PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- Jim Manthis, PGA Master Professional at the University of Minnesota /Les Bolstad Golf Course in St. Paul, Minn., has been named the 53rd recipient of the PGA Golf Professional of the Year Award, the highest annual honor bestowed by The PGA of America on a PGA Professional.

A native of White Bear Lake, Minn., Manthis, 64, is the third member of the Minnesota PGA Section to be so honored. He will be recognized at The PGA of America Awards, Jan. 26, 2006, during the 54th PGA Merchandise Show at the Orange County Convention Center's Linda W. Chapin Auditorium in Orlando, Fla. The program will feature all 2006 national award winners.

Also winning national PGA awards are: PGA Teacher of the Year Bill Forrest of Scottsdale, Ariz.; Horton Smith Award winner Thomas Tatnall of Ridgeland, Miss.; Bill Strausbaugh Award winner Michael Harmon of Beaufort, S.C.; PGA Junior Golf Leader winner Francis "Frank" Selva of Orange, Conn.; PGA President's Plaque winner Bob Baldassari of Fredericksburg, Va.; and the Northern California PGA Section, winner of the Herb Graffis Award.

PGA Merchandisers of the Year Award winners were also selected. The winners are: Public Facilities – Brad Braden of Livermore, Calif.; Private Facilities – Dick Stewart of Kalamazoo, Mich.; and Resort Facilities – Brian Gerard of Kiawah Island, S.C.

JIM MANTHIS – PGA Golf Professional of the Year

Jim Manthis' introduction to golf came at age 9 while serving as a caddie for his father at Manitou Ridge Golf Course in White Bear Lake, Minn., where he met PGA Head Professional Wally Mund. Two years later, Manthis recorded his first complete round of golf. He went on to be an accomplished player, winning tournaments in six different decades, and in the past five as a PGA Professional.

The connection between Manthis and Mund grew, with Mund winning the 1969 PGA Golf Professional of the Year Award and serving 17 years on the PGA Executive Committee, the longest such term of any PGA Professional. Mund became PGA head professional at Midland Hills Country Club in St. Paul, Minn., and Manthis would later succeed his longtime mentor in 1967 and remain in that position until 1995.

"Wally inspired me to get involved instead of making speeches about the way things should be run," said Manthis. "He advised those he mentored to ‘do something first and talk later.' "

Manthis turned professional in 1964, and was elected to PGA membership in 1969, the same year that he founded the Assistants Association in the Minnesota PGA Section. For the next two decades, Manthis followed Mund's advice well, becoming one of the most active members of the Section. He served three terms on the Board of Directors from 1974 through 1994; as Section president from 1983-84; as District 8 Director on the PGA national Board (1987-90); as a member of the Board of Control (1993-97); and as a member of the PGA Membership Committee (2001-03).

"I am overwhelmed by this honor," said Manthis. "I have loved this game all my life, and the work never seemed like work at all. I was blessed to have had great mentors, beginning with Wally Mund and through individuals like Ken Venturi, who preached to give something back to the game and don't just always take."

Giving back to others was a part of Manthis, and he demonstrated it best by training more than 250 caddies, including 37 that earned Chick Evans Scholarships to attend college. Additionally, Manthis guided six assistants who went on to pursue golf professional careers.

Among his innovations in club fitting on a local club basis, Manthis began the use of a portable computer to measure swing speed and face angle.

Manthis was named Minnesota PGA Golf Professional of the Year in 1984, Section Bill Strausbaugh Award winner in 1992 and on the course was named 1993 Section Senior Player of the Year. He earned PGA Master Professional status in 1997.

Manthis owns three top-10 finishes in the U.S. Public Links Championship, including a tie for fifth in 1963; is a two-time Section Stroke Play Champion (1981, '93); the 1993 Section Match Play Champion; and a two-time Minnesota Senior Open Champion (2002, '05).

"I live in a great Section," said Manthis. "The professionals and the amateurs in this state have a respect for the game and its traditions."

