Spartans, Lakers Lead After Opening Round of 2024 Folds of Honor Challenge
ALLENDALE, Mich. - The opening round of the third annual Folds of Honor Challenge took place on Sunday at The Meadows at Grand Valley State University. This year’s tournament has expanded to separate men’s and women’s fields to better reflect the Folds of Honor mission, with 57 percent of scholarship recipients being female.
One of only four men who recorded under-par rounds on Sunday, John Mark Mills of defending NJCAA Division II national champion Mississippi Gulf Coast leads by one over Odessa’s Adam Bresnu, Aurora’s Braeden Duncan, and Bulldog teammate Peyton Russell through 18 holes. The sophomore from Pontotoc, Miss., recorded four birdies and a two-under 69.
“I hit the ball really well today,” Mills said. “I kept it in the fairway and on the greens and tried to give myself as many looks as I could. My ball-striking was really good, so I’m just going to keep focusing on that and taking the positives out of the day, because there were a lot of them.”
I feel very accomplished after this first round,” continued Mills. “I got myself in a very good position for the rest of the week, so I’ve got to stay focused, keep my head down, and keep going.”
Aurora led the men’s field from start to finish and is ahead of Mississippi Gulf Coast by three shots.
“We are truly honored to be a part of this tournament first and foremost,” Aurora Head Coach Justin Wyeth said, making their second consecutive appearance in the Folds of Honor Challenge. “I feel like this tournament, more than any other, is one where we are playing for way more than our program, university, or division.
“This course is fantastic, challenging, fair, and very firm,” Wyeth continued. “We stuck to our game plan early and tried to play for one another today. The guys really executed around the greens and we took advantage of shots when we were in the correct positions.”
Grand Valley State and Findlay went back and forth atop of the women’s leaderboard, but it is the Lakers and Olivia Stoll who carry leads into Monday’s second round.
“I played solid,” said Stoll, a senior from Haslett, Mich., and 2024 WGCA Second Team All-American. “I had a few bad holes on the back nine that just got away from me, but overall, I hung in there and grinded it out. The course is firm and the putter was feeling good for the most part, so I think that I adjusted well. I do need to lay off some holes and not hit as much club off the tee, though.”
Rebecca Mailloux, Stoll’s head coach, knows how important the conditions on her home course are for tournaments like this.
“It’s playing tough out here,” Mailloux said. “This is exactly what The Meadows is known for. It’s firm and fast, and fortunately we didn’t have any wind out there today or else it would’ve been really tough. We came out to a hot start, made some bogeys and mistakes on the back nine, and grinded it out. It’s obvious that the course is playing firm and fast, so we just have to play those knock-down shots, play short of the green, and let it run up when we can. I think knowing that will help us into these next two days. All in all, being at the top, I’m happy.”
Fresh off a summer that included the 2024 PING Division II Player of the Year Award, becoming the first non-Division I golfer to go undefeated at the Arnold Palmer Cup, and appearances in The Women’s Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur Championships, Findlay’s Mary Kelly Mulcahy trails Stoll by one shot. The Lakers are ahead of her and her Oilers by three.
Round 2 of the 2024 Folds of Honor Challenge will have a shotgun start at 9:30 a.m. ET. Follow this men’s link and women’s link for live scoring.
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 over 52,000 scholarships totaling about $244 million in all 50 states. Among the students served, 45 percent are minorities. 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 currently stationed at Headquarters Air Force Recruiting Service Detachment 1, at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. For more information or to donate in support of a Folds of Honor scholarship visit foldsofhonor.org.
About The Meadows at Grand Valley State University
The Meadows has been the host of nine NCAA National Championships, including the NCAA Division II Women's National Championships in 1996, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2011, and 2015, as well as NCAA Division II Men's National Championship in 2001, 2007, and 2014. Please visit www.gvsu.edu/meadows for more information.
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.