Patriot All-America Champions
Cameron Tankersley, 2024 Men’s Division Champion
Ole Miss junior Cameron Tankersley captured the 2024 Patriot All-America with a 10 under par, 200. Tankersley carded five birdies and four bogeys to finish with a three-shot win over Zach Pollo and Tianyi Xiong of University of Arizona, Ryan Voois of the University of Illinois, Mesa Falleur of the University of New Mexico and the University of North Carolina’s Keaton Vo
“Knowing that I put in the work every day, and knowing this is what I practice for, it’s pretty sweet,” said Tankersley, who has already posted a second-place finish for the University of Mississippi this past fall at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate. “My game is in a good spot right now, so hopefully keep practicing every day, keep grinding and I’ll keep getting better.”
Tankersley honored Army Sergeant Jeffery Brown throughout the tournament.
Bohyun Park, 2024 Women’s Division Champion
University of Texas at Austin senior Bohyun Park went home with the prestigious Folded Flag trophies and Bomber Jackets after winning the Women’s Division at the 14th Annual Patriot All-America Invitational. Park dominated during the entire final round on the Blue Course, posting a -7 (63) to set a Patriot Women’s Division scoring record at -15 overall (195).
“It feels great to be in the circle again – it has taken be quite a bit of time to get here,” said Park, a Journalism major from Farmers Branch, Tex. “It’s nice to see all the hard work paying off and just trusting the process.”
Bohyun honored Air Force Technical Sergeant Walter Moss, Jr. throughout the tournament.
Left to right: Joseph Lloyd, Chaz Aurilia, Calvin McCoy
Zander Grant, 2024 Thunderbolt Champion
Zander Grant of the University of Denver turned a 36-hole tie for the lead into the 2024 Thunderbolt championship, shooting a -2 (70) in Tuesday’s final round at Sterling Grove Golf + Country Club in Surprise, to finish at -10 overall (206).
“I had a plan in mind and stuck to it,” said Grant, a sophomore from Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. “I had a lot of ups and downs today and it really could have gotten out of hand for me but I just kept my mind in it and stuck to my plan, and it all just worked out in the end.”
Although Thunderbolt participants do not receive and carry a golf bag with the name of a fallen soldier, they are presented with a story card describing the life of one of the soldiers being honored. Grant carried the tag of Marine Corps Captain Daniel McCollum. on his bag.
Past Champions
Men's Division Champions
The original championship started in 2011 with 84 male collegians who made the PING All-America team during that year in all NCAA divisions as well as AJGA All-Americans. As the championship gained in popularity and attained status on the World Amateur the field and eligibility expanded.
Women's Division Champions
The women’s division was added in 2021 with 42 players invited to compete. It turned out to be such a success that the next year, the field size was expanded to 66 players.
The Thunderbolt
The Thunderbolt (named after the Air Force P-47 Thunderbolt) consists of up to 72 players and acts as feeder tournament for the Patriot in the event of a withdrawal. The top three finishers automatically receive an invitation to the next year’s Patriot All-America at the Wigwam.