His PGA educational service includes teaching PGA Business Schools I and II in Minneapolis; Golf: For Business & Life course at the University of Minnesota; and serving as a guest instructor at the University's Brad James Golf Academy. Manthis is a co-founder of the Section Junior Golf Academy; co-wrote the academy's teaching manual along with rules and regulations for a 165-event per year Section Junior Golf Tour.

Manthis is the father of three children: Ken, 45, a PGA Professional at Brightwood Hills Golf Course in New Brighton, Minn.; a daughter Joan, 44, a research psychologist; and a son, Steve, 39, who is a high school English instructor and coaches golf and hockey.

BILL FORREST – PGA Teacher of the Year

Bill Forrest, the PGA director of instruction at Troon Country Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., is the second member of the Southwest PGA Section to be named PGA Teacher of the Year – preceded by Jim Flick in 1988.

A native of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Forrest moved to the United States at age 16. He began his professional career in the Canadian PGA from 1977-82, before taking a teaching position from 1983-87 at the Bonita Bay Club in Bonita Springs, Fla. After a brief stint at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., in 1987, Forrest was recruited later that year to the TPC of Scottsdale, Ariz., where he became director of instruction.

Forrest spent 14 years at the club, developing an impressive list of students featuring Tour professionals, accomplished amateurs and celebrity athletes from a variety of sports. In 2004, Forrest moved across town to Troon Country Club.

Elected to PGA membership in 1992, Forrest is a four-time Southwest PGA Teacher of the Year (1992, '95, '96, and 2004) and two earned Section Horton Smith Awards, in 1997 and 1998. He was one of the first groups of PGA Professionals to be Specialty Certified in Teaching in 1997, and remains a member of the Master Professional faculty. He has conducted more than 50 teaching education seminars in six PGA Sections, and earned PGA Master Professional status in Teaching in 2004.

Forrest's other honors include being named to GOLF Magazine's "Top 100 Teachers," and Golf Digest's "Best Teachers in Your State," and recipient of the 1992-93 National Golf Foundation Golf Achievement Award.

"When I received word of this award, it literally took my breath away," said Forrest, 50. "This is our Oscar, our Pulitzer Prize, the pinnacle of achievement for a teaching member of the PGA. It is not something that you work for, but what hard work achieves for you. This award is about redemption for me.

"I have been fortunate to have more than 100,000 students while traveling to 40-plus countries during my career. I have had a peripatetic mission to tour the world and teach golf. I'm more of an American now than I ever was, and am proud of it. I have seen all the great teachers teach, and while working at the TPC in Arizona, I saw many of the best players as well, and was able to watch them practice on a daily basis.

"The most important aspect of the lesson is getting to know the student, understanding who you are dealing with. We are facilitators of learning, and self-discovery and self-evaluation is key for both the student and the teacher. My strength lies in my perception and ability to assess the student and get to the cause quickly."

Forrest's list of past and present students include the PGA Tour's Steve Jones, Per-Ulrik Johanssen, the LPGA's Grace Park, Champions Tour veterans Tom Purtzer and Tom Weiskopf; 60 collegiate golfers at various levels to such celebrity athletes as soccer's Mia Hamm, NBA star Charles Barkley, baseball's Nomar Garciaparra; and tennis great Jimmy Connors.

Forrest and his fiancée, Gina, live in Scottsdale. He is the father of sons Clifford, 14, and Max, 8.

TOM TATNALL – Horton Smith Award

A contributor to PGA education for more than three decades, PGA Master Professional Tom Tatnall is the second member of the Gulf States PGA Section to be named the national Horton Smith Award winner.

A native of Itasca, Ill., the 64-year-old Tatnall is the owner of Tatnall Associates LLC of Ridgeland, Miss., and founder of Golf Expert Group, which specializes in resolving legal issues regarding golf. The group features national award winners, Certified Professionals, Master Professionals and a past PGA President who provide professional communications and testimony that reflect the highest standards of the profession. Tatnall also is a consultant to Skygolf GPS, where he serves as director of professional program development.

