GCSAA has awarded scholarships to 16 college students as part of its Scholars Program administered by The Environmental Institute for Golf.

The first place winner, David Golembeski, receives a $6,000 scholarship and is honored as the Mendenhall Award Winner.

The second place winner in the competition, William Overly, receives a $5,000 award and is designated as the recipient of the MacCurrach Award. The MacCurrach Award is funded by the PGA Tour.

Golembeski, a New Milford, Conn., native, is a senior majoring in turfgrass and soil science at the University of Connecticut, and Overly, who is from Louisburg, Kan., is a senior majoring in golf course management at Kansas State University.

Both also will receive an all-expense-paid trip to the GCSAA Education Conference and Golf Industry Show in Orlando.

Shane Brockhoff (Iowa State), Carole Townsend (Lake City Community College), Chris Parsons (Michigan State), Ian Gallagher (Ohio State), Meghyn Stalcup (Tarleton State), Gregory Caldwell (Virginia Tech), Christopher Skvir (Rutgers), Tyler Wenger (Michigan State), Jonathan Chase Webb (Florida) and Nathaniel Watkin (Lake City Community College) each were awarded stipends ranging from $1,250 to $2,500.

Richard Gillispie (Maryland) and Jon Cancel (California State Polytechnic-Pomona) won $500 each as Merit Winners. Luis M. Casado and Roque Buendia-Perez, international students at Michigan State, were both awarded $2,000 Ambassador Scholarships by GCSAA as well.

The GCSAA Scholars Program, funded by the Robert Trent Jones Endowment, was developed to recognize outstanding students planning careers in golf course management. Applicants must be enrolled in a recognized undergraduate program in a major field related to golf/turf management and be a GCSAA member.

The Mendenhall Award is given in memory of the late Chet Mendenhall, a pioneer in the golf course management industry. He was a charter member of GCSAA served as a director of GCSAA from 1940-1946, vice president in 1947 and president in 1948. He was honored with the association's Distinguished Service Award in 1986 and by the USGA with its Green Section Award in 1990.
The MacCurrach Award is named in honor of Allan MacCurrach, who was the 45th person to receive the title of Certified Golf Course Superintendent from GCSAA in 1962. He became the PGA Tour’s first agronomist in 1974 and played a leading role in establishing the standard of excellence for course conditioning at PGA Tour events.