Sunnehanna Senior Am champion Mark Strickland

He capped off a dramatic final day with a playoff victory that solidified his status among the elite in Senior Amateur Golf. The San Diego-based golfer's perseverance paid off after a six-hole playoff against Eric Rustand, securing his fourth major senior title of 2024.

Strickland's path to victory was anything but easy. Heading into the final round, Greensboro, North Carolina's Greg Earnhardt held a two-shot lead after back-to-back rounds of 2-under 68. Chasing him were John Derrick of Waco, Texas, and Rick Stimmel from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with a host of other contenders, including Strickland, within striking distance.

As the final round unfolded, the wind intensified, and scores began to rise. Earnhardt struggled on the front nine, carding a 39 that dropped him two shots off the pace. Meanwhile, John Derrick, Jon Lindstrom, Mark Strickland, and a surging Bryan Hoops began making birdies, turning the leaderboard into a tightly packed race.

By the back nine, the tournament had turned into a nail-biting affair, with five players tied for the lead and another five just one shot back. Eric Rustand posted a 32 on the back nine, finishing with a one-under overall total, setting the clubhouse lead as others chased him down.

Bryan Hoops looked poised to challenge for the title, but a bogey on the 18th derailed his chances. John Derrick and Jon Lindstrom also came close, but their birdie attempts on the final hole just missed. Greg Earnhardt nearly forced a playoff with a stunning approach shot on the 18th that spun back and grazed the cup, but ultimately fell short.

Strickland, however, made two late birdies and a clutch par on the 18th to tie Rustand, forcing a playoff. The playoff was a tense, six-hole affair that saw Strickland and Rustand trading blows. Strickland made a 15-foot par putt on the first playoff hole, only to watch Rustand sink a similar putt to keep the playoff alive. On the second playoff hole, Strickland narrowly missed a 30-footer that lipped out, but he continued to fight, holing a crucial 10-foot putt on the third playoff hole to stay in contention.

Finally, on the sixth playoff hole, Rustand's tee shot went astray into the left rough and couldn't be found, handing the victory to Strickland.

TOURNAMENT NOTES

* Jason Lina of Alpharetta, Georgia, won the Mid-Master division by two shots at 1-over. Tied for second were Jeremy Defalco of Tucson and Andrew Lawson of Dallas.

* Gary Durbin of Houston won the Super Senior division for players 65 and over by two shots over Pete Williams of Juno Beach, Florida. Did you know that AmateurGolf.com does a Super-Senior ranking? Doug Hanzel is on top, but Randy Haag is closing in on him fast, especially since we run a two-year rolling ranking and Hanzel's points for finishing runner-up in the 2022 U.S. Senior Amateur are about to drop of.  Check out the AmateurGolf.com Super Senior Rankings here.

* The Sunnehanna Senior was played under varying weather conditions. The first two rounds were marred by cold temperatures, clouds, wind, and occasional rain, making for challenging scoring conditions. However, the final round saw a welcome change with sunny skies, strong winds, and a pleasant 62-degree temperature, adding a totally different dynamic to the competition.

ABOUT MARK STRICKLAND

Strickland's victory at Sunnehanna is the latest in a stellar 2024 season. This triumph marks his fifth senior title of the year. He started out in January with a win at the AmateurGolf.com San Diego Amateur at Steele Canyon. The 2023 low am in the U.S. Senior Open -- and former Wake Forest golfer -- then won the Golfweek Senior Amateur in April, followed by victories at The Huddleston and the Carlton Woods Invitational in June. Strickland's success in Pennsylvania is all the more remarkable considering he had never set foot on Sunnehanna Country Club before Monday’s first round. Now, he leaves as the champion, firmly establishing himself among the top competitors in Senior Amateur Golf. View Mark Strickland's rankings profile>