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Peoria Times
SPORTS
December 23, 2021
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Patriot All-America tourney now to include women BY JOE MCHUGH
Peoria Times Contributing Writer
The Patriot All-America golf tournament has opened its field to women for the first time in its 11 years. Held at the Wigwam Golf Club starting Tuesday, Dec. 28, this year’s iteration will show top men’s and women’s amateur golfers from around the nation. “We’re excited about that start from the women,” said Dustin Roberts, a representative for the Golf Coaches Association of America. “If you’re someone who loves golf, it’s a great chance to go out and see them. Folks are going to be watching them on the weekends on the PGA Tour and the LPGA.” The tournament has produced many PGA tour winners over its 11 years, including Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas when the field was limited to just men.
This year’s Patriot All-America golf tournament will show top men’s and women’s amateur golfers from around the nation. (Photos by Michael Jordan)
The tournament was the idea of the Arizona Golf Association and the Golf Coaches of America, in conjunction with The Wigwam and the Biltmore golf courses.
The tournament is held at The Wigwam in Litchfield Park.
This year, fans may see the next Lexi Thompson or Lydia Ko. “We are really fortunate to have some really, really good ladies players in the bill this year,” Robert said. “A couple of the highlights are Julia Johnson, who plays at Ole Miss, who is the defending national champion on the women’s side. You have Louise Duncan, who actually goes to Stirling University in Scotland.” Aside from Duncan and Johnson, the women’s field is set to include multiple players inside the top 100 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, as well as many collegiate All-Americans. Players include University of Oregon’s Cynthia Lu and Michigan State University’s Valery Plata. The Patriot All-America tournament is a golf tournament, turned public event, mimicking the Waste Management Phoenix Open, “Greatest Show on Grass.” The tournament was the idea of the Arizona Golf Association and the Golf Coaches of America, in conjunction with The Wigwam and the Biltmore golf courses and has flourished. “There were conversations about a ‘bowl-like’ event for college golf,” said Sean Scibienski, a representative for the West Valley Mavericks, which sponsors the event. “The original concept was, ‘How do we get the top amateur golfers in the world to come to an event and really have the atmosphere that they would if they were a football program playing in a bowl game?’” The “bowl game” experience has grown. Starting as a 10-foot-by-10foot tent at a golf course bringing in about 50 people, the tourney attracts more than 1,000 fans to experience golf, food, beverage, live music and SEE PATRIOT PAGE 15
