LITCHFIELD PARK, Ariz. – Masato Sumiuchi of Nihon University in Tokyo, Japan, and Jasmine Koo of the University of Southern California finished the first round of the 14th annual Patriot All -America Invitational with two-shot leads in their respective divisions at the Wigwam Golf Club on Sunday. Sumiuchi made eight birdies on the Gold Course en route to a -7 (63), and Koo posted a clean scorecard with six birdies and a -6 (64) on the Blue Course. View the entire 2024 Patriot All-America leaderboard here.
“I putted very well in this round, and I played with a good feeling all the way through 18 holes today,” said Sumiuchi through an interpreter after the round.
“I don’t know – I just played really well today,” said Koo, the No. 2 women’s player in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) and a three-time winner so far in her freshman season at USC. “No bogeys and six birdies, I couldn’t have asked for anything better. So I’m just proud of the way I played today.”
Eight miles northwest of The Wigwam at Sterling Grove Golf + Country Club in Surprise, Saint Mary’s College graduate student Zack Missigman canceled out one bogey with seven birdied to take the first-round lead at the Thunderbolt with a -6 (66). Aidan Thomas of New Mexico State University and University of Lynchburg’s Eddie Coffren V finished one shot back of Missigman with rounds of -5 (67), respectively, with the University of San Diego’s Cooper Humphreys and Carson Herron of the University of New Mexico rounding out the top five at -4 (68). View the entire 2024 Thunderbolt leaderboard here.
“It was pretty solid overall – I got off to a good start on the front nine with four under,” said Missigman, from nearby Goodyear, Ariz. “I kind of struggled on the way coming in but I’m off to a good start, so I’m looking forward to the rest of the way.”
Playing in his second Patriot All-America, Ole Miss junior Cameron Tankersley sits alone in second place after shooting a -5 (65) Sunday. Tankersley cancelled out an early double bogey with seven birdies in his round, and has his sights set on keeping the pedal to the metal for Monday’s second round.
“I hit my driver not the best but I got some lucky breaks out there and capitalized on that,” said Tankersley, a member of the 2023-24 NCAA Division I Ping All-Southeast Region Team. “I made some putts coming down the stretch and so I feel confident coming into tomorrow.”
Showing the high level of golf played at this year’s Patriot All-America, six players are tied for third place at -4 overall, and another seven players are a shot back, tied for ninth place at -3. In all, 14 players are within four shots of Sumiuchi’s lead.
In the Women’s Division, Izzy Pellott of Mississippi State University and the University of Oregon’s Kiara Romero each shot rounds of -4 (66), with an early double bogey clouding Pellot’s six birdies on the day, and Romero posting five birdies along with a bogey. Bohyun Park from the University of Texas at Austin and Madison Murr of Cal State University-San Marcos round out the top five with rounds of -3 (67), respectively, to sit tied for fourth. Eight players are tied for sixth at -2.
As has become a theme for the 2024 events, 14 players are within four shots of Missigman’s lead at Sterling Grove Golf + Country Club, setting up an exciting storyline to follow for Monday’s second round.
The Patriot All-America honors fallen or severely wounded soldiers in partnership with the Folds of Honor Foundation. The golfers receive a golf bag donated by PING Corporation at the event’s opening ceremony emblazoned with the name and branch of service of a fallen or injured military member whom they shall represent. Participants also receive a card with the soldier’s story so they can be familiar with that soldier, giving many of the top players a unique perspective not only on golf, but on life. At the conclusion of the tournament, the golf bags are shipped to players’ schools and auctioned with all proceeds benefitting the Folds of Honor Foundation.
Named after the Air Force P-47 Thunderbolt, The Thunderbolt has been added to the tournament week schedule to accommodate players who met the initial eligibility but did not make it into The Patriot. The Thunderbolt consists of players who are ranked in the top 1000 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), are PING Second, Third and Honorable Mention All-Americans from Divisions II, III, NAIA, and NJCAA, or are AJGA Second Team and Honorable Mention All-Americans.
The Patriot All-America and Thunderbolt is a collaboration between the GCAA, WGCA, the West Valley Mavericks, The Patriot All-America LLC, the Arizona Golf Association, JDM Partners, the City of Surprise and Sterling Grove Golf + Country Club – in partnership with the Folds of Honor Foundation and support from The Thunderbirds, the Waste Management Phoenix Open host.
For more information including live leaderboards, player pairings and an up-to-the-minute 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 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 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 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.