Mark Strickland of Woodstock Receives GSGA's Tommy Barnes Award
Eight other golfers earn GSGA Player of the Year Honors

Mark Strickland of Woodstock is the recipient of the Georgia State Golf Association's 2007 Tommy Barnes Award, signifying the Association's overall Player of the Year. He becomes the eighth different recipient of the award in its 10th year of existence. Strickland was revealed as the winner during the GSGA's annual Player of the Year Awards Luncheon, held at Cherokee Town Club in Atlanta on January 19, 2008.

Strickland, who was the GSGA Men's Co-Player of the Year for 2006, finished third in the point standings for 2007. His high level of performance in several state competitions, as well as impressive national showings, led the GSGA Championship Committee to select him for the prestigious honor. Strickland was one of three golfers to represent Georgia at the USGA State Team Championships, held at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas. He led the Georgia squad to a second-place team finish, just one stroke back of champion Texas. It was the state's best showing ever in the men's event. Strickland didn't make a bogey over the last 36 holes and carded a field-low 66 in the final round to also finish tied for second in the individual race at 7-under 209.

Also on the national level, Strickland won the Club Manager's Association of America (CMAA) National Club Championship, held at Ginn Reunion Resort in Orlando, Fla. Representing Pinetree Country Club of Kennesaw, Strickland upended the defending champion, fellow Georgian Doug Green, by five strokes.

Strickland had two state titles to defend in 2007, and he wound up finishing second at both events. At the Georgia Mid-Amateur Championship at Country Club of Columbus, Strickland chipped in for birdie on his final hole to post a field-low 68 in the final round and finish tied for second, one stroke back of the winner. He also came close to a repeat title at the Atlanta Amateur Match Play Championship, held at Atlanta National Golf Club in Alpharetta. Strickland advanced to the championship final for the fourth time since 1999, but fell in a close title match, 3 and 2.

At the Georgia Amateur Championship, Strickland led or held a share of the lead through most of the first 63 holes before finishing in a tie for second at Ansley Golf Club-Settindown Creek in Roswell. It was his best career showing in the state amateur.

Strickland also represented the Georgia State Golf Association in the Billy Peters Cup Matches, contributing to the amateur team's impressive win over the Georgia Section PGA professionals.

The award's namesake, Tommy Barnes of Atlanta, was one of Georgia's legendary amateur golfers. Among his many accomplishments, Barnes captured the 1941 Georgia Amateur Championship, won the 1947 and '49 Southern Amateur titles, qualified for 16 consecutive U.S. Amateur Championships and played in the 1950 Masters Tournament. In 1989, at age 73, Barnes shot 62 to break Bobby Jones' 67-year-old record at his home course, East Lake Golf Club. He also had a long history of service to GSGA and other golf associations, and was a member of numerous Halls of Fame. Barnes passed away in 2007 at age 91.

In honor of this special gentleman, GSGA established the Tommy Barnes Award in 1983-84 to recognize its Men's Player of the Year. Beginning in 1998, the Tommy Barnes Award was given to the annual overall player of the year.

In addition to the Tommy Barnes Award, eight other golfers were honored as GSGA Players of the Year during the Luncheon. Players of the Year are awarded in six categories: Men, Women, Junior, Girls', Senior Men and Senior Women. This year, there were ties in both senior categories.

Men's Player of the Year: David Noll, Jr., Dalton
Odd-numbered years have proven to be good ones for David Noll Jr. of Dalton, as he picked up his third Men's Player of the Year honor in 2007 after winning the award in 2003 and 2005. Noll began the season by tying for third with partner Doug Green at the Georgia Four-Ball Championship. He followed that up with a victory in the Georgia Mid-Amateur Championship at Country Club of Columbus, retaking the lead on the 53rd hole to claim the title. It marked a sweep for Noll, who has won all of the GSGA men's individual titles, including the 2003 Georgia Amateur and 2005 Atlanta Amateur Match Play Championship. Noll accumulated points over the summer by tying for fifth at the Georgia Amateur and earning low amateur honors with a third-place finish at the Georgia Open. He advanced to the quarterfinals at the Atlanta Amateur Match Play and competed in the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship. He also helped lead his home club, Dalton Golf and Country Club, to its first title at the Georgia Team Championship. Noll represented Georgia at the USGA State Team Championships, helping the team to a second-place finish, and was a member of GSGA's winning squad in the Billy Peters Cup Matches.

Women's Player of the Year: Laura Coble, Augusta
Augusta's Laura Coble keeps her record-setting streak going with her 10th-consecutive GSGA Women's Player of the Year honor in 2007. Coble posted points in all three GSGA women's individual events and won the Georgia Women's Amateur Championship, conducted by the Georgia Women's Golf Association (GWGA), to claim the Player of the Year title. Coble advanced to the quarterfinals of the Georgia Women's Match Play Championship, placed fourth at the Greater Atlanta Women's Amateur Championship and finished sixth at the Georgia Top 60 Women's Classic. Playing on her home course, Augusta Country Club, Coble captured her fifth Georgia Women's Amateur title by shooting 4-under-par 212. Coble also helped lead Georgia to a dominating victory over Florida in the Women's Team Matches held at Druid Hills Golf Club.

