LITCHFIELD PARK, Ariz. – University of Oregon sophomore Kiara Romero and University of Texas at Austin senior Bohyun Park are tied for the Women’s Division lead at -8 overall after 36 holes of competition at the 14th Annual Patriot All-America Invitational, while Ole Miss junior Cameron Tankersley will take a two-shot lead into the final round in the Men’s Division at -9 after a firing a -4 (66) on the Gold Course at the Wigwam Golf Club Monday. View the entire 2024 Patriot All-America leaderboard here.
“Pretty solid – I didn’t really have any bogeys out there and played pretty solid on the front nine ,” said Romero, an 18-year-old second year student at Oregon. “I’m going in [to the final round] with the same mindset, not really changing anything. Just try to have fun out there, enjoy it and play the best I can. That’s all I can do.”
“I feel like I was being very present in the moment – just hitting a shot at a time and not thinking ahead,” said Park, a senior from Farmer’s Branch, Tex. “I’m not having any expectations, I’m just out there trying to be in the zone. Just one shot at a time and not thinking about anything – my score or thinking ahead.”
“Today went well – I just stayed confident all day and stayed positive,” said Tankersley, a junior from Dickson, Tenn. “I tried not to push anything, and when I got out of position, I tried to get back into position and focus on that, trying to be as aggressive as I can.”
At Sterling Grove Golf + Country Club in nearby Surprise, Boise State University’s Cole Rueck and Zander Grant of the University of Denver share the 36-hole 3rd Annual Thunderbolt lead at -8 overall. Rueck cancelled out two bogeys with eight birdies for a -6 (66), while Grant posted a clean scorecard with five birdies for a -5 (67). Carson Herron from the University of New Mexico, Aidan Thomas out of New Mexico State University and the University of Lynchburg’s Eddie Coffren V round out the top five after the second round, each one shot back of the leaders at -7 overall. View the entire 2024 Thunderbolt leaderboard here.
“I bogeyed the first hole but I knew I was hitting it well – my warm up was good so I knew there were birdies out there,” said Rueck, the 2023-24 Mountain West Individual Champion. “I made some good putts and that got the putter warmed up. I kept it rolling, and I knew with no wind out here and the course in as good of shape as it is, I knew it was time to just keep the pedal down.”
“I just stuck to my plan today – I was executing good shots and stuck to it and acted like it was just another day,” said Grant, a sophomore from Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.
In the Patriot All-America Women’s Division, first-round leader Jasmine Koo from the University of Southern California sits a shot back of the leaders at -7 overall, after shooting a -1 (69) in Monday’s second round. The University of Arizona’s Julia Misemer is currently in fourth place, after a stellar -5 (65) vaulted her up the leaderboard to -6 overall. Kansas’ Amy DeKock and Mississippi State’s Avery Weed round out the top five at -5 overall, respectively.
“It was a lot of fun – honestly, I was just enjoying the day,” said Misemer, a junior playing in her third Patriot All-America Invitational. “I had my sister on the bag and I was enjoying every moment. It was just a great experience and I had so much fun. I was just enjoying the ambiance of the whole event.”
The Men’s Division of the Patriot All-America has a crowded top of the leaderboard, with University of Illinois star Jackson Buchanan, UTEP’s Max Schliesing and Colorado’s Justin Biwer all two shots back of Tankersley, tied for second at -7 overall. Another four players are tied for fifth at -6 overall, making it seven players within three shots of the lead going into Tuesday’s final round.
“I came out yesterday pretty rusty so I wanted to put some emphasis on today’s round,” said Buchanan, who shot the lowest round of the day with a -7 (63) and whose No. 12 World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) leads the Men’s Division. “The best players just be themselves, and whether tomorrow goes good or bad, great or not great, I’ll just be myself hitting each shot confident in who I am as a person. Hopefully that will take me to wherever it needs to be.”
Final Round play from both the Wigwam Golf Club’s Blue and Gold Courses, as well as Sterling Grove Golf + Country Club, is scheduled for 9:00 am on Tuesday, December 31. For more information including player pairings, live leaderboards and schedule of events, visit patriotallamerica.com.
