NC State's Mathews Leads Folds of Honor; Belisle Is Tied for 2nd

GRAND HAVEN, Mich. -- Nick Mathews is a redshirt junior at North Carolina State, and in his first two seasons with the Wolfpack, he averaged a little over 75 strokes per round, and his best finish was a tie for sixth in February at the Wolfpack Individual Invitational, with a 71-74--145. But in his first two rounds of the 2023-24 season, he's had a 4-under-par 67 and a 70. As a result, he leads the Folds of Honor Collegiate by three shots with his 36-hole total of 137.

On Monday, he made four birdies and no bogeys at American Dunes Golf Club. On Tuesday, he made his first two bogeys of the tournament, at the par-4 eighth hole and the par-5 13th, but he bounced back with a birdie at the 382-yard, par-4 14th and made one more birdie at the 538-yard, par-5 18th.

There are two players tied for second at 140 -- South Carolina's Zach Adams and Kansas senior Cecil Belisle. Belisle, a former two-time Minnesota state high school champion from Red Wing, has won has won five Minnesota state championships in the last six years (plus a Resorters title), including the State Open in 2021. In the Folds of Honor, he started off with a 68 on Monday and was even par through 10 holes in the second round on Tuesday. Then he made a double bogey at the par-4 11th (381 yards), but came right back with a birdie at the 192-yard, par-3 12th, and he followed that with six consecutive pars on the way to a 72.

Three players are tied for fourth at 141 -- Alex Goff of Kentucky, August Meekhof of Michigan State and Flip Jakubcik of Arizona. Goff and Meekhof both shot 69, which equaled the best score of the day.

Belisle's Kansas team is 12th so far, in a field of 17, with an overall 597. Michigan State leads after posting a 5-under 279 on Tuesday. That lifted them up from a tie for ninth, and their two-day aggregate of 570 has them three shots ahead of Arizona and South Carolina going into the final round.

Arkansas is four behind in fourth, at 574, and Notre Dame is fifth at 578. Nate Stevens, the former two-time state high school champ from Northfield, is a sophomore for the Irish, ahd he's tied for 18th at 144 (70-74). Belisle's Kansas teammate Gunnar Broin, a senior from Minnetonka, is another two back at 146, tied for 25th.

Wednesday's final round of the Fields of Honor will be televised on the Golf Channel, beginning at 3 p.m.


Folds of Honor Collegiate

At American Dunes Golf Club

Par 71, 7,086 yards

Grand Haven, Mich.

Second-round results

1. Michigan State 291-279--570 (+2)

T2. Arizona 283-290--573

T2. South Carolina 282-291--573

4. Arkansas 289-285--574

5. Notre Dame 287-291--578

6. Florida State 291-289--580

7. Memphis 286-296--582

8. NC State. 296-288--584

9. Kentucky 290-295--585

10. Indiana 284-306--590

11. Oregon State 290-302--592

12. Kansas. 299-298--597

13. Grand Valley State 297-302--599

14. Howard University 292-315--607

15. Air Force 297-312--609

16. Army 314-310--624

17. Navy 311-320--631

18. Florida A&M 322-310-632

Individuals

1. Nick Mathews, NC State 67-70--137 (-5)

T2. Cecil Belisle, Kansas 68-72--140

T2.Zach Adams, South Carolina 69-71--140

T4. Alex Goff, Kentucky 72-69--141

T4. August Meekhof, Mich. State. 72-69--141

T7. Filip Jakubcik, Arizona 73-69--142

T7. John Driscoll, Arkansas 71-71--142

T18. Nate Stevens, Notre Dame 70-74--144

T25. Gunnar Broin, Kansas 74-72--146