Patriot All-America tournament at Wigwam Resort to benefit Folds of Honor
The Wigwam Resort in Litchfield Park, Arizona will host The Patriot All America for the fourth consecutive year on December 29-31 with a unique program to support the Owasso-based Folds of Honor Foundation.
The Patriot All-America is recognized as a top amateur event attracting 84 nationally-recognized golfers from the NCAA Divisions, as well as NAIA, NJCAA, and AJGA rankings. The Arizona Golf Association (AGA), JDM Partners and the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) are once again sponsoring the event.
Invitations to The Patriot All-America are primarily based on individuals earning PING All-America honors the previous season. Additionally, a member from each of the United States Military Academies have been invited as well as GCAA national award recipients, members of the most recent Palmer Cup Teams and AJGA All-Americans and Toyota Junior Golf World Cup participants currently enrolled in their freshman year of college.
"The Patriot continues to attract even higher levels of non-professional golfers each year, which creates a national championship-level feel," said Tom O’Malley, Chief Operating Officer of JDM Partners, which owns The Wigwam.
In cooperation with the Folds of Honor Foundation, the golfers in the Patriot All-America will continue the tradition of representing a fallen service member. Every participant will receive a golf bag at the event’s opening ceremony with the name and branch of service of a fallen military member whom they shall represent. Following the tournament, the bags will be auctioned off to alumni at respective schools with all proceeds benefitting the Folds of Honor Foundation to provide post-secondary educational scholarships to the families of the military service men and women killed or disabled while in active service.
Four Oklahoma players – Max McGreevy (Oklahoma), Charlie Saxon (Oklahoma), Mike Hearne (Southern Nazarene) and Sam Johnston (Oklahoma Christian) are scheduled to compete.
With a history stretching back over 80 years the AAA Four Diamond Wigwam Resort is one of Arizona’s true iconic destinations. Featuring 54 holes of championship golf including two, the Gold and the Patriot, designed by legendary architect Robert Trent Jones, Sr., and the Heritage designed by Red Lawrence, the Wigwam offers old school hospitality with modern amenities.
Blending casual elegance with the charm of the Southwest, The Wigwam is a 440 acre getaway that boasts luxury casitas and suites, a variety of award-winning restaurants and a full array of recreational amenities including pools and a spa.
Purchased in 2009 by major league sports franchise owner Jerry Colangelo and his JDM Partners, The Wigwam has undergone over $7 million in improvements in recent years.
Major Dan Rooney, a PGA Professional, USGA member, former college golfer at the University of Kansas and former F-16 military pilot with the Oklahoma Air National Guard, founded the Folds of Honor Foundation in 2007 following his second of three tours of duty in Iraq. A 501(c)(3) charitable organization with a mission to empower deserving military families with educational support and opportunities, Fold of Honor is helping fill this gap by providing post-secondary educational scholarships for children and spouses of military service men and women killed or disabled while serving in active duty.