William Belden Strickler (born January 15, 1986) is an American

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

who has played on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...

Web.com Tour The Korn Ferry Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either not yet reached the PGA Tour, or who have done so but then failed to win enough FedEx Cup points to stay at that level. Th ...

and

PGA Tour Canada PGA Tour Canada, commonly referred to as the Canadian Tour, is a men's professional golf tour headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. The United States based PGA Tour took over operation of the tour on November 1, 2012, at which time it was renamed PG ...

Early life

Strickler was born in

Bronxville, New York Bronxville is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States, located approximately north of Midtown Manhattan. It is part of the town of Eastchester. The village comprises one square mile (2.5 km2) of land in its entirety, a ...

.GatorZone.com, Men's Golf History, 2008 Roster
Will Strickler
Retrieved July 14, 2011. He is the son of Diana and Richard S. Strickler Jr. His father served as managing director for mergers and acquisitions of financial companies at

Morgan Stanley Morgan Stanley is an American multinational investment management and financial services company headquartered at 1585 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. With offices in more than 41 countries and more than 75,000 employees, the fir ...

in New York until his retirement in 1989. Strickler grew up in

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...

and Madison, Connecticut. Strickler was the MVP for the varsity tennis team at St. Anne's-Belfield School in Charlottesville as a freshman. He transferred to Woodberry Forest School in adison County, Virginiabeginning his sophomore year. Strickler found similar success on the golf course as the 2003 Virginia Prep League Individual Champion, and Strickler also led Woodberry Forest's golf team to the 2003 and 2004 Prep League Championships. Strickler served as the golf team's captain as a senior. His sister, Meggie, played lacrosse at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

Amateur career

Strickler received an athletic scholarship to attend the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach

Buddy Alexander Stewart Murray Alexander (born February 20, 1953), nicknamed Buddy Alexander, is an American former college golf coach and amateur golfer. Alexander is the former head coach of the Florida Gators men's golf team. He is best known for coaching th ...

Florida Gators men's golf The Florida Gators men's golf team represents the University of Florida in the sport of golf. The Gators compete in Division I (NCAA), Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Th ...

team in

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

(NCAA) competition in 2005 and from 2007 to 2009.
Florida Men's Golf 2011 Media Supplement
', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 28, 34 & 42 (2010). Retrieved July 14, 2011. During his career as a Gator golfer, he was a four-time letter winner and a senior team captain in 2008–2009. In tournament play, Strickler earned medalist honors at the 2009 Golden Ocala Collegiate, along with top 10 finishes at the 2009 Azalea Invitational, 2008 Monroe Invitational, 2008 Northeast Amateur, 2008 John Hayt Collegiate Invitational and 2008 New Year's Invitational. Strickler graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree, in both anthropology and economics in 2009. Strickler also won the

Connecticut Amateur The Connecticut Amateur is the state amateur golf championship in Connecticut. First played in 1899, it is one of the oldest state amateur championships in the United States. History In modern times, the tournament usually begins with two qualif ...

in both 2007 and 2008, becoming the first repeat winner since

J. J. Henry Ronald "J.J." Henry III (born April 2, 1975) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. Amateur career Henry was born in Fairfield, Connecticut. While attending Texas Christian University, he was the individual runner up at t ...

in 1994 and 1995. He tied for second in stroke play qualifying at the 2009

U.S. Amateur The United States Amateur Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Amateur, is the leading annual golf tournament in the United States for amateur golfers. It is organized by the United States Golf Association and is currently held each August ov ...

, with a two-round total of 141 at

Southern Hills Country Club Southern Hills Country Club is a private golf and country club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. History The club was established in 1935 from land donated by multimillionaire oilman Waite Phillips (Frank Phillips, Waite's brother, was the namesake and fo ...

in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He won one match before dropping his second round (round of 32) contest.

Professional career

He turned professional shortly after the 2009 U.S. Amateur. He placed second at the Canadian Tour fall qualifying school in September, earning tour privileges for the 2010 season. He made 7 cuts in 10 tournaments on the Canadian Tour in 2010, with his best finish a fourth-place tie at the Desert Dunes Classic in November. In December 2010, Strickler successfully gained a 2011

card through the qualifying school. Strickler entered the 6th and final round tied for 4th, but struggled, finishing with a last-hole bogey to make the cut on the number. Strickler's bogey on the 18th, plus Nationwide Tour graduates Michael Putnam and Justin Hicks placing in the top 25, allowed Scott Gordon and Billy Horschel (Strickler's friend and former Florida teammate) to earn their tour cards as well. Shortly after earning his PGA Tour card, he signed with TaylorMade-adidas for endorsement and sponsorship. In January 2011, Strickler made his first career

start at the

Farmers Insurance Open The Farmers Insurance Open is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, played in the San Diego, California, area in the early part of the season known as the "West Coast Swing". The tournament was noted for having singer-actor Andy William ...

. In May 2011, Strickler contended for the lead at the

HP Byron Nelson Championship The AT&T Byron Nelson is a golf tournament in Texas on the PGA Tour, currently hosted by TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, northeast of Dallas. Held in May, it is one of two PGA Tour stops in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex – which until the 2020- ...

. He posted a 4-under-par 66 in the opening round, carding an eagle and five birdies along the way, including an impressive 52-foot putt at the 15th hole. In December 2011, Strickler made his first appearance at the Australian Masters. Strickler failed to retain his tour card and returned to the Canadian Tour in 2012. During the 2012 Canadian Tour season, he made six of eight cuts and posted three top-10 finishes. His best finish came at the

Dakota Dunes Casino Open The Saskatchewan Open was a golf tournament on PGA Tour Canada that was held in Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1919, the Saskatchewan Open was held annually until 1981, only missing from the calendar in 1924 when the Western Canada tournament wa ...

in July where Strickler shot -19 to force a playoff in which he narrowly lost to

Matt Hill Matthew Hill (born January 19, 1968) is a Canadian voice actor working for Ocean Productions. Career His roles include List of Ed, Edd n Eddy characters#Ed, Ed in ''Ed, Edd n Eddy'', Kevin Keene, Kevin Keene/Captain N in ''Captain N: The Game Ma ...

in a sudden-death playoff. Strickler returned to the renamed PGA Tour Canada in 2013, making six of nine cuts with his best finish coming at The Great Waterway Classic (T-4) where he shot -18. In September 2013, Strickler made his first European Tour appearance where he finished T-11 in the first stage of qualifying school. To wrap up the 2013 season, Strickler successfully advanced through qualifying school to earn conditional status on the Web.com Tour for 2014. He was fully exempt on PGA Tour Canada in 2014 after finishing 35th on the 2013 Order of Merit. In 2014, Strickler returned to the PGA Tour at the

after earning a spot in the Monday qualifier where he shot 6 under par with one eagle and six birdies. On May 13, 2014, Strickler earned medalist honors at the

qualifier after posting a 4-under-par 68, which included six birdies and an eagle on the par-5 18th hole at The Lakes at Castle Hills in Lewisville. He placed second at the 2014 Southern Ontario Open in Burlington, Ontario (a Great Lakes Tour/NGA Tour event) after shooting 16 under par.

Amateur wins

*2007

*2008 Connecticut Amateur

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Strickler, Will American male golfers Florida Gators men's golfers PGA Tour golfers Golfers from New York (state) Golfers from Virginia Woodberry Forest School alumni People from Bronxville, New York Sportspeople from Westchester County, New York Sportspeople from Charlottesville, Virginia 1986 births Living people