Tatnall began playing golf at age 11 at his hometown course, Itasca Country Club, where he met PGA Professional Dee Dinelli. When Tatnall's father passed away four years later, Dinelli became a lifelong mentor.

Tatnall's love for the game evolved as he earned a WGA Evans Scholarship through his caddie experience to attend the University of Illinois, where he graduated in 1963. He earned a master's degree in economics from the University of Chicago in 1965, and decided that golf was his career path.

"I love the game and I love the business," said Tatnall. "I felt that golf was an area where having the background I had could come in handy. I got into serving as a general manager before it was commonplace. And, I am indebted to PGA Professionals like Dee Dinelli and later Bob Hamrich, whom I worked for at Champaign Country Club, for their guidance and friendship."

Since 1971, Tatnall has presented education programs throughout the country. And since 1997, he has served as an adjunct faculty member for the PGA Professional Golf Management Program. He has been either a key committee or officer in three PGA Sections during his career -- from serving as an Executive Committee member in the Illinois Section through 1968; as vice president of the Gateway PGA from 1978-79 and currently an Apprentice Chairperson in the Gulf States PGA Section.

Tatnall's national PGA committee service included a term from 1993-94 as vice chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee.

"During the years I've been involved in education, I believe I have gained more than I've given," said Tatnall. "I am very proud of the path that PGA education has taken in our Association."

A sufferer of asthma since he was 10, Tatnall provided a program for low-income asthmatic children at an American Lung Association of Mississippi facility, "Camp Wheez Away." In addition to helping provide golf tips to the youngsters, Tatnall led a discussion of how he has overcome the affliction, which has not prevented him from enjoying golf and building a successful career.

"My goal was to create a lifetime interest in golf as a sport that they can enjoy in spite of their health problems," said Tatnall.

Tatnall and his wife Pam live in Ridgeland, Miss., and he is the father of three children: a daughter, Tracy Segal, of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; a son, Todd, of Fort Wayne, Ind., and a daughter, Sarah, of Chicago.

MICHAEL HARMON – Bill Strausbaugh Award

The PGA director of golf at Secession Golf Club in Beaufort, S.C., Michael Harmon never got to meet Bill Strausbaugh, the namesake for the national award for PGA Professionals who distinguish themselves by mentoring their fellow professionals and improving employment situations.

But, Harmon heard much about Strausbaugh through his members at Secession Golf Club, several of whom had taken lessons from the man they called "The Coach," and who inspired many to become the best that they could be in golf.

So, it was a special moment for Harmon when he learned he had been named recipient of the Bill Strausbaugh Award, the announcement coming after Harmon accepted an invitation to compete in October in a tournament named in Strausbaugh's honor at the Coach's club, Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Md.

"It's an incredible honor," said Harmon, in his 20th season at Secession Golf Club. "This is easily the highlight of my professional career. I believe this is a giving award, and I like to think that Bill Strausbaugh was such a person. I think he was like other great PGA Professionals – Harvey Penick or Paul Runyan, those who truly loved the game and expressed it so well. Bill Strausbaugh's name is synonymous with integrity, honor and a life dedicated to the game of golf."

Harmon is the third Carolinas PGA Section member to be honored with the Bill Strausbaugh Award. Elected to PGA membership in 1986, the 52-year-old Harmon also received national recognition in 2004 as the PGA Merchandiser of the Year for private facilities. He also is the recipient of the 2000 and 2004 Carolinas PGA Merchandiser of the Year Awards and the 2003 Carolinas PGA Horton Smith Award.

For the past decade, Harmon said Secession Golf Club's far-reaching impact has enabled him to be contacted by some 50 head professionals, assistants, superintendents and aspiring professionals who seek his counseling.

"I have had tremendous young assistants through the years," said Harmon, "and because of their quality, the club's influence and some lessons learned, I have been able to place nine assistants into PGA head professional positions."

Secession Golf Club has developed the World Top 10 Caddie Program, where young caddies from England, Scotland, Ireland and Australia come to work at Secession Golf Club. And, Harmon arranges for his seasonal assistant to work and live in Scotland for four months of summer to learn the game and gain an invaluable cultural perspective.

