Arizona State’s Sutton, UMSL’s Worley Named 2025 Jan Strickland Award presented by TaylorMade Golf Company Recipients
NORMAN, Okla. – Thomas Sutton of Arizona State (Division I) and Scott Worley of UMSL (Non-Division I) have been named the 2025 Jan Strickland Outstanding Assistant Coach Award presented by TaylorMade Golf Company recipients. The Strickland Award is presented to the NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA, or NJCAA assistant coach that, among other things, has excelled in working with their student-athletes both on the course and in the classroom. Sutton and Worley will be honored with their awards during the 2025 GCAA National Convention at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas December 9-11.
Thomas Sutton, Arizona State (Division I)
“I'm incredibly honored to receive the 2025 Jan Strickland Outstanding Assistant Coach Award presented by TaylorMade Golf Company,” said Sutton. “This is an award I’ve followed for years and have always been inspired by the coaches who’ve received it. To be included in that group is truly humbling.”
Arizona State won three times with seven other top-three finishes in Sutton’s third season in Tempe. The Sun Devils finished second at the 2025 Big 12 Championship, their first year in the conference, and was the No. 1 seed after stroke play at the NCAA Championship. Being led on the course by PING All-Americans Josele Ballester, Michael Mjaaseth, Preston Summerhays, and Connor Williams, Arizona State completed the season ranked No. 3 via Scoreboard powered by Clippd.
Along with being the fifth four-time All-American in program history, Ballester became the first Spaniard to win the U.S. Amateur in 2024 before being named 2025 Big 12 Player of the Year and 2025 Division I Gary Player International Golfer of the Year presented by FlightScope.
Hired as associate head coach on June 16, 2022, Sutton has helped lead the Sun Devils to nine tournament victories, including the 2024 Pac-12 Championship and 2023 NCAA Las Vegas Regional, the No. 1 seed in their NCAA Regional each year, and consistent top-five national rankings. 11 PING All-America, 14 PING All-West Region, and six Arnold Palmer Cup selections have occurred with Sutton on staff.
Sutton has been instrumental in the program’s recruiting and player development, bringing in the nation’s top recruiting class for 2023 that included eventual PING All-Americans Wenyi Ding and Williams. He has also directed several camps serving hundreds of junior golfers, been Tournament Director for the Thunderbird Collegiate all three years, led Team Impact efforts for community service, and helped manage Sun Devil Men’s Golf social media accounts. His players have earned six GCAA All-America Scholar honors and compiled a 3.75 team GPA during all three years, with Ryggs Johnston being named the 2023 Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
“Thomas is a tremendous leader and coach,” Arizona State Head Coach Matt Thurmond said. “He brings a consistent radiant energy every day focused on helping others both get better at golf and have an incredible experience on and off the course. People love working with him and for him. He has a long successful coaching career ahead of him and anyone working with him will be very fortunate.”
“A sincere thank you to the GCAA, TaylorMade Golf Company, and the selection committee who spent so much time reviewing and interviewing candidates,” Sutton continued. “Your dedication to recognizing the work of assistant coaches means a great deal. I’m also extremely grateful to Coach Matt Thurmond, who I’m lucky to work with and learn from every day, and to our team, everything I do is for them, and they make this job the best in the world.”
Prior to arriving in Tempe, Sutton spent five seasons as an assistant coach under head coach Alan Murray at Washington (2017-22). The Huskies produced 11 tournament victories, including the 2022 Pac-12 Championship, and the program’s highest national ranking in eight years. Sutton coached six PING All-West Region and seven All-Pac-12 honors, including 2022 Pac-12 Player of the Year and 2022 PING First Team All-American RJ Manke. 2022 Pac-12 Individual Champion Noah Woolsey was a 2020 PING Honorable Mention All-American.
Sutton began his coaching career as an assistant coach at his alma mater, UAB, for one and a half seasons (2016-17). Murray, the 2016 Conference USA Coach of the Year, was the head coach before being hired at Washington in August 2016, then Sutton assisted current Wisconsin head coach Mike Wilson during his first of five seasons at the helm. The Blazers advanced to the 2016 NCAA Championship via their third-place finish at the 2016 NCAA Marana Regional. Sutton coached five All-Conference USA selections, including 2016 Conference USA Individual Co-Champion Taylor Eyster, and five Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll honorees.
After redshirting his freshman 2009-10 season, Sutton played at UAB the next four years, graduating in 2014 with a degree in accounting. He competed in 47 events for the Blazers, including two NCAA Championships and three NCAA Regionals, and was team captain as a junior and senior. The Montgomery, Ala., native recorded top-20 finishes in the 2012 NCAA Stanford Regional (T10) and 2013 NCAA Baton Rouge Regional (T17). Sutton was twice named to the Conference USA All-Academic Team (2012, 2014) and was on the Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll all five years. His fifth season was Murray’s first as head coach at UAB.
“I’m especially thankful to the former coaches I’ve played under and worked alongside,” said Sutton. “They’ve had a huge impact on my growth as a coach. This recognition is incredibly meaningful, and I’m truly thankful.”
