September 18, 2024 • by Dan Davies
In the early weeks of the new campaign, many of the DII men’s teams in the upper echelons of 2024-25 Pre-season Coaches Poll have shown why they’ve been hotly tipped. We round-up the action from the Folds of Honor Challenge, The Writz at Mile High, The Bearcat Fall Invitational and The MULE event.
Grand Valley State recorded the field’s only under-par round to clinch a third consecutive Folds of Honor Challenge title, earning an automatic bid into the 2025 Folds of Honor Collegiate at American Dunes. The Lakers finished two shots clear of Aurora and six ahead of Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Head Coach Gareth Lappin underlined incentive for his players of winning a place in a tournament that features many of the best teams in DI. “Having been a part of the [Folds of Honor Collegiate] for the last three years, it’s something we all look forward to... If we didn’t get over the line today, it would’ve been hard to take knowing that the Folds of Honor Collegiate wasn’t going to be on the schedule for 2025.”
Odessa’s Adam Bresnu (above) took the individual honors. The sophomore from Rabat, Morocco, carded nine of his 19 birdies during his final round six-under 65 to win by eight shots. It was his second individual title of the season (he also won Odessa’s season-opening Andrews Collegiate Am), and the fourth of his college career.
Team Leaderboard | Individual Leaderboard
Reigning NCAA DII champions Colorado Christian got off to a dominant start to the new season, winning The Writz at Mile High tournament by a whopping 57 shots.
The Cougars were the top ranked team in the 2024-25 Pre-season Bushnell/Golfweek DII Coaches Poll, receiving nine first-place votes after claiming a first national title in program history in May.
Adam Duncan (below) lapped the field in the individual tournament, opening and closing with rounds of 65 (-7) to finish 16 under at Bear Creek GC, four and nine shots respectively ahead of his teammates Sungyeop Cho and Sangha Park (pictured at top of page). Park, a graduate transfer, was DII’s No.1 ranked men’s player last season.
The Cougars’ nearest challenger was Colorado Mesa, which went three under for the first round. Senior Cole Beyer led the way for the Mavericks, finishing the tournament in fifth at three under par. (Photos by Jack Goras)
Team Leaderboard | Individual Leaderboard
North Georgia, ranked second behind Colorado Christian in the Pre-season Poll, fired a warning shot by opening up the new campaign with a seven-shot win over West Florida, another top-five ranked team.
In a strong field, the Nighthawks put clear daylight between themselves and the chasing pack with a second round total of 16 under par in which all five players on the roster shot in the 60s.
The two teams at the top of the leaderboard at Monticello GC in South Carolina had three players each finish in the top-10 in the individual tournament. West Florida junior Cooper Tendick emerged as individual medalist, shooting 12 under for 54 holes, one clear of North Georgia’s Ethan Day
Team Leaderboard | Individual Leaderboard
Central Oklahoma lived up to its top-10 ranking in the pre-season poll by recording a convincing 14-shot win at The Mule tournament, hosted by Missouri State.
Two Bronchos players finished at the top of the individual leaderboard with sophomore Nicholas Canales (below) continuing the form he showed last season by adding a second tournament victory to his resume.
Canales came from nine shots back to pip teammate Jordan Wilson by a shot, closing with a seven-under-par 63 while Wilson shot a 73.