Defending Champion Overstreet in 1st After Rd 1 at Patriot All-American
LITCHFIELD PARK, Ariz. – Under sunny skies and a daytime high of 58 degrees, defending tournament champion Mason Overstreet from the University of Arkansas and Isaiah Jackson from the University of Memphis both shot 3-under-par 67s to share the first-round lead at The Patriot All-America Invitational presented by the Valley Toyota Dealers at The Wigwam.
Alex Scott from Grand Valley State University is one shot back with a 2-under-par 68. Four golfers sit two shots back at 1-under-par, including Joshua McCarthy from Pepperdine University, Jordan Hahn from the University Wisconsin, Trevor Werbylo from the University of Arizona and Jackson Suber from the University of Mississippi.
Overstreet, a junior at Arkansas, is currently ranked No. 62 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR). Including 2017, Overstreet has four straight rounds in the 60s at the Patriot All-America, including 67, 68, 64 in 2017 and 67 in 2018.
Jackson, a junior at Memphis from Golden, Mississippi, is playing in honor of his great grandfather U.S. Army Private First Class Willie B. McGill. Private First Class McGill was killed in combat action on December 4th, 1944.
Now in its 8th year, the Patriot All-America Invitational is a golf tournament unlike any other, as participants play in honor of a fallen or severely injured soldier by carrying a golf bag bearing the name of that soldier. Before the tournament, participants receive a card with the soldier’s story, so they can be familiar with who that person was, what they represented and how they were killed or wounded in action. The Patriot All-America has been honoring fallen or severely wounded soldiers in this unique way since the event’s inception in 2011 and it continues to have a deep impact on the young golfers.
The Patriot All-America Invitational features a field of 84 PING All-America golfers from all three NCAA Divisions, NAIA and NJCAA rankings as well as from U.S. Military Academies and universities outside the United States. The Patriot All-America is a collaboration between the Arizona Golf Association, JDM Partners, The West Valley Mavericks and the Golf Coaches Association of America in partnership with the Folds of Honor Foundation. The Thunderbirds, hosts of the PGA TOUR’s Waste Management Phoenix Open, volunteer at and support the event.
Patriot All-America alumni now playing on the PGA TOUR, include three-time major winner Brooks Koepka (2011 Patriot participant); Justin Thomas (2011); Daniel Berger (2012); Bryson DeChambeau (2013); and Cameron Champ, the 2016 Patriot All-America Invitational champion.
Second round action will begin at 9:30 AM on Sunday (12/30) off both the 1st and 10th tees. The 54-hole, stroke-play competition will conclude on Monday (New Year’s Eve) with a champion crowned at approximately 4 PM MST. The winner of the tournament receives a sponsor exemption into the Web.com Tour’s Wichita Open played June 20 – 23 at Crestview Country Club in Wichita, Kansas.
