Seth Strickland with his championship trophy. Strickland is now tied with Emil Masiocchi for six GCSAA Championship wins, the most in event history. Photo by Montana Pritchard
The 2024 GCSAA National Championship was one for the history books.
Seth Strickland, the GCSAA Class A director of agronomy at Miami Beach Golf Club, carded a two-day total of 6-under-par 138 on the Ambiente and Padre courses at Camelback Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., to win his sixth national title. That ties him with
Emil “Mashie” Masciocchi — who won his six from 1940-1950 — for the most in event history. Strickland won his first three in a five-year stretch between 2005-2009, and now has won three of the last four tournaments (2021, 2022
and 2024.)
The GCSAA National Championship is contested as a part of the broader GCSAA Golf Championships, presented by The Toro Co. for the 30th consecutive year. The sold-out event played out over three days at Camelback, Whirlwind Golf Club and Talking Stick
Golf Club and featured flighted play in the Golf Classic, a Four-Ball and Scramble competition.
Following the completion of the first-round play on Camelback’s Ambiente Course, Strickland found himself in a three-way tie for the lead with Jordan Sherratt from South Lakes Golf Club in Australia and fellow Floridian Walter Chavez from Hollybrook
Golf and Tennis Club in Pembroke Pines.
In the final round, Strickland took a slow and steady path to the title, especially on the front nine where he parred every hole. The first nine holes for Sherratt and Chavez were a bit bumpier — Sherratt carded three birdies, two bogeys and a double
bogey, while Chavez double the first before a birdie on No. 7 — and they found themselves a shot of the pace at the turn.
Meanwhile, another challenger had entered the fray — Tylor Gabriel from Wildhorse Resort and Casino in Pendleton, Ore. Two shots back after day one, Gabriel started day two strong and found himself just one shot off the lead at the turn.
But as he has done so many times in the past, Strickland had the right formula down the stretch to close out the tournament title. He birdied Nos. 11, 13 and 15 to build a five-shot cushion over Gabriel, who was his closest competitor at that point. Gabriel
closed the gap to three shots with a pair of late birdies to finish second overall, but it wasn’t enough to shake Strickland or prevent him from winning his sixth title.
Sherratt finished tied for third with John Gianopoulos from Kent Country Club in Grand Rapids, Mich., with two-day totals of even-par 144. Four players tied for fifth at 1-over-par 145 — Chavez; 2016 champion Shawn Westacott from Blessings Golf
Club in Fayetteville, Ark.; Jason Dziabel from Cabot Cliffs Golf Course in Inverness, Nova Scotia; and Edward Martinez from the Yaupon Course at The Hills Country Club in Austin, Texas (who also took home the top spot in the senior division of the
National Championship).
The overall winner of the Golf Classic portion of the event was Josh Troutman from Crestview Country Club in Wichita, Kan. And in the Chapter Team competition, the Florida GCSA No. 1 team took home the gross title. Members of that team were Strickland;
Parker Ferren, CGCS from Copperleaf Golf Club in Bonita Springs; Dylan Foster from Verandah Golf Club in Ft. Myers; and Easton Davis from Pelican Marsh Golf Club in Naples. The net title went to the No. 2 team from the Mid-Atlantic GCSA — Christopher
Hinesley, CGCS, from Loudoun Golf and Country Club in Purcellville, Va.; Corey Landon from Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md.; Michael King from Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Va.; and Mike Mueller from Herndon (Va.) Centennial Golf Course.
For complete results from the 2024 GCSAA Golf Championships, visit golfgenius.com/pages/4352188.