Twenty students were selected to receive scholarships
LAWRENCE, Kansas (Sept. 9, 2020) – David Brinkley Mull, Jr., of the University of Tennessee, won the Mendenhall Award scholarship of $6,000 in the 2020 GCSAA Scholars Competition, offered through the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA). This year, the program awarded scholarships to 20 turf management students. A total of $28,000 was awarded to the winners.
The GCSAA Scholars Competition is primarily funded by the Robert Trent Jones Endowment and administered by the Environmental Institute for Golf, GCSAA’s philanthropic organization. It was developed to recognize outstanding students planning careers in golf course management.
“Winning this award is an absolute blessing,” said Mull, who is a senior at the University of Tennessee. “It’s going to make a huge impact helping me with student loans, and I am so grateful to receive this help for my future career.”
Mull’s career aspirations to work in the golf course management industry were first sparked at his family farm in his hometown of Roan Mountain, Tenn., where he raised horses and area plants. He gained experience working at the Hound Ears Club in Boone, N.C. “I grew to love the industry and the game of golf at Hound Ears Club because I was surrounded by great people,” said Mull.
“My goal is to become an assistant superintendent in the mountains of Tennessee or North Carolina,” said Mull, who expects to graduate in December.
The top award in the Scholars Competition is named for the late Chet Mendenhall, who was a charter member of GCSAA, a past president (1948) and recipient of the association’s Distinguished Service Award (1986).
Landon Hall of Killarney, Manitoba, Canada, who attends Pennsylvania State University, received the second-place award of $3,000 known as the MacCurrach Award. It is named in honor of the late Allan MacCurrach, who became the PGA Tour’s first staff agronomist in 1974 and was the GCSAA Distinguished Service Award winner in 1997. The PGA Tour funds this award.
Other award-winners are:
- Issaiah Abeita, Isleta, N.M., New Mexico State University, Scholars Award, $2,500
- James Schon, Amherst, Ohio, Ohio State University – Agricultural Technical Institute, Scholars Award, $2,500
- Russell Bolarinho, Acushnet, Mass., Pennsylvania State University, Scholars Award, $2,000
- William Lannon, Fairfax, Va., Virginia Tech University, Scholars Award, $2,000
- William Covert, West Chester, Pa., Pennsylvania State University, Scholars Award, $1,500
- Steven Page, Canton, Mich., Michigan State University, Scholars Award, $1,500
- Cade Cutchen, San Francisco, Calif., Florida Gateway College, Scholars Award, $1,000
- Ryan Welker, Cambridge Springs, Pa., Pennsylvania State University, Scholars Award, $1000
- Ty Barschdorf, Bridgman, Mich., Michigan State University, Merit Award, $500.
- Spencer Cole, Grant, Mich., Michigan State University, Merit Award, $500
- Jack Daley, Cave Creek, Ariz., Pennsylvania State University, Merit Award, $500
- Keith Dubaich, Shermans Dale, Pa., Pennsylvania State University, Merit Award, $500
- Luke Gabel, Laguna Beach, Calif., Pennsylvania State University, Merit Award, $500
- Nathan Howard, Alto, Mich., Michigan State University, Merit Award, $500
- Mason Marsh, Mount Washington, Ky., Pennsylvania State University, Merit Award, $500
- Clark McCall, Maryville, Tenn., Pennsylvania State University, Merit Award, $500
- Austin Reynolds, Newton, Iowa, Hawkeye Community College, Merit Award, $500
- Garrett Wege, New Derry, Pa., Pennsylvania State University, Merit Award, $500
The GCSAA Scholars Competition Task Group reviewed and scored the applications. Criteria included academic achievement, potential to become a leading industry professional, employment history, extracurricular activities and recommendations from a current academic advisor and a superintendent with whom the student has worked.
Applicants must be enrolled in a recognized undergraduate program in a major field related to golf/turf management and be a GCSAA member. Undergraduate applicants must have successfully completed at least 24 credit hours or the equivalent of one year of full-time study in an appropriate major.
For more information on the program, visit here.
