Seminoles, Yellow Jackets Win 2026 Folds of Honor Collegiate
GRAND HAVEN, Mich. – The Florida State women and Georgia Tech men won the 2026 Folds of Honor Collegiate on Wednesday at American Dunes Golf Club.
Entering the morning seven shots back, Florida State rallied to capture their first Folds of Honor Collegiate title and becoming the first host school in tournament history to record a team victory. The Seminoles finished with a three-under 861 (288-290-283), one stroke over 2025 Collegiate Champion Texas A&M.
“We weren’t really sure we were going to play or not this morning,” Florida State Head Coach Amy Bond said. “They came out and were ready to go. A lot of grit and a lot of birdies fell today, so I’m pretty excited to win the first tournament of the year and in the way in which they did it, I am extremely, extremely proud of them.”
The Seminoles were guided by the strength of individual co-champion Haruhi Nakatani’s four-under 68 (-6; 72-70-68). The sophomore from Tokyo, Japan carded four birdies on Wednesday, including on the 17th hole to tie Duke freshman Mia Hammond before making a clutch up-and-down on the 18th to secure the team victory and individual co-victory.
Hammond, who held the individual lead entering the final round, closed with a three-under 69 to reach six under for the event (70-71-69). The New Albany, Ohio, native finished her collegiate debut with a share of the individual title while leading her team to a third-place finish.
“It’s incredible,” Hammond said. “To even put it into perspective that this tournament stands for so much more than just a golf event and knowing that we are out here supporting people who need all the help they can get to get an education, is truly special.”
Hammond is the third Duke freshman in program history to win their first collegiate tournament, joining Amanda Blumenherst (2005) and Candy Hannemann (1998).
“They were just so independent out there and turned themselves around,” Duke Head Coach Dan Brooks said. “They had the usual dose of mistakes here and there, but they just kept their chins up and kept fighting and we almost pulled this thing off. It was great.”
Arizona and Kansas rounded out the team top five while Ohio State sophomore Sophie Eppelstun (-4; 72-71-69; T3), Duke senior Katie Li (-4; 70-74-68; T3), and Arizona freshman Olivia Hung (-3; 71-69-73; 5th) earned top-five individual finishes.
The afternoon saw Georgia Tech card a six-under 278 en route to a wire-to-wire victory in their Folds of Honor Collegiate and Head Coach Ryan Hybl’s Georgia Tech debut. The Yellow Jackets defeated 2023 Collegiate Champion Notre Dame and Texas by five strokes with an 18-under 834 (272-284-278).
“We had such great digging all week long,” Hybl said. “It’s what we’re promoting as a culture within our program and what we’ve been seeing it back at the house within the three weeks we’ve been working. Just so thankful for all these guys buying in. Since June 4th, our mission has been to build something that is long lasting, but I wouldn’t be here without all of our former players and Coach Heppler, who built this program to what it is. I’m just super grateful and can’t thank the Folds of Honor, Col Rooney, and everything that you guys have done. This week has been amazing.”
“This morning, to be honest, we were super loose,” continued Hybl. “That’s probably one the reasons I’m liking our vibe about what’s going on. It’s still really just by execution. We had a really good game plan, which was the genesis this first week out for us. We’ve been relying on a little bit of love and hard work that we’ve already put in. We don’t know each other that well, but that’s out process and this is just the start. We’re going to be stacking days and trying to callous these guys up as much as we can the start of the year. This is a great start for Georgia Tech Golf.”
Georgia Tech’s wire-to-wire team victory is the second in tournament history, joining the Alabama men who did so first in 2024.
With a bogey-free back nine, freshman Max Emberson held off some later afternoon charges to win his collegiate debut wire-to-wire with an 11-under 202 (63-72-67), two shots ahead of Texas’ Daniel Bennett.
“There were a lot of close calls up to this point and I think reflecting through those experiences brought me to this tournament,” the Thousand Oaks, Calif., native said. “I really brought my lessons from those events to this and I just tried to plow through with that. We were playing for something bigger than ourselves this week, representing the Folds of Honor and our past and present services members. So, every time you hit a good or bad shot out here, you got to remember that and realize it’s all going to be okay.”
Emberson’s wire-to-wire individual victory is the first in tournament history.
Junior Albert Hansson also recorded a top-10 finish, compiling a five-under 208 (69-69-70) that was good for T6.
After a total of even-par 568 through the first two rounds, Cincinnati put together a 12-under 274 on Wednesday for the day’s lowest round and a fourth-place finish. Two-time defending Collegiate Champion Alabama finished fifth. Kansas senior Will Baker (-8; 68-70-67; 3rd), Ohio State junior Vaughn Harber (-7; 65-71-70; 4th), and Notre Dame senior Jacob Modleski (-6; 68-68-71; 5th) rounded out the top five individually.
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.