Jayhawks, Yellow Jackets Lead After Opening Round of 2026 Folds of Honor Collegiate

GRAND HAVEN, Mich. – The opening round of the fifth annual Folds of Honor Collegiate took place Monday at the Jack Nicklaus-designed American Dunes Golf Club. This year’s tournament features 15 men’s teams and 12 women’s teams with Golf Channel providing live coverage for the fourth consecutive year.

Kansas carded a 4-under 284 Monday morning to claim a four-stroke women’s advantage going into Tuesday’s second round. Co-host Florida State and defending Collegiate Champion Texas A&M sit tied for second at an even-par 288, while 2024 Collegiate Champion Arizona and Duke trail tied for fourth at four-over 292.

“We got off to a really good start and that was really important,” Kansas Head Coach Lindsay Kuhle said. “This is our third year at this event, so we feel more familiar and comfortable on the course. I think our game plan was probably the best thing about today.”

Fifth-year senior Anna Wallin led the way for the Jayhawks, compiling six birdies and a low round of a four-under 68 to take the solo lead in her season debut.

“I’m very happy with my round,” said the Helsingborg, Sweden native. “I got off to a good start, so that kind of calmed the nerves a little bit but then also just tried to stay aggressive with it and be patient still. Especially making the turn on (hole) one after a couple tougher holes in the beginning, I just tried to stay where my feet are the whole day.”

“She’s just very steady,” continued Kuhle. “She was that for us last spring and into the postseason and started playing really well at the end of our qualifier with our team. She’s been striking it the best I’ve seen her in five years, so I’m really proud of her and most importantly how she finished the round.”

All four of Kansas’ counting scores are inside the top 20 heading into Tuesday’s second round, including Wallin, junior Ebba Nordstedt (-1; 71; T8), sophomore Kinslea Jones (E; 72; T12), and senior Lyla Louderbaugh (+1; 73; T16). 11 players, including Wallin and Nordstedt, carded under-par rounds.

Making their Folds of Honor Collegiate debut, the No. 25 Georgia Tech men grabbed an early afternoon lead and grew it to seven strokes with a 12-under 272. Co-host Michigan State (-5; 279), 2023 Collegiate Champion Notre Dame (-4; 280), and Kansas (-1; 283) finished the round under-par. Two-time defending Collegiate Champion Alabama is sitting in fifth place after an even-par 284 on Monday.

In his collegiate debut, freshman Max Emberson used seven birdies and a front-nine 29 to compile an opening-round and single-round Collegiate record eight-under 63 to build a two-stroke individual lead.

“I wanted to go out there and put up a good number for my team,” said the Thousand Oaks, Cali. native. “That’s all I can do, control the controllables, and I feel like I did that pretty well.”

“To be able to represent myself and Georgia Tech is awesome,” he continued. “There was a lot of preparation going into this, and to be a collegiate golfer now is special.”

In his tournament debut as Georgia Tech Head Coach, 2024 GCAA Hall of Fame inductee Ryan Hybl said that he had so much confidence in Emberson coming into the week.

“He’s had a lot of trust in me over the last couple years and we’ve built a great relationship,” Emberson said. “To continue that in college golf is fantastic.”

Four of the 19 under-par men’s individual scores on Monday were Yellow Jackets, including Emberson, junior Albert Hansson (-2; 69; T8), junior Carson Baez (-1; 70; T11), and senior Andrew Ferworn (-1; 70; T11).

The men will tee off for Round 2 of the 2026 Folds of Honor Collegiate at 7:30 a.m. ET and the women at 1:05 p.m. ET. Follow this men’s link and women’s link for live scoring and Golf Channel’s live coverage will run 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 4:30-7:30 p.m. ET. 

About Folds of Honor

Folds of Honor is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of US military service members and first responders who have fallen or been disabled while serving our country and communities. Our educational scholarships support private school tuition or tutoring in grades K-12, tuition for college, technical or trade school and post-graduate work, including a master’s degree, doctorate, or professional program. Funds for a second bachelor’s degree or trade/technical program certification are also available. Since its inception in 2007, Folds of Honor has awarded nearly 73,000 scholarships totaling over $340 million in all 50 states. Among the students served, 43 percent are minorities and 57 percent female. A total of 91 percent of expenses fund our mission of providing educational scholarships to the families of our nation’s heroes. It is rated a four-star charity by Charity Navigator and Platinum on Candid. It was founded by Lt Col Dan Rooney, the only-ever F-16 fighter pilot (with three combat tours in Iraq) and PGA Professional. He is serving as Commander of Recruiting for the Oklahoma Air Guard. For more information or to donate in support of a Folds of Honor scholarship visit foldsofhonor.org.

About American Dunes

In 2006, the Grand Haven Golf Club hosted a small golf tournament that would inspire the founding of Folds of Honor. The Grand Haven Golf Club closed in 2018 and a limited group of patriots joined together with Jack Nicklaus to create American Dunes. Nicklaus led the project by donating his design fee, a group of 18 individuals sponsored one hole each, and five private investors joined together to preserve the birthplace of Folds of Honor. The mission of American Dunes is unwavering; to raise awareness and funds for the families of fallen or disabled military service members and first responders. Since the facility opened in May 2021, over $9.4 million have been donated back to Folds of Honor to provide life-changing educational scholarships.

In 2022, the annual Folds of Honor Collegiate was first contested with 18 men’s teams. In 2024, the Collegiate welcomed a women’s field to better reflect the mission at Folds of Honor.

“American Dunes represents a collaboration of countless likeminded patriots, who want this golf course to forever stand as a tribute to the birthplace of Folds of Honor, a safe haven for veterans who find rehabilitation through the recreation of the game, and a backdrop to celebrate our country and those who fought for its freedom,” Lt Col Rooney said. “A significant legacy such as this is born out of the effort of selfless individuals and companies who have donated their time and resources.”

About HNS Sports Group

HNS Sports Group is a Dublin, Ohio-based LLC founded in 2000. The company offers over 125-plus years of collective experience and is committed to providing professional, efficient and effective client representation in the categories of sponsorship consultation, event management, hospitality management, sales representation and tournament operations within the golf market. To learn more about HNS Sports Group, visit www.hnssports.com.

About Golf Coaches Association of America

Established in 1958, the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) is the professional organization of men's collegiate golf coaches. The GCAA's mission is to support its member coaches from six divisions, including the NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA, by creating educational opportunities, providing resources, and promoting its members with the purpose of enhancing their overall performance as coaches, mentors, and teachers. The GCAA also recognizes the excellence and achievements of its members and their student-athletes in academic, athletic and civic endeavors. For more information, please visit gcaa.coach.