From 1985 to 1995, Harmon was a faculty member 22 times in the early PGA Business Schools. He has served two terms on the Carolinas PGA Board of Directors – from 1988-92 and this year through 2007.

Harmon and his wife, Lynda, live in Beaufort, S.C., and are the parents of a daughter, Joanna, 16.

FRANCIS "Frank" SELVA – PGA Junior Golf Leader Award

Francis "Frank" Selva, 65, is a PGA head professional at Race Brook Country Club in Orange, Conn. A native of Derby, Conn., Selva is a former caddie and baseball player. He served in the U.S. Army from 1963-66, and began a career in golf after his discharge. His first golf mentor, Joe Sullivan of Race Brook Country Club, asked Selva about his career plans and suggested golf.

Selva became caddie master, then earned PGA membership in 1972. When Sullivan retired, Selva became the next Race Brook head professional. Selva is the second Connecticut PGA Section member to capture a PGA Junior Golf Leader Award.

Selva said he elevated his career through getting involved in Special Olympics golf in 1993.

"It's a great honor, and I feel that I'm getting the credit for what 28,000 PGA Professionals are doing each day to help grow the game," said Selva. "I have a wonderful Section, and it has been tremendous to help youngsters, especially in the realm of Special Olympics, where golf is a wonderful gift to help others feel good about themselves."

Selva's Special Olympics work was elevated in 1995, when he supported the event staff at Yale University in New Haven, Mass., site of the Special Olympics World Games. He is a member of the national Special Olympic Golf Board and followed his duties at the 1999 World Games at Duke University. In 2003, Selva became a teaching delegate for the 2003 Special Olympics World Games in Dublin, Ireland.

"It's nice to see a Special Olympic athlete hit the ball even just 20 feet and get excited," said Selva. "We worry about how our drives look and don't realize the joy that these athletes can feel from even the simplest of accomplishments."

Among Selva's other pursuits were establishing with Section support a Physically Challenged Golf Program in 2002 at a local hospital. Since 1999, Selva has served as Connecticut PGA Golf Foundation president. Currently, his Race Brook Country Club junior program involves more than 100 boys and girls, and he has hosted the Connecticut Special Olympics Championship Games the past decade.

Selva's previous Section honors include the 1983 Connecticut PGA Golf Professional of the Year, 1989 Horton Smith Award, 1992 Bill Strausbaugh Award and the 1999 Junior Golf Leader Award.

Selva and his wife, Ruth, live in Bethany, Conn., and are the parents of a son, Richard, 37, who is the PGA head professional at Highland Golf Club in Shelton, Conn., and runs a successful junior program for the Section.

BRAD BRADEN – PGA Merchandiser of the Year – Public Facilities

Brad Braden, 33, is in his fourth season as the PGA head professional at Poppy Ridge Golf Course in Livermore, Calif. He is a resident of Discovery Bay, Calif.

A native of St. Louis, Mo., Braden has lived in Northern California since he was 6 months old. He was elected to PGA membership in 1998. Braden turned professional in 1993, and is a 1996 graduate of the PGA Professional Golf Management program at New Mexico State University. He began his professional career in 1997 at Chardonnay Golf Course in Napa Valley, Calif., before joining the staff in 2002 at Poppy Ridge Golf Course.

"Winning this award is an honor not only for myself, but for my staff and the entire staff at Poppy Ridge," said Braden. "My staff has worked hard to get where they're at in customer relations. We set out to be one of the finest golf shops possible, based on the fundamentals of exceptional service. That feeling of treating the customer well flows through the kitchen, food & beverage and to the course maintenance staff. Our aim is to provide customers with the best possible golf experience."

News of the national award, Braden said, "was a great, uplifting call," and came just months after his enduring yet another health crisis in his life. In 1977, at age 4, Braden was diagnosed with leukemia. He was declared to have the illness in remission, yet in early May he was diagnosed with a brain tumor (mengioma), which doctors believed was created due to radiation treatments Braden underwent in his youth.

