Defending Patriot All-America Champion Mason Overstreet Competes In