GRAND HAVEN, Mich. – Freshman Max Emberson (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) fired an 8-under-par 63 that included an eagle on 18 to gain the first-round lead, helping No. 22 Georgia Tech to a 12-under-par total of 272 Monday and a six-stroke lead in first after opening day action at the Folds of Honor Collegiate.
“It was a great start for us today,” commented head coach Ryan Hybl. “Obviously, it was great to see Max have a massive amount of fire power today and a great round. It’s what we’ve been seeing at home, and our expectations for him this year are to be that type of player. But more importantly, three other guys were under par, which was huge. Albert [Hansson] did a nice job today and Andrew Ferworn and Carson Baez had solid first rounds as Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. All in all, a really good start and I’m excited to get going tomorrow and see what we can do.”
Making his collegiate debut in style, Emberson gained momentum quickly on the front nine, recording five birdies on his first six holes and made the turn at 6-under before a steady back nine, highlighted by an eagle on the final hole, turned in an impressive 8-under-par 63 for the freshman Yellow Jacket. Emberson holds a two-stroke individual lead after the opening day with Ohio State’s Vaughn Harber in second at 6-under-par 65.
Fueled by Emberson’s low round, Georgia Tech turned in four subpar rounds on Monday and holds the team lead at Folds of Honor Collegiate with a seven-stroke lead over second-place Michigan State (-5). The Jackets entered the clubhouse with solid rounds from Albert Hansson (Fiskebäckskil, Sweden), Andrew Ferworn (Houston, Texas) and Carson Baez (Davenport, Fla.).
“It feels great to officially start my college golf career,” said Emberson. “I’m grateful to be here and am excited to continue representing myself, my family and Georgia Tech on and off the course. I’m ready to keep it rolling with the team the rest of the week.”
The men’s field owns the morning tee times on Tuesday with round 2 action beginning at 7:30 am. Georgia Tech will begin on hole 10 with Fontenot at 8:23 am. The Golf Channel will be on site providing coverage from 9:30am-12:30pm and 4:30-7:30pm.
Emberson, Jackets Lead at Folds of Honor Collegiate
No. 22 Georgia Tech leads field after opening round, Emberson is -8
Max Emberson carded the low round of the day and holds the individual lead. (Photo courtesy of GCAA)TECH LINEUP – One of only three golfers to record an eagle on the day, and the only with an eagle on the par-5 18, Emberson fired an additional seven birdies to just one bogey on the day to turn in the best performance of the day. Emberson carded birdies of six of his first nine holes and closed the round with a birdie, eagle combination.
Hansson chimed in with a 2-under-par 69, starting out with a pair of birdies on the front nine before the junior settled in for an even back nine. Hansson is in a three-way tie for eighth, six strokes off the leader.
Both with 1-under-par 70 showings in their White and Gold debuts, Ferworn and Baez are tied for 11th entering second-round action. Ferworn was even entering the final hole before a birdie on 18 pushed the senior back under par for the day. Meanwhile, Baez made the turn at even-par and remained even through 16 before firing a birdie on the par-4 17 to finish the day at 1-under.
Kale Fontenot (Lafayette, La.) rounded out Tech’s lineup with a 3-over-par 74 and did not count to the team score.
TEAM LEADERBOARD – Georgia Tech recorded the standout performance on Monday with its four subpar rounds and stellar play from Emberson to finish with a 12-under-par 272 and open a seven-stroke lead entering Tuesday’s second round.
Michigan State jumped Notre Dame late in the round to stand in second at 5-under-par 279, while the Fighting Irish sit in third at 4-under-par 280. Kansas rounds out the four teams to finish under-par on Monday, coming in at No. 4 with a 1-under-par total of 283.
Alabama sits in fifth-place at even-par 284.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Emberson has a two-stroke lead entering Tuesday, as Ohio State’s Vaughn Harber sits in second at 6-under-par 65. Florida State’s Shawn Coultoff, competing as an individual, is in third at 4-under-par 67, while four golfers are tied for fourth at 68 (-3). There is a three-way tie for eighth, including Tech’s Hansson, at 69 (-2) to conclude the top-10.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – The Folds of Honor Collegiate is being held for the fifth time with Georgia Tech making its debut appearance. Michigan State, Florida State, Golf Coaches Association of America and HNS Sports Group are host partners with Folds of Honor for the annual event. No. 12 Texas, No. 16 Alabama, No. 17 Florida State and No. 28 Notre Dame join the No. 22 Yellow Jackets in a variety of preseason polls. Alabama returns as the 2025 Folds of Honor Collegiate champions, while Alabama’s William Jennings took home the individual title.
Max Emberson makes an impressive collegiate debut on Monday.
Max Emberson gives a post first-round interview with the Golf Channel
EVENT DETAILS
Folds of Honor Collegiate
- Dates: September 7-9 (stroke play, 54 holes)
- Format: 18 holes Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday
- Venue: American Dunes Golf Club (par 71, 7,213 yards)
- Participating teams (14): Air Force, Alabama, Army West Point, Cincinnati, Florida A&M, Georgia Tech, Grand Valley State, Kansas, Michigan State, Navy, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of the development of Yellow Jackets that thrive academically at the Institute and compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH GOLF
Georgia Tech’s golf team begins a new era under head coach Ryan Hybl, who was announced as the program’s sixth head coach in program history in May. The Yellow Jackets have won 19 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, made 34 appearances in the NCAA Championship and been the national runner-up five times. Follow Georgia Tech Golf on social media by liking their Facebook page, or following on X (@GTGolf) and Instagram. For more information on Tech golf, visit Ramblinwreck.com.