Braden had surgery in July to remove the tumor, and will undergo follow-up surgery on Sept. 18. He remains enthusiastic about his recovery, and has built strong local and Section support, most notably in his guiding a golf tournament the past 10 years at Silverado Country Club in Napa Valley to benefit the Leukemia Society.

"I feel honored to be among so many talented people on our staff and in a Section that understands the importance of growing the game," said Braden. "And, I am proud of a staff, of which I have great confidence. Our merchandising philosophy revolves around building relationships, and our mission is to provide exceptional service to all customers."

BRIAN GERARD – PGA Merchandiser of the Year – Resort Facilities

Brian Gerard, is in his 20th season at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort in Kiawah Island, S.C., and is the newly-appointed PGA director of golf, who will oversee the operations of five courses at one of the world’s high-profile golf destinations.

A native of Eureka, Ill., and a 1986 graduate of Western Illinois University, Gerard was elected to PGA membership in 1989. He has been a member of the Kiawah Island Golf Resort staff since 1986. He served as PGA assistant professional at Turtle Point Golf Club until 1990, then as PGA head professional at Turtle Point through 1995. He became head professional in 1995 at the Ocean Course, site of the 2007 Senior PGA Championship and the 2012 PGA Championship. He was named director of golf for the resort this month.

"It's an honor to be recognized on a national level, and I really feel that I'm a small part of what we do here," said Gerard, 42 "We strive daily to hit all the high standards. Kiawah Island Golf Resort's success in merchandising begins with Ashley McGee, the director of retail. Her name belongs on this award as much as mine. She's a huge part of it."

Gerard said that the Ocean Course staff, as with the staff at all golf shops at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, meet specific standards to "exceed guest expectations."

"Each staff member has a full understanding of what we have not only in our shop but in all shops at the resort, and that takes in five golf shops and one at the Sanctuary (Hotel). Service is the cornerstone of our merchandising philosophy. It is truly a team effort that allows us to be successful." Golf World Business recognized The Ocean Course as one of the 100 best golf shops in the country in listings from 1997-2001, and from 2003 through 2005.

Gerard and his wife, Lynn, live in Meggett, S.C.

DICK STEWART – PGA Merchandiser of the Year – Private Facilities

The PGA head professional at Kalamazoo (Mich.) Country Club, Dick Stewart was elected to PGA membership in 1979.

A native of Petoskey, Mich., Stewart, 54, began his professional career working for his brother, Tom, at Lakewood Shores in Oscoda, Mich. (in the summer) and at the Bay Valley Golf Club in Bay City, Mich. From 1975-78, he was an assistant professional at Jupiter Hill Club in Jupiter, Fla. (in the winter) and PGA head professional at Birchwood Farms Golf Club Country Club in Harbor Spring, Mich.

In 1978, Stewart was named head professional at Kalamazoo Country Club, a facility founded in 1909 and what he terms an "outstanding family-oriented club, where members embrace you as friends."

The national award, said Stewart, "means that all the hard work that has been accomplished recently, but is really a collaboration of what my former staff has done to set the standard." Thirteen former assistant professionals, who came under Stewart's wing, have gone on to become PGA head professionals.

Kalamazoo Country Club built a Golf Center in 1999, and began a new variety of merchandise. Stewart said the club "has become a men's specialty store of choice in our area.

"Our merchandising philosophy is simply going above and beyond what the customer expects; striving, maintaining the highest standards, and looking after the smallest detail and going the extra mile."

Stewart, who said that he is not a runner, is a member of a family of athletes. He and his wife, Joanne, a marathon runner, live in Kalamazoo, Mich., and are the parents of three daughters, Jessie, who is captain of the University of Michigan cross country team; Lizzie, a track performer at DePaul University and Molly, a prep tennis and soccer player.

Celebrating its 90th anniversary, The PGA of America was founded in 1916, and is a not-for-profit organization that promotes the game of golf while continuing to enhance the standards of the profession. The Association is comprised of more than 28,000 men and women PGA Professionals who are dedicated to growing participation in the game of golf.