LITCHFIELD PARK, Ariz. (December 30, 2018) – Isaiah Jackson and Alex Scott share the second round lead at 5-under par (135) at the Patriot All-America Invitational presented by the Valley Toyota Dealers at The Wigwam Resort in Litchfield Park, Ariz. Final round action will begin at 9:30 AM on Monday (12/31) off both the 1st and 10th tees with a champion crowned at approximately 4 PM MST.
Jackson, a junior at the University of Memphis from Golden, Mississippi, entered the day tied for first place. His second round 2-under-par 68 included six birdies, with back-to-back birdies on 17 and 18 to closeout his round. Jackson 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.
Alex Scott, a senior from Grand Valley State University, began the day one-shot off the lead. Scott’s second round 3-under-par 67 included five birdies. Like Jackson, Scott also had back-to-back birdies on 17 and 18. Scott is playing in honor of U.S. Army Corporal Jordan E. Goode of Kalamazoo, Michigan. On August 11, 2007 in Zormat, Afghanistan, Corporal Goode was killed when a roadside bomb detonated beneath the truck he was driving. He was 21 years old.
Quade Cummins from the University of Oklahoma (70-66) and Jackson Suber from Ole Miss (69-67) both sit one-shot back at 4-under par (136). Suber is looking to become the second Ole Miss Rebel to win the Patriot All-America, joining teammate Braden Thornberry who was the 2015 Patriot All-America champion.
Defending champion and first round co-leader Mason Overstreet shot a 3-over-par 73 and sits at even par, 5-shots back.
Kaito Onishi, a sophomore at USC and the reigning Pac-12 Men’s Golf Freshman of the Year, had a hole-in-one on the par-3, 16thhole, hitting a 9-iron from 160-yards. Onishi shot a 3-under par 67 during the second round and is currently tied for 8th.
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.
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. For more information and live tournament scoring, visit www.patriotallamerica.com.
Weather: Sunny skies, daytime high of 58 degrees
Top 10 Results From 2nd Round:
Pos. Name School 1st Round 2nd Round Total
T1 Jackson, Isaiah Univ. of Memphis 67 68 135
T1 Scott, Alex Grand Valley State 68 67 135
T3 Cummins, Quade Univ. of Oklahoma 70 66 136
T3 Suber, Jackson Univ. of Mississippi 69 67 136
T5 Shore, Davis Univ. of Alabama 71 67 138
T5 Feagles, Michael Univ. of Illinois 71 67 138
T5 Hahn, Jordan Univ. of Wisconsin 69 69 138
T8 Soosman, Spencer Univ. of Texas 72 67 139
T8 Onishi, Kaito Univ. Southern Calif. 72 67 139
T8 James, Zach SE Oklahoma State 70 69 139
T8 Walsh, Thomas Univ. of Virginia 70 69 139
Patriot All-America Invitational
2nd Round Quotes
Isaiah Jackson – 5-under-par 135
On today’s 2-under-par 68 – Well, it started with a double and that kind of woke me up. I just kind of held it together. Next hole, I bounced back with a birdie – good wedge shot. Just the same thing again, kept it around the fairways, hitting good wedge shots, getting good looks. It could have been a lot better but I’ll take it, especially starting off with a double. It was just a grind the rest of the day to get back under par.
On his birdie on 18 – It felt good. I made some stupid bogies on the back and to have a birdie on the last hole to get to 2-under felt pretty good, especially in front of all the crowd – that’s pretty awesome.
On tomorrow’s final round – I’m just gonna do the same old, same old, come out and try to hit around the fairways, wedge it good hopefully and try to make a couple of putts. Stick my Trident gum in and we’re gonna go, so we’ll see how it goes.
Alex Scott – 5-under-par 135
On today’s 3-under-par 67 round – Well, a little different than yesterday. I kind of flipped it actually. I putted really well today. I had one three-putt on the front nine, but that would have been tough for anybody. I made a bomb to safe par on one and I made a bomb on number two to make birdie. I probably made more feet of putt in my first two holes today than I did all day yesterday. That kept me on my feet, kept me going. I didn’t really drive it that well. I didn’t hit in a lot of fairways really, but I was missing on the correct side, still having good angles into the green and making pars when I needed to and took advantage of some of the birdies that I was able to get.
On his plan going into the final round – I don’t think I’m going to do anything different. I’m just gonna cleanup the hitting a little bit and try to keep the putter going from today to tomorrow. It should be fun. Its fun being in an environment like this and rise to the occasion.