Dalton to host NAIA Women’s Golf Championships

Published 12:51 pm Thursday, February 13, 2025

After hosting the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ Men’s Golf National Championship last year, when the Dalton State College Roadrunners took home the top prize, the Dalton Golf & Country Club has again been selected as an NAIA championship site.

The NAIA said Thursday the association has selected the Dalton Golf & Country Club and Dalton State College to host back-to-back Women’s Golf National Championships May 25-28, 2027, and May 21-24, 2028.

“Following a successful Men’s Golf National Championship in 2024, we are thrilled to collaborate once again with Dalton State College and Dalton Golf & Country Club,” said NAIA Championships Director Austin Bennett in a press release. “Dalton Golf & Country Club’s award-winning course offers a challenging yet picturesque backdrop for our Women’s Golf National Championship and is guaranteed to provide student-athletes with an unforgettable experience.”

The Lady Roadrunners golf team, led by head coach Jim McGrew and assistant coach Cameron Daniel, will resume play during the 2024-25 season Monday and Tuesday when they travel to Valdosta to take part in the Kinderlou Forest Spring Invitational. The team defeated the University of Pikeville 3.5-1.5 in match play in Richmond, Kentucky, in October before losing to Indiana’s Marian University 3-2 and Tennessee’s Milligan University 3-2.

In September, the team finished second out of seven teams in the Rohrman Invitational in West Lafayette, Indiana, seventh out of 18 in The City with Spirit Fall Classic in Cleveland, Tennessee, and second out of 19 in the Invite at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor, Florida.

“We are honored to take on this responsibility,” said Dalton State Athletic Director Jon Jaudon. “Our partners at Dalton Golf & Country Club, along with the greater Dalton community, are excited to host the NAIA Women’s Golf National Championship. Successfully hosting the men’s championship in 2024 was a tremendous achievement and we are grateful that the NAIA has the confidence to give us this additional opportunity.”

During last year’s men’s golf championship in May, the hometown Roadrunners defeated Texas Wesleyan University by one stroke to win the program’s first national title since 2021.

That tournament marked the first time an NAIA golf championship had been hosted in Dalton. Jaudon, who is retiring at the end of March, said he had been “working diligently” to “bring another golf championship back” to the city following the win.

“To be able to bring this back to Dalton State and the Dalton community, it’s great,” Jaudon said. “It’s kind of like a parting gift. I’m excited about it.”