GCSAA names 2026 Larry Powell Scholarship winner

Brigitte Ortiz is the recipient of the 2026 Larry Powell Scholarship from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. Ortiz is currently pursuing an online MBA through EUDE Business School in Madrid, Spain, while living in Florida.

Funded by donors through the GCSAA Foundation, the scholarship is named after 51-year GCSAA member Larry Powell, superintendent at Clearview Golf Club in East Canton, Ohio. The course was built by his father, the late Bill Powell, and is the only facility in Ohio that has been designed, built, owned and operated by an African American. Bill and Larry became the only African American father-son members of GCSAA. The Powell family, which includes Larry’s sister Renee, the second African American to play on the LPGA Tour, was honored with GCSAA’s Old Tom Morris Award in 2019.

Ortiz grew up in Ecuador and, while studying agriculture from EARTH University in Costa Rica, discovered her passion for golf course maintenance during an internship at the Arnold Palmer-designed Ocean Course at the Four Seasons Resort in Papagayo, Costa Rica.

“What sets golf course turf management apart from traditional agriculture is that it is not about quantity or production, but it is about quality, playability and the overall experience for the players,” Ortiz said. “Every day brings new challenges that require focus, teamwork and quick problem solving. I love watching the sunrise and sunset over the course and seeing players enjoy the results of the hard work we put in from Sunday to Sunday.”

After graduation, Ortiz returned to Ecuador to work on the construction of a new golf course as the construction manager’s assistant. She was promoted to assistant superintendent when the course opened.

She moved to the United States to be a part of the Ohio State University Turfgrass Management Program and then completed the school’s advanced golf course certificate program online. She also trained at Quail Valley Golf Club in Vero Beach, Florida, and Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando, Florida.

“I am in love with turf management,” she said. “I started almost seven years ago and I cannot think about any other future for my life. Turf management is a combination between agronomy practices and playable perspective, and I love that. There is not a perfect manual to manage a golf course, and every superintendent has their own way to manage a golf course, and I love that too.”

In addition to working on an MBA, the married mother of an 11-month-old son is also studying French as a third language through the university and believes her education and experience will provide her with the skills to grow as a leader in the industry.

“I am grateful to God, my family in Ecuador and my family here in the U.S. for their support,” Ortiz said. “Everything I have accomplished is because of them and they continue to be my motivation as I pursue my career in golf course management.”

Ortiz is also appreciative of Ohio International intern program manager Michael O’Keefe and Dr. Karl Danneberger, a turfgrass science professor at Ohio State, as well as the Powell family and everyone involved with the Larry Powell Scholarship.

“I want to say thank you for having this type of scholarship that helps people all around the world,” Ortiz said. “It is just amazing the big impact that this scholarship will have for one of us each year.”