The Navy men's golf team kicks off the 2023-24 campaign on Monday when it travels to Grand Haven, Mich. to compete in the Folds of Honor Collegiate. Hosted by the Michigan State in association with the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) and Folds of Honor, the three-day, 54-hole event is slated to begin on Monday at the American Dunes Golf Club (par-72, 7,128 yards). Monday's opening round begins at 11:40 am with teams teeing off from the 1st and 10th holes. Navy will be playing alongside Arkansas and Michigan State in the opening round.

Tournament Details
Event: Folds of Honor Collegiate, hosted by Michigan State in association with the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) and Folds of Honor
When: Monday-Wednesday, Sept. 4-6
Where: Par-72, 7,128-yard // American Dunes Golf Club, Grand Haven, Mich.
The Field: 18 teams - Air Force, Arizona, Arkansas, Army, Florida A&M, Florida State, Grand Valley State, Howard, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Memphis, Michigan State, Navy, NC State, Notre Dame, Oregon State, South Carolina.
Follow The Action: Golfstat.com (Live Results) // The Golf Channel (Live coverage from 4-7 pm daily)

Navy's Lineup
(Golfer / Yr / Hometown / 2022-23 avg.)
1. Jack Tarzy (So / Medford, N.J. / 74.31)
2. Andrew Wilkinson (Jr / Ashland, Va. / 80.33)
3. Noah Nuez (Jr / Laveen, Ariz. / 76.56)
4. Benjamin Valdez (Jr / Stevenson Ranch, Calif. / 76.44)
5. Danny Auffant (Fr / Bellevue, Wash. / ---)

About the Tournament
• The tournament includes teams from across the country, including all three service academies (Army, Navy, Air Force) and two Historically Black Colleges & Universities.  Howard, Florida A&M will represent the 41 percent of Fold of Honor recipients who are minorities and the GCAA and Black Golf Coaches Association of America partnership to help grow opportunities for HBCU and minority college golf.
• Proceeds from the event will benefit the Folds of Honor, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit whose mission it is to provide back, through scholarships, to the families of America's fallen or disabled military and first responders. To date, the organization has given out 44,000 scholarships.
• The inaugural Folds of Honor Collegiate was held last year (Sept. 26-28) at American Dunes Golf Club.
• Illinois (292-277-285=854) was crowned last year's champion, beating second-place Arizona (293-290-286=869) by 15 strokes.
• While Illinois placed three golfers among the top five, Liberty's Jonathan Yaun scored individual medalist honors (69-69-73=211) following a chip-in birdie on the second playoff hole against NC State's Maximilian Steinlechner.

The Course
• American Dunes Golf Club, known as "the church Jack built," is a living memorial for the sacrifices made by America's service men and women that will see the legendary Jack Nicklaus himself in attendance.
• The facility, which is located a few hundred yards from the east shore of Lake Michigan, is a dunes-like course, utilizing the dramatic local topography and sand base that covers the property.

More on the Mids
• With the loss of 2023 graduate and three-time All-Patriot League golfer Keegan Shreves, second-year head coach Jimmy Stobs will look to 2023-24 team captain Benjamin Valdez to assume a leadership role on a squad that does not have a senior on the roster. Valdez participated in 9 NCAA-scored tournaments a year ago, closing out the year with a 76.44 stroke average.
• Jack Tarzy, meanwhile, owned the team's second-lowest stroke average a year ago, posting a 74.31 mark over the 6 events in which he competed.
• After undergoing shoulder surgery a year ago, Andrew Wilkinson returns to the lineup. Wilkinson did play in last year's Folds of Honor Collegiate before stepping away.
• Valdez (78-85-75=238) and Wilkinson (77-80-84=241) are the only two players representing Navy who played in last year's Folds of Honor Collegiate in which the Mids placed 13th (out of 18) with a 67-over par 931.

### Go Navy ###