Scott Worley, UMSL (Non-Division I)
“To be honored with the Non-Division I Jan Strickland Award, from the family of fellow assistant coaches, is something I will cherish for the rest of my career,” said Worley. “Thank you to the selection committee, the association, and Taylor Made Golf Company for the support of this award.”
Worley has assisted Director of Golf Operations Troy Halterman with both UMSL golf programs (men and women) since August 2023. The men doubled their top-five team finishes from last season (four to nine) and qualified for the NCAA Division II Championship for the first time since 2022 before completing the season ranked No. 26 via Scoreboard powered by Clippd. The Tritons, who broke the single-season program record for team scoring average (289.19), were led on the course by All-Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) golfers Trigg Lindahl, Logan Mayo, and Dani Solavera. Mayo was also named GLVC Freshman of the Year and PING All-Midwest Region. The men also broke program records for 54-hole team score (837) and lowest round score (273), while Solavera tied the school record for 54-hole individual score (205) at the UIndy Invitational in September.
The women, who finished inside the top three once last season, compiled two wins and six other top-three finishes this season before qualifying for their first NCAA Division II Championship appearance since 2022. The No. 22-ranked Tritons, who broke the single-season program record for team scoring average (297.49) by over seven strokes, were led on the course by five All-GLVC honorees, including GLVC Player of the Year Wilma Zanderau and GLVC Freshman of the Year Mayan Covarrubias. Zanderau was named WGCA Second Team All-American for the second straight year after being runner-up at the GLVC Women’s Golf Championship and finishing T10 at her second consecutive NCAA Division II Championship. The women also broke program records for 54-hole (856), 36-hole (562), and 18-hole score (277) at the National Preview in October. Zanderau, Covarrubias, and two other teammates tied the school record for rounds played in a season (39).
Worley has coached a combined 14 All-GLVC (10 W, 4 M), 11 GLVC Golf Player of the Week (9 W, 2 M), eight All-America Scholar (5 WGCA, 3 GCAA), and three All-Region (2 WGCA, 1 GCAA) selections thus far for his alma mater. Cyril Henault became the third Triton to win the GLVC Individual Championship in 2024, and the men received GCAA Presidents Special Recognition in 2023-24 for having a 3.5+ team GPA.
“I am so excited for Scott,” Halterman, the 2025 GLVC Men’s Golf Coach of the Year, said. “He works so hard with our players and has made a big difference to our program. Scott is not just a coach at UMSL, and as a golf alum, he takes great pride in all the team successes. He is very committed to the success of our players.”
“He is truly deserving of this honor,” continued Halterman. “The entire team was excited when they heard he was a finalist for the award. It's a huge honor for our program to win a national award like this.”
Worley played at UMSL for two years (1987-88, 1991-92), where he was a member of the program’s first conference championship (1992 MIAA) and first NCAA Division II Championship-qualifying team. He played in seven tournaments and 13 rounds during the 1991-92 season. Worley was a student assistant for the 1994-95 season before graduating with a degree in business administration in 1995.
Since then, Worley has been a teaching professional in the St. Louis area for 30 years, working with many of the top amateurs and juniors in the area. He is a PGA member, Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) certified, and was awarded Leadbetter Kids Certification in 2018, helping teach children aged 3-12 about physical, mental, and social skills through golf and other real-life situations and interactions to learn important life skills. Worley has been a Certified Callaway Fitter since 2002 and has continued his golf education through numerous teaching seminars, series’, PGA conferences, workshops, and academies since 1995.
“I would like to thank my wife and two sons for understanding the commitment needed to support our UMSL student-athletes to succeed on the course and in the classroom,” Worley continued. “Special thanks to Coach Troy Halterman for the opportunity to coach under his guidance and improve my skills. We forget how fortunate it is to practice and play at wonderful facilities. I appreciate the members at Glen Echo Country Club for allowing our student-athletes to use such a prestigious course.”
“This award is really about the success of our student-athletes. I feel honored to help them on their journey.”
TaylorMade Golf Company has sponsored the Jan Strickland Outstanding Assistant Coach Award since its inception in 2003.
Previous Recipients
2024 - Chris Williams, Auburn
2024 - Isaiah Logue, Keiser
2023 - Dudley Hart, Florida
2022 - Matt Clark, North Carolina
2021 - Bill Allcorn, Oklahoma
2020 - Jean-Paul Hebert, Texas
2019 - Armen Kirakossian, Arizona State
2018 - Corey Maggard, Auburn
2017 - Ryan Blagg, Baylor
2016 - Andrew DiBitetto, North Carolina
2015 - John Handrigan, Florida
2014 - Chris Hill, Houston
2013 - Ryan Murphy, Texas
2012 - Jim Anderson, Texas A&M
2011 - Christian Newton, Georgia Tech
2010 - Michael Burcin, South Carolina
2009 - Brian Sharp, Virginia Tech
2008 - Walter Chun, California
2007 - Andy Bischel, UNLV
2006 - John Knauer, Arizona
2005 - Greg Robertson, Purdue
2004 - Bowen Sargent, Tennessee
2003 - Mike McGraw, Oklahoma State