Mike Gianopoulos, CGCS, was named the winner of the 2025 GCSAA National Golf Championship on Monday, Feb. 5. Photo by GCSAA
Goal set, goal achieved. Congratulations, Mike Gianopoulos, CGCS.
It went down Monday at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa’s North Course in Carlsbad, Calif. On the final day of the GCSAA National Golf Championship presented by Toro, Gianopoulos, from Kent Country Club in Grand Rapids, Mich., prevailed. His second-round 77 combined with an opening round 73 on Sunday for a 6-over-par 150 was enough to prevent Seth Strickland from Miami Beach Golf Club in Miami Shores, Fla., from winning back-to-back titles. Strickland finished 76-75 for a total of 151, one stroke behind. Damian Beasley of Two Rivers Country Club in Williamsburg, Va., posted scores of 77-75, leaving him two back.
Gianopoulos, meanwhile, took it up a couple notches this time. He placed third in 2024, whetting his appetite for more. A 16-year GCSAA member, Gianopoulos devoured the main course in 2025.
“This has been my goal for a few years now. It’s awesome to actually pull it off, know I can do it,” he says.
If anything, it certainly got interesting, including down the stretch. Gianopoulos entered the final round with a 2-stroke advantage following his round of 73. Although he recorded bogeys on the last three holes in the front nine, Gianopoulos still was able to extend his leads to three over Strickland headed to the turn.
After posting a bogey on No. 13, Gianopoulos stumbled when he double-bogeyed by knocking it into the water at the par-4 15th. That placed him in a tie with Strickland at 6-over-par. He responded in a big way. Gianopoulos drained a birdie at the par-3 16th. He took a step back by bogeying the par-4 No. 17 but regrouped and finished with a par at the Par-5 18th.
Strickland — one more GCSAA National Championship away from setting the all-time record of seven triumphs — bogeyed the 17th, which Gianopoulos used in his favor. He credits his deft putting for carrying the day. A highlight was a nearly 18-foot par at the par-3 12th.
A native of Newburg, Ind., Gianopoulos has won before. In 2024, he defeated the field for the Michigan Golf Course Superintendents Association tournament title. In fact, he won the last two and like the Kansas City Chiefs sees a threepeat in 2025.
This year’s championship was the first at Omni La Costa since 2019 (Steve Gilley from Panorama Golf Club in Conroe, Texas, took the title that year) The North Course hosts the GCSAA National Championships, which has a rich history. The North Course was the site of PGA Tour and LPGA Tour tournaments. The PGA Tour first went there in 1969 for the Tournament of Champions. Notable winners of the event through the years included past GCSAA Old Tom Morris Award recipients Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Gary Player. When it was later known as the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship from 1999-2006, Tiger Woods was among the winners.
The GCSAA Golf Championships have been staged for more than three decades in San Diego. The first came in 1993. Dick Stuntz triumphed at Steele Canyon Golf Club. Until 2025, the most recent GCSAA National Championships were at both Torrey Pines courses in 2022. Strickland won. The last California superintendent to win the national title in the state of California was Michael Stieler, who took the title at PGA West in Palm Springs in 2012.
In other GCSAA Golf Championships events:
Gross:
- First: Florida GCSA #1 Seth Strickland, Nathan Carter, Michael Kelly, Bryce Koch, Easton Davis.
- Second: PAGCS #1 Darren Farrar, Josh Saunders, Nicholas Lubold, Brandon Collins, Eric Junkins.
- Third: Florida GCSA #2 Parker Ferren, Walter Chavez, Paul Bacon, Scott McCoy, Adam Stewart.
Chapter Team Net
- PAGCS #1 Darren Farrar, Josh Saunders, Brandon Collins, Nicholas Lubold, Eric Junkins
- Lone Star GCSA #3 Wade Warms, Randy Samoff, Richard Pavlasek, Charles McCaskill
Fourball Gross
- Flight 1 Patrick Joy and Darren Farrar
- Flight 2 Mar Cahalan and Nathan Meye
- Flight 3 Adam Winslow and Samuel Granados
Fourball Net
- Flight 1 Brice Herzberg and Randolph Reese
- Flight 2 Robert Williams and James Alwine
- Flight 3 Darren Little and Richard Mendez
Aviara Scramble
- James Kerns, James Brosnan, Daniel Cutler and Matthew Guilfoil
Del Mar Scramble
- Tyler Clark, Maxwell Lenz, Michael Magnani, Stephen Magnani
Ladies Scramble
- Kee Dunning, Stacy Stellflug, Annemarie White, Zoe Wojsieszak
Classic Gross
- Affiliates Flight, Thomas Weinert
- Classic, James Rattigan
- Classic II, Nicholas Lubold
- Classic III, Randy Samoff
- Classic IV, Tate Fant
- Classic Senior I, Kevin Frank
- Classic Senior II, John Carlone
- Classic Super Senior, Ross Brownlie
Classic Net
- Affiliates Flight, Nick Middleton
- Classic I, John Hardin
- Classic II, Josh Saunders
- Classic III, Chris Harriman
- Classic IV, Matthew Davidson
- Classic Senior I, Keith Hood
- Classic Senior II, David Dickson
- Classic Super Senior, Corey Haney
Howard Richman is GCM's associate editor.