Junior Player of the Year: Harris English, Thomasville
Going into the season, Harris English's goal was to win the Georgia Junior Championship at the University of Georgia Golf Course. Well, the Thomasville resident placed fifth at the Junior, six strokes back of champion James White Jr. But less than a month later, English was hoisting the Robert H. Martin trophy as the 2007 Georgia Amateur Champion at Ansley Golf Club-Settindown Creek. Just 17 years old, English became the youngest Amateur champion since the legendary Charlie Yates, who also won the title at 17 in 1931. Also during the season, English represented Georgia for the second-straight year at the Georgia-South Carolina Junior Challenge Match. Currently a freshman on the University of Georgia golf team, English was the individual medalist in two of his first three tournaments as a collegiate golfer.

Girls' Player of the Year: Mariah Stackhouse, Riverdale
Thirteen-year-old Mariah Stackhouse dominated the Girls' Player of the Year race in 2007. The Riverdale resident became the youngest winner in Georgia Women's Match Play Championship history, rallying to defeat Erin Packer in the final, 1 up. She nearly made it two in a row with a runner-up finish at the Greater Atlanta Women's Amateur Championship. Stackhouse was favored to win the Georgia Girls' Championship and carded a 2-under-par 70 in the second round to finish with a four-stroke victory at Dunwoody Country Club. Stackhouse also advanced to sectional qualifying for the U.S. Women's Open and represented the state in the Georgia-South Carolina Girls' Junior Challenge Match and the USGA State Team Championships.

Senior Men's Co-Player of the Year: Don Marsh, Alpharetta
Alpharetta's Don Marsh earned a share of his first Player of the Year title with a number of strong performances in 2007. Marsh picked up points for his top-15 finish at the Georgia Senior Open. He tied for second at the Georgia Senior Championship, his best finish in that event. Marsh was Georgia's top finisher at USGA Senior Amateur Championship held at Flint Hills National Golf Club in Kansas, advancing to the round of 16 before falling to the eventual runner-up. Though not a point-earning event, Marsh captured the Canadian Senior Match Play Championship in the summer, which gave him an exemption into the USGA Senior Amateur. Marsh wrapped up the year with a third-place finish in the Georgia Senior Four-Ball Championship with partner Larry Clark.

Senior Men's Co-Player of the Year: Spencer Sappington, Milton
Four-time Senior Player of the Year honoree Spencer Sappington of Milton captured a share of the 2007 honor with a victory in the final event of the year, the Georgia Senior Four-Ball Championship. Sappington and partner Bill Ploeger – GSGA's only other four-time Senior Player of the Year – rallied from a four-stroke deficit in the final round to win the championship and give him enough points to tie Don Marsh for the title. The bulk of Sappington's points in this year's race, however, came from his victory at the Georgia Senior Championship, where he led wire-to-wire and won by three strokes over Marsh and Larry Clark. It was his fourth Senior title in the last five years and he is the only player in Championship history to win four times. Sappington, who is a 2008 Georgia Golf Hall of Fame inductee, also picked up points by advancing to the round of 16 in the Atlanta Amateur Match Play Championship.

Senior Women's Co-Player of the Year: Brenda Pictor, Marietta
Marietta's Brenda Pictor is GSGA's co-Senior Women's Player of the Year, thanks to her four-stroke victory at the GSGA Senior Women's Championship, held at Callaway Gardens. Pictor, who was the 1994 winner of the Georgia Women's Amateur Championship, conducted by the Georgia Women's Golf Association (GWGA), owned a three-stroke lead after the first round and held on for her first GSGA state title. Pictor also earned points for playing in the Georgia Women's Open and finishing in a tie for fifth. Pictor served as a co-captain for the Georgia squad in the Georgia-Florida Women's Team Matches, an event which Georgia won convincingly at Druid Hills Golf Club.

Senior Women's Co-Player of the Year: Darlene Werhnyak, Lawrenceville
Lawrenceville's Darlene Werhnyak captured a share of her first Senior Women's Player of the Year honor with high finishes in three statewide events and an appearance in a USGA national championship. Werhnyak placed 11th overall and earned the Low Senior trophy in the Greater Atlanta Women's Amateur Championship. She tied for fifth place at the GSGA Senior Women's Championship, marking her fourth top-five finish over the last five years of the event. At the Georgia Women's Golf Association Amateur Championship, Werhnyak placed 14th overall and finished in a three-way tie for the Burns Cup, awarded to the senior with the lowest 36-hole score. Werhnyak also qualified for the USGA Senior Women's Amateur, held at Sunriver Resort in Oregon.