The Michigan State men's and women's golf teams will begin its respective seasons on Monday at the Folds of Honor Collegiate Tournament at the American Dunes Golf Club in Grand Haven, Mich.
It is the third annual Folds of Honor Tournament at the Jack Nicklaus-designed course, and this year’s tournament has expanded to 15 men’s teams and 15 women’s teams after only having men's teams the previous two years. Michigan State men's golf coach Casey Lubahn was instrumental in forming the tournament that raises money to fund scholarships for children of fallen or wounded soldiers.
"This tournament is one of the biggest things I've done or worked on in my life, so to have my team competing in it means everything," Lubahn said. "It's taken on a life of its own and I think it hit the college golf world at the right time. I'm proud that Michigan State gets to be the host and proud of our partnership with the Folds."
The MSU men's team finished second overall out of 18 teams in last year's Folds of Honor Collegiate, falling just one stroke behind Notre Dame, who returns to the field this year. Other notable men's teams participating include No. 5 Florida State, No. 7 Texas, No. 8 Illinois (2022 Folds of Honor winner), No. 15 Arizona, No. 16 Alabama and No. 24 Ohio State.
MSU returns star senior Ashton McCulloch, but will have to replace three regular rotation golfers from last season's team, which made finished 10th in an NCAA Regional last season. Six of MSU's nine golfers are either freshman or sophomores, but the Spartans do add Williamston native and Ferris State transfer Caleb Bond for some added experience.
"It's been interesting, but (McCulloch) has been preparing to be the leader of this team for three years now," Lubahn said. "He watched James Piot do it, Bradley Smithson do it, and now he's ready to do it. The challenge he has is that he is kind of by himself, showing these younger guys how to get it done. He's maybe the best player in program history, at least he's tracking that way. The kid is so impressive. Just do what Ashton does and everybody will be alright."
On the women's side, MSU, who is preseason ranked No. 13 in the country, will be one of the favorites at American Dunes. No. 3 Texas, No. 6 Florida State, and No. 19 Arizona are other standout teams in the field.
MSU returns a hefty portion of a roster that advanced past the regionals and narrowly missed qualifying for the second half of the NCAA Championships, finishing 17th out of 30. The Spartans are led by seniors Katie Lu, Brooke Biermann and Shannon Kennedy, as well as junior Paula Balanzategui.
"It's exciting to be a part of something (Lubahn) dreamed of for a long time and we're looking forward to getting out there," MSU coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll said. "We want to prove that we are deserving of our ranking or better. We have a great team with a lot of depth and I think that's what the poll has noticed. We feel good about who we got going out and it's going to be a lot of fun."
Both the men's and women's first round tee off Monday morning, and the 54-hole tournament will wrap on on Wednesday. The event will broadcast live on Golf Channel, and can be streamed on Peacock and the Golf Channel’s digital platforms.
Full Men's Field: Air Force, Alabama, Arkansas, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Army, Florida State, Grand Valley State, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan State, Navy, Notre Dame, Ohio State, South Carolina, Texas
Full Women's Field: Arizona, Baylor, Florida State, Grand Valley State, Howard, Kansas, Michigan State, Navy, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, San Jose State, Texas, Tulsa, Virginia
Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on X @Nathaniel_Bott
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan State men's, women's golf teams open season Monday at Folds of Honor Collegiate
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