At Pinehurst, Grand Canyon University Battles the Best Collegiate Club Golfers For NCCGA Title

For Grand Canyon University, the 2024 PGA Collegiate Club Golf (NCCGA) Fall Championship and Invitational at historic Pinehurst Resort is a unique opportunity to defend the title.

Grand Canyon earned its first national PGA NCCGA title in the fall of 2023 in a one-hole playoff at Dancing Rabbit Golf Club in Philadelphia, Mississippi. They defended their title this spring, albeit sharing it with Ohio’s Miami University––following one completed round of play at the spring championship, overnight tornadoes swept through the communities around host facility WinStar Resort and resulted in the cancellation of the tournament. With two courses used for the championship, two teams and two individuals were recognized as co-national champions. 

“Anytime you win a championship, regardless of the situation, it is a moment to be proud of,” said Grand Canyon Head Club Golf Coach Ryan Woodworth. “It definitely had a bit of an anti-climatic feeling to it, especially because we were coming off of such a dramatic finish from Mississippi, but we all played under the same circumstances, and we knew as a team that we had to have the lead after round one in case of weather.”

Grand Canyon University’s Angelo Luciani shared individual medalist honors with Providence College’s Logan Jaeger. Grand Canyon University’s Brandon Winters earned individualist medalist honors at the Fall Championship last year, spurring Luciani to pursue the same honor at the spring championship earlier this year. 

“Earning medalist honors was great, especially after watching my teammate Brandon do the same,” Luciani said. “This weekend has a little bit more personal meaning for me. While I am super excited for my team and always pulling for GCU to win the title, I sort of feel like I have to prove myself from last semester. It felt great, but it felt like it was not fully earned.”

Luciani sought an opportunity to play competitively year-round in hopes of building his golf resume and earning a varsity spot on a collegiate team. When he met Coach Ryan Woodworth, he knew he’d found the right fit. 

“I had talked with Coach Ryan, and the team fit all of my criteria and the school looked great,” Luciani said. “I did not know initially that the team would be this much fun, while still having a group of guys that share the same goals as me and are equally as competitive.”

Held in the fall and spring, the PGA NCCGA Championship features more than 300 of the nation’s best collegiate club golfers. As the governing body for collegiate club golf, the NCCGA ensures every student can play golf in college and assists them in starting, maintaining, and facilitating club golf tournaments regionally and nationally.

“Club golf is a way to continue playing golf in college,” said Woodworth. “It’s a little more laid back than playing on a D1 team, but the competition is still really good. There are some great teams and golfers in the NCCGA.”