2026 GFS Tour Cup Championship Atlantic City:

One for the Books

By Shane Mazei

Four spectacular rounds of golf, great dinners, live music, a little casino action, and enough laughs to carry us into next year—the GFS Tour delivered another unforgettable week.

On the course, Bob Nagy claimed first place and the GFS Tour Cup Championship. I finished two strokes back in second, followed by Kenny Thorpe in third, with Joe Sparano and Bob Nattle tied for fourth. Congratulations to Bob on a well-earned victory!

My own week included a 47 on the front at Renault followed by a 37 on the back. Apparently, my golf game had booked a later tee time than I had.

We should also recognize the outstanding golf played by absolutely everyone on day two at Shoregate. Fairways were hit, putts were drained, and nobody once questioned why they play this game. Any scorecards suggesting otherwise should be considered a printing error.

And a special good luck to Joe Sparano, who gets to continue playing Shoregate three days a week thanks to his membership. The rest of us get a year to recover. Joe pays dues to keep going back. We admire his commitment to repairing this relationship.

Off the course, dinner at Vic & Anthony’s brought another performance worthy of recognition: Jim put away 36 ounces of steak in one sitting. While the rest of us were competing for the Tour Cup, Jim was apparently trying to qualify for a different tour entirely. No word yet on whether the steak will be requesting a rematch.

Between the slots, roulette, and live music, there was plenty of entertainment after the clubs were put away. But the biggest casino story stayed a secret until the trophy presentation.

The five of us helping run the trip decided to put the entire side-game pot on black—a decision that, fortunately, we got to describe afterward as brilliant.

It hit.

We doubled the pot, increased the payouts, and added fourth- and fifth-place prize money. When we finally revealed our little investment strategy at the trophy presentation, the room lost it. Our accounting department will not be taking questions at this time.

The most meaningful moment, though, came when my dad, one of the trip’s founding members, spoke at the end of the week. Through tears, he shared how much it meant to know this tradition would continue after the founding generation is no longer here to carry it. Seeing what this trip means to him—and knowing we get to help keep it going—is something I’ll remember long after the scores fade.

This year also gave us a special glimpse of that future. Brayden, Ed Strzelecki’s grandson and Michael Strzelecki’s son, joined us for the final round, becoming our first third-generation GFSer. Three generations sharing in a tradition like this is something to be proud of.

There’s something special about this group. We compete, give each other a hard time, laugh until it hurts, and look forward to getting together again. Each year adds new stories to the ones we’ve been telling forever, and now another generation gets to start making its own. The future of the GFS Tour looks great, and we’re already looking forward to another GFS Tour Cup Championship blast next year.

Innisbrook? Biloxi? Get ready—we’re coming for you…

Trip Photos