Owen Huntington (So / Camas, Wash.) turned in a 17-over par 233 to lead the Navy men's golf team to a 13th-place finish among a field of 18 at the inaugural Folds of Honor Collegiate in Grand Haven, Mich. The Mids shot a 67-over par 931 (314-318-299) over the course of three days at the par-72 American Dunes Golf Club.
Nationally-ranked Illinois was the only team to complete the tournament under par, winning the team title with a 10-under par 854 (292-277-285). The Illini shot the low round in each of the last two days and saw three of their five players finish among the top 5 and a fourth tied for 11th. Arizona was 15 strokes back in second, covering the 54-hole tournament with a 5-over par 869 (293-290-286). Meanwhile, Liberty's Jonathan Yaun claimed individual medalist honors following a chip-in birdie on the second playoff hole against NC State's Maximilian Steinlechner.
Despite rainy conditions and temperatures hovering in the low to mid-50s, golfers from across the country were treated to one of the top-ranked facilities in the country - a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course that is a tribute to the military and commemorates the birthplace of Folds of Honor. All three service academies were represented with Air Force edging out the Mids by a stroke (930-931), while Army finished 16th in the standings, 12 strokes behind Navy.
Huntington, who made his collegiate debut two weeks ago at The Doc Gimmler, once again was the Mids' top finisher. After a slow start that saw him put together rounds of 82 and 81, Huntington came roaring back in the final round where he shot a 2-under par 70 to place 57th. Team captain
Keegan Shreves (Sr / Potomac, Md.) also put forth his best round in the finale, capping the third day with a 3-over par 75 to finish 19-over for the tournament (77-83-75=235).
Benjamin Valdez (So / Stevenson Ranch, Calif.) and
Chip Deegan (Fr / Newport Beach, Calif.) tied for 67th with the pair shooting a 22-over par 238. Valdez also carded his low round on Wednesday with a 3-over par 75, while Deegan turned in a 2-over par 74 on Tuesday before closing out with a 5-over par 79.
Rounding out the lineup was
Andrew Wilkinson (So / Ashland, Va.) who made his first appearance of the year and place 72nd with a 25-over par 241 (77-80-84).
Navy will spend next week preparing for the annual Star Match against archrival Army which is slated to be played Oct.7-8 at the West Point Golf Course. The Mids won last year's Star Match after 2022 graduate
Nicholas Klock sank a four-foot putt for par on the first playoff hole to lead Navy to a sudden death victory in Annapolis.
### Go Navy ###
