Jeffrey Mosher welcomes Scott Tolley, Director, Golf Relations | Folds of Honor, Tournament Director | Folds of Honor Collegiate, Jack Nicklaus & the Nicklaus Family Office, in Grand Haven at American Dunes, Michigan, over the next several days.

Hear Folds of Honor’s Scott Tolley discuss the Collegiate at American Dunes, its business impact, sponsors, national exposure and mission with Jeffrey in the SoundCloud podcast shared below:

Jeffrey had several questions for Scott in this conversation:

• Welcome, Scott, Sara. Please remind the Michigan business community about Folds of Honor?
   
• The Folds of Honor Collegiate has grown into a nationally visible event. From a business and community perspective, what does hosting a tournament of this caliber mean for West Michigan?

• The tournament brings together major corporate sponsors, top college programs, and national television coverage. What makes this event attractive to business partners and sponsors?

• Last year’s tournament reached nearly one million viewers through Golf Channel broadcasts and replays. How does that kind of exposure help Folds of Honor, the participating schools, and the Michigan business community?

• The event has expanded to include both men’s and women’s competition, 27 teams, and some of the top programs in college golf. What have you learned about building and sustaining an event that continues to grow?

• Beyond the tournament itself, the real mission is providing educational opportunities for families of fallen or disabled military members and first responders. Why is that mission important for businesses and organizations that choose to invest in this event?

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Folds of Honor Collegiate Ready for its Fifth Edition

Elite Field of 15 Men’s Teams, 12 Women’s Teams compete Sept. 7-9 at American Dunes, with 18 hours of live coverage on Golf Channel. College-Am held Sept. 6 

GRAND HAVEN, Mich. – The fifth annual Folds of Honor Collegiate will be hosted September 6-9 at Jack Nicklaus-designed American Dunes Golf Club in Grand Haven, Mich. This year’s tournament will again feature 15 men’s teams and 12 women’s teams, with a field made up of elite Division I talent, a Division II qualifier, the Service Academies, and two Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU).

After being one of the most watched college tournaments of 2025, Golf Channel will again broadcast the Collegiate live over 18 hours. Rebroadcasts of the competition will also be aired. Last year’s Collegiate reached nearly one million viewers across 12 live & replay telecasts, one of the largest unique audiences for an NCAA golf tournament on Golf Channel in 2025.

2025-2026 Folds of Honor Fact Sheet The Folds of Honor Collegiate raises awareness and funds for Folds of Honor and its mission to provide educational scholarships to the children and spouses of fallen or disabled military and first responders. The 2026 Collegiate field is a shining example of this impact.

There are 22 different colleges and universities representing the 27 teams in the combined field. Folds of Honor recently extended scholarship offers to a record 14,645 qualified students for the 2026-27 academic year, which would represent $65.7 million in educational support offered. Among those letters are 957 students attending the 22 schools that make up the Collegiate field, with a combined impact totaling almost $4.6 million. Since Folds of Honor’s inception in 2007 and including this year’s offers, more than 5,000 Folds of Honor scholarship recipients have attended these schools, representing an educational impact of more than $24 million.

Michelob ULTRA will again serve this year as a Presenting Sponsor and will be joined by tournament broadcast partners Sinclair Oil, Titleist, Compliance Solutions and TIAA. Michelob ULTRA joined the Collegiate family in 2024 as part of Anheuser-Busch’s longstanding support for Folds of Honor. Since 2011, Anheuser-Busch, its brands and wholesaler partners have donated $37 million to provide 7,400 life-changing educational scholarships to the families of fallen or disabled US military service members and first responders.

“To play for something bigger than yourself, or even your team, truly sets this tournament apart from any other,” said Lt Col Dan Rooney, founder and CEO of Folds of Honor.

“It is a blessing to be hosting this event for the fifth time,” added Rooney, who played college golf at the University of Kansas and is history’s only F-16 fighter pilot to also be a PGA Golf Professional. “To see where we are now, more than five years after we discussed hosting a college golf event at American Dunes, is incredible. The Folds of Honor mission to support the families of fallen or disabled military and first responders, the teams that compete, and the academic support we provide to the schools participating, make this tournament truly special. Along with our anniversary, it is also the 25th remembrance of 9/11, where we are reminded of the sacrifices made for our freedom. This event stands as a reverent tribute to the spirit of God, country, and golf.

“We are deeply grateful for the support of Michelob ULTRA as our Presenting Sponsor, highlighting our longstanding partnership with Anheuser-Busch, and to all of our corporate partners that are making a life-changing difference.”

HNS Sports Group, an Ohio-based event management company specializing in golf, will help manage the event.

The 2026 Folds of Honor Collegiate is co-hosted by Michigan State and Florida State, and the field will feature some of the elite college teams in the country. This includes 20 teams that were represented at the 2026 NCAA Regionals, 11 that advanced to the NCAA Championships, and 12 that ended the Spring ranked inside the top 35 in the country.

Florida State rising senior Jack Whaley, ranked 45th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR®)won the U.S. Amateur Championship on August 16 and was named to the Great Britain & Ireland team for the upcoming Walker Cup. So was his teammate, senior Tyler Weaver, who was a member of the 2025 GB&I Walker Cup team and is ranked No. 2 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR®). Ranked fifth in the world is another Walker Cup selection, William Jennings, the 2025 Collegiate Medalist and a rising junior at two-time defending Collegiate champion Alabama. Texas junior Daniel Bennett is currently ranked 13th in the world, while Notre Dame senior Jacob Modleski comes into the Collegiate ranked No. 21. Georgia Tech junior Albert Hansson is No. 64.

On the women’s side, 2025-26 Division I Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Freshman of the Year and WGCA First Team All-American Rianne Malixi of Duke is No. 10 in the world. Defending Collegiate champion Texas A&M has two players in the Top 30—fellow 2026 WGCA First Team All-American Vanessa Borovilos at No. 19 and Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio at No. 30. Florida State junior Sophia Fullbrook is No. 25 in the world and Oklahoma State senior Marta Silchenko is No. 49. Just outside the Top 50 is Ohio State sophomore Nellie Ong at No. 55, and Florida State freshman Louise Landgraf at No. 58.

The teams that qualified for the 2026 NCAA Division I or II Regionals are led by 2026 NCAA Championship qualifiers Florida State (men & women), Michigan State (women), Grand Valley State (Division II men), Texas (men), Duke (women), Findlay (Division II women), Kentucky (women), Ohio State (women), Oklahoma State (women), and Texas A&M (women).

Other NCAA Regional qualifiers in the year’s field include back-to-back Collegiate Men’s champion Alabama; 2023 Collegiate Men’s Champion Notre Dame; 2024 Collegiate Women’s Champion Arizona, Kansas (men & women), Navy (men & women), Cincinnati (men), Georgia Tech (men), and Northwestern (men).

The Air Force Academy, Army, and Naval Academy represent the service academies on the men’s side, while Navy is the lone service academy on the women’s side. Florida A&M, who won the 2026 PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship, will join the men’s field for the third time in four years, while the North Carolina A&T women is one of five programs making their Folds of Honor Collegiate debut. The other schools new to the Collegiate are Georgia Tech, Northwestern, Duke and Oklahoma State.

Michigan State Men’s Golf Coach Casey Lubahn started the first conversations with the Golf Coaches Association of America and Lt Col Rooney about creating the Folds of Honor Collegiate. He is proud, along with Spartans Women’s Golf Coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll, seeing how the event has grown so quickly.

“Michigan State is proud to co-host such an elite tournament that brings together some of the nation’s top collegiate golfers for an unforgettable competition on a course built around purpose, patriotism, and service,” said Slobodnik-Stoll, who is entering her 30th season as the Spartans head coach. “More than a tournament, the event will help raise awareness and support for Folds of Honor and their life-changing mission.

“The Collegiate is giving the next generation of golfers an opportunity to compete at a premier venue, while honoring the families who have sacrificed so much for our freedom.”

Florida State Head Coaches Amy Bond and Trey Jones said, “Florida State Golf is honored to be a part of the Folds of Honor Collegiate. We are fortunate to be a part of Lt Colonel Rooney’s team and honoring those who sacrificed so much. This tournament is not about the teams and individuals competing. This week it is not about us, but the bigger picture. We are a part of one BIG team supporting the soon-to-be 85,000-plus recipients of a Folds of Honor scholarship since 2007. This is so much more than a golf tournament, and we are so appreciative of the families for sharing their stories and all of those who help support this wonderful event.”

This year’s Folds of Honor Collegiate includes a College-Am and Welcome Party featuring country music talent RaeLynn on Sunday, Sept. 6, and spots are still available. Each college team will also carry an Honor Bag tag during the Collegiate, representing the Folds of Honor recipients at each of their schools since the inception of Folds of Honor.

Below are the 27 teams competing in the 2026 Folds of Honor Collegiate: 

Teams in BOLD were ranked in the final spring Bushnell/Golfweek/Mizuno WGCA Div. I and II Coaches Poll.

Additional rankings include teams receiving votes.

*-Service Academy

@-Represented at the NCAA Regionals

#-Advanced to NCAA Championships

Men’s Field

1. Air Force*
2. Alabama No. 20 @ (2024 and 2025 Collegiate Champion)
3. Army*
4. Cincinnati @
5. Florida A&M (HBCU)… Won 2026 PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship
6. Florida State No. 23 @#
7. Georgia Tech No. 22 @
8. Grand Valley State No. 5 in Division II @#
9. Kansas @
10. Michigan State
11. Naval Academy*@
12. Northwestern No. 30 @
13. Notre Dame No. 34 @ (2023 Collegiate Champion)
14. Ohio State
15. Texas No. 4 @#

Women’s Field

1. Arizona @ (2024 Collegiate Champion)
2. Duke No. 11 @#
3. Findlay No. 3 in Division II @# (Tied for 5th in NCAA Div. II Championships)
4. Florida State No. 28 @#
5. Kansas @
6. Kentucky @#
7. Michigan State @#
8. Naval Academy*@
9. North Carolina A&T (HBCU)
10. Ohio State @#
11. Oklahoma State No. 20 @#
12. Texas A&M No. 4 @# (2025 Collegiate Champion)

For more information on the Collegiate, please visit the Folds of Honor Collegiate webpage. For sponsor, College-Am or ticket information for the 2026 Folds of Honor Collegiate, please contact Tournament Director Scott Tolley at stolley@foldsofhonor.org.

For media inquiries or credential requests, please contact Ashley Grimmer (Communications Manager, HNS Sports) at agrimmer@hnssports.com, or Adam Mackey (Director of Communications, Golf Coaches Association of America) at adam@gcaa.coach.

For additional information about Folds of Honor, as well as media inquiries in advance of the Collegiate, please contact Glenn Greenspan (Director of Public Relations) at ggreenspan@foldsofhonor.org.

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.