Participants and organizers in the Patriot All-America Invita- tional get a chance to examine an F-16 up close and personal at Luke Air Force Base (top). The Naval Academy’s Connor Tallman signs a golf bag (left), which is one of the player’s daily duties. The Patriot’s eventual champ, Cameron Champ (right), was well-named for the event played at The Wigwam in late December.
Texas A&M’s Champ wins Patriot playoff
Patriot All-America Invitational over Zachary Olsen of Oklahoma State. The final round was played Dec. 31 on The Wigwam’s Gold Course. Champ, who seemed appropriately
C
named for this tournament, entered the final round tied for sixth, three shots back of second-round leader Sahith Theegala of Pepperdine. But Champ posted a 4-under par 66 for a 7-under total of 203, which included six birdies and two bogeys. Meanwhile, Olsen entered the final round tied for eighth, four shots back, and rallied with a 65 to force the playoff. During the playoff, both Champ and
Olsen made par on the first hole. On the second playoff hole, both players missed
24 | AZ GOLF Insider | PREVIEW 2017
ameron Champ from Texas A&M tapped in a one-foot putt for par on the second playoff hole to capture the
birdie putts before Olsen three-putted from 25 feet for bogey. Champ closed it out with a two-putt from 15 feet. Tying for third one shot
back were Theegala (70) and Illinois’ Nick Hardy (66). Champ, ranked 96th on the World
Amateur Golf Ranking, is a junior for the Aggies from Sacramento, Calif. He received a sponsor’s exemption into the
Web.com Tour’s Air Capital Classic as the champion. “It means a lot to me to win this
event,” Champ said. “We were able to get ahold of the family that I played for (Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew W. Harvell), which was nice.” Champ also was excited about
winning the
Web.com exemption: “That’s big, it’s really exciting. I’ve never played in the
Web.com. I’ve tried to qualify a few times, but was never able to make it so this is really exciting to be able to play in my first one.” Two players recorded aces at the
130-yard, par-3 16th hole during the tournament’s final round – William Rainey of the College of Charleston and Braden Bailey of Baylor. A field of 84 elite golfers competed
in the 54-hole, stroke-play competition. In cooperation with the Folds of Honor Foundation, each golfer playing in the Patriot All-America represented a fallen soldier by carrying a golf bag with the name and branch of service of a fallen or injured military member. The golf bags will now be shipped to players’ schools and auctioned with all proceeds benefitting the Folds of Honor Foundation, which provides post-secondary educational scholarships for children and spouses of military service men and women killed or disabled while in active service. The Arizona Golf Association
(AGA), JDM Partners and the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) partnered with the Folds of Honor Foundation to host the 6th annual tournament. The tournament receives tremendous community support by a variety of local businesses and organizations including The Thunderbirds, host organization of the Waste Management Phoenix Open and the West Valley Mavericks civic group. n
For more information, visit
www.patriotallamerica.com.
www.azgolf.org
MICHAEL JORDAN PHOTOGRAPHY
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