GRAND HAVEN, Mich. //  Chip Deegan (Sr / Newport Beach, Calif.) turned in a 6-over par 219 to lead the Navy men's golf team to a 13th-place finish at the fourth-annual Folds of Honor Collegiate played at the par-71 American Dunes Golf Club in Grand Haven, Mich. The Mids shot a 44-over par 896 (300-300-296) over the course of three days and capped the action by posting its low round of the tournament on Wednesday with a 12-over par 296.

Sorting Out the Finish
Defending Folds of Honor Collegiate champion Alabama made it two in a row, as the Crimson Tide capture the team title by 6 strokes over Notre Dame. Alabama was the lone team to finished the tournament under par, carding a 5-under par 847 (285-280-282). It was its 4-under par second round that separated the Crimson Tide from the field and and held the lead to the finish. Notre Dame, meanwhile, closed out the tournament in second with a 1-over par 853 (285-283-285). Rounding out the top five were Cincinnati (299-283-281=863) and Kansas (287-288-288=863) in third and Cal (298-282-284=864) in fifth.

Alabama's William Jennings secured individual medalist honors with a 4-under par 209 (71-67-71). He just edged out Cincinnati's Leo Wessel (74-68-68=210) and Notre Dame's Calen Sanderson (71-68-71=210) by a stroke.

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. The Folds of Honor Collegiate was created to benefit the non-profit organization, Folds of Honor, that provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of military members who have fallen or been disabled while serving in the United States Armed Forces. All three service academies were represented with Navy finishing ahead of both Air Force and Army. The Mids finished nine strokes ahead of Air Force (313-305-287=905) and 22 strokes ahead of the Black Knights (313-298-307=918) who finished 15th.

Navy Notes
Deegan opened his senior campaign with a strong showing at the Folds of Honor Collegiate. He began the tournament with a 1-over par 72, but slid in Tuesday's second round where he shot a 6-over par 77. Deegan, a PING All-Region performer a year ago, bounced back with a 1-under par 70 in the final round to tie for 25th. He was the only service academy player to finish inside the top 30.

Rookie Hudson Mitchell (Pensacola, Fla.) made his collegiate debut by placing 40th with a 10-over par 223. After opening the tournament with an 8-over par 79, he steadily improved over the final two days. He turned in a 2-over par 73 in the second round and was even over the final 18 holes.

Derek Weaver (Sr / Hackettstown, N.J.) finished 59th with a 15-over par 228 and saved his best performance for the final round where he shot a 3-over par 74.

Team captain Jack Tarzy (Sr / Medford, N.J.) was solid in the first-two rounds of the competition, but struggled on Wednesday (81, +10) and slid to 66th in the final standings with a 17-over par 230. 

Rounding out the lineup for the Mids was freshman Josh Durthaler (Dunwoody, Ga.) who posted a 22-over par 235 to finish 72nd. Durthaler shot mirroring rounds of 6-over par 77 before closing out with a 10-over par 81 on Wednesday.

Next Up
Deegan will represent the Naval Academy next Monday and Tuesday at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup placed at Shoreacres outside of Chicago. The team, as a whole, will be back in action a week from Saturday (Sept. 20-21) when Navy plays host to The Goat at the Naval Academy Golf Club.

### Go Navy ###