe GC, Ill. 79-82-88—249
Adam Kloster, CGCS, Primm Valley GC, Nev. 83-78-88—249
Glenn Matthews, Course at Wente Vineyards, Calif. 84-84-82—250
Kevin Shook, Point Rock GC, Kan. 83-87-80—250
Christopher Thuer CGCS, Bear Slide GC, Ind. 85-81-84—250
Michael Vercautren, Butterfield CC, Ill. 87-82-82—251
Brad Legnaioli, CGCS, Highlands of Elgin, Ill. 84-81-86—251
Michael Kelley, Delaware Spring GC, Texas 81-88-82—251
Michael Brower, Minnesota Valley CC, Minn. 85-78-89—252
Scotty Brown, Stonetree GC at Killeen, Texas 87-83-83—253
Alberto Quevedo, CGCS, Hideout GC, Fla. 85-82-87—254
Ryan Costello, CGCS, Audubon CC, Fla. 89-89-77—255
Joseph Scioscia, Huntingdon Valley CC, Pa. 83-83-90—256
Ryan Huntington, Talons Cove GC, Utah 87-84-85—256
John Colo, CC of York, Pa. 84-82-94—260
Timothy Cunningham, CGCS, Coosa CC, Ga. 92-86-84—262
Richard Struss, CGCS, Glen Oaks Club, N.Y. 89-86-89—264
Chris Dubas, Santa Teresa GC, Calif. 82-83-101—266
Jeffrey Hemphill, CGCS, Nissequogue GC, N.Y. 92-87-93—272
Paul Krout, Williamsport CC, Pa. 98-88-93—279
Mark Dinan, Parque Valle Del Sol, Costa Rica 92-97-92—281
2008 GCSAA Golf Champions
Golf Classic
First Flight
Gross: Jimmy Geter, CGCS, Marietta CC, Ga.
Net: Dennis Vogt, Glenmoor CC, Colo.
Second Flight
Gross: Stephen Britton, Piedmont Golfers Club, Va.
Net: James Pyle, Ledgerstone CC and Stonebridge Village, Mo.
Third Flight
Gross: Robert Waller, CGCS, Marriott Golf, Fla.
Net: Gregg Stanley, CGCS, The Bridge, N.Y.
Fourth Flight
Gross: David May, Oakville GC, Ontario, Canada
Net: Donald Carter IV, Pine Brook CC, Mass.
Fifth Flight
Gross: Jason Honeyball, Oslerbrook G&CC, Ontario, Canada
Net: Kevin Glover, CGCS, Owensboro CC, Ky.
Sixth Flight
Gross: Thomas Tuttle, CGCS, Trenton CC, Pa.
Net: Dan Naumann, Blackberry Farm GC, Calif.
Senior I Flight
Gross: Mark Esposito, Hinckley Hills GC, Ohio
Net: Brad Johnson, Klein Creek GC, Ill.
Senior II Flight
Gross: Timothy Davis, Shoreacres, Ill.
Net: Edward Fischer, CGCS, Old Elm Club, Ill.
Super Senior Flight
Gross: Thomas Hamilton, Retired, Texas
Net: Frank Lamphier Sr., Retired, Vt.
Affiliate Flight
Gross: Andy Drohen, Agrium Advanced Technologies, Mass.
Net: Kevin Lyons, Turf Links Inc., Mass.
Chapter Team Competition
Gross Division
Carolinas GCSA A: B. Rhett Baker, Palmetto GC, Aiken, S.C.; James Boring, North Course at Berkley Hall GC, Bluffton, S.C.; Ronnie Davis, Boscobel GC, Pendleton, S.C.; Paul Jett, CGCS, Pinehurst (N.C.) No. 2.
Net Division
Carolinas GCSA B: Chuck Green, Sage Valley GC, Graniteville, S.C.; Billy Lewis, Carolina National GC, Bolivia, N.C.; Charles Sheffield, Croasdaile CC, Durham, N.C.; Matthew Tacilauskas, Callawassie Island CC, Bluffton, S.C.
Four-Ball Competition
Net I Division
Paul Mayes, East Valley GC, Beaumont, Calif., and Michael Sommer, Simplot Partners, Santa Paula, Calif.
Net II Division
Sean Lavin, Turfcare Products Canada, Barrie, Ontario, Canada, and Ian McQueen, Club at Boar Head, Thornton, Ontario, Canada
Net III Division
Glen MacDonald, Cripple Creek G&CC, Dagsboro, Del., and Paul Blodorn, East Hampton (N.Y.) GC
Net IV Division
Brian Minemier, Burlington CC, Mount Holly, N.J., and Robert Prickett, Pennsauken (N.J.) CC
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