About The Patriot All-America Invitational
Featuring golf’s stars of tomorrow, The Patriot All-America is regarded as a top amateur event nationally, attracting PING All-America golfers from all three NCAA Divisions, NAIA and NJCAA rankings as well as from universities outside the United States. The West Valley Mavericks (Mavericks), The Patriot All-America LLC, the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA), the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA), JDM Partners, and AZ GOLF (also known as the Arizona Golf Association) partner with the Folds of Honor Foundation to host the tournament, played December 29-31 annually at The Wigwam Golf Resort in Litchfield Park, Ariz. For more information visit www.patriotallamerica.com.
About The Thunderbolt
Following the overwhelming success of The Patriot All-America Invitational, organizers implemented a second tournament to the Patriot lineup named The Thunderbolt in 2022. Played at Sterling Grove Golf + Country Club in Surprise, Ariz., it features 72 more of the nation’s top male collegiate players competing in a three-round event on the same dates as The Patriot: December 29-31. Named after the Air Force P-47 Thunderbolt, The Thunderbolt has been added to accommodate those players that met the initial eligibility but did not make it into The Patriot. For more information visit www.patriotallamerica.com.
About Wigwam Golf Club
The Wigwam’s three 18-hole championship golf courses offer a diversity that cannot be matched by any other Arizona resort, with 54 holes of championship golf including two courses designed by the legendary Robert Trent Jones, Sr. The Gold Course has hosted many signature tournaments over the years, including numerous U.S. Open Qualifiers, U.S. Amateur Qualifiers, several NCAA Regional Championships and the annual Patriot All-America Invitational, one of the top amateur competitions in the world. The 7,430 yard, par 72 track has also received various industry awards and accolades since opening in 1965, including being named one of the “Top 100 Golf Courses in America.” In December 2009, The Wigwam (including the golf courses and resort property) was purchased by JDM Partners, led by sports icon Jerry Colangelo. For more information, please visit www.wigwamgolf.com.
About Golf Coaches Association of America
Established in 1958, the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) is the professional organization of men’s collegiate golf coaches. The GCAA’s mission is to support its member coaches from six divisions, including the NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA, by creating educational opportunities, providing resources, and promoting its members with the purpose of enhancing their overall performance as coaches, mentors, and teachers. The GCAA also recognizes the excellence and achievements of its members and their student-athletes in academic, athletic and civic endeavors.
About Women’s Golf Coaches Association
Founded in 1983, the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA), formerly known as the National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA), began as an organization to promote participation in women’s collegiate golf. The vision of the WGCA since its inception has been to encourage the playing of intercollegiate golf for women in correlation with a general objective of education and in accordance with the highest tradition of intercollegiate competition. Today, the WGCA represents the finest coaches in women’s golf with a membership of over 650 coaches of Division I, II & III, NAIA and NJCAA collegiate programs.
About The West Valley Mavericks
The West Valley Mavericks Foundation (a 501(c)(3) non-profit) was born of the imagination and vision of a group of community leaders late in 2012. The West Valley Mavericks (or just ‘Mavericks’) is a group led by gentlemen who believe the West Valley is an incredible place to live, work and play. The Mavericks’ charter is to advance charity, culture, community and commerce in the West Valley of Phoenix. As an organization they use individual contributions, fundraising events, business sponsorships, ticket sales donations and hands-on community service to raise money to assist children and families, help people in need and improve the quality of life in West Valley communities. For more information please visit www.westvalleymavericksfoundation.org.
About AZ GOLF
AZ GOLF, also known as the Arizona Golf Association, has been serving amateur golfers in Arizona since 1923 when it held the first State Amateur Championship. Today, it is licensed by the United States Golf Association to provide handicapping and course rating services to member clubs, to provide tournament and rules expertise and to oversee the application of amateur status.
About Folds of Honor
Folds of Honor is a nonprofit organization that provides academic scholarships to the spouses and children of military members and first responders who have fallen or been disabled while serving. Educational scholarships support private school tuition or tutoring in grades K-12, as well as post-secondary tuition (two- or four-year college/university, technical or trade school). Since its inception in 2007, Folds of Honor has awarded over 29,000 scholarships totaling over $145 million in all 50 states. Among the students served, 41 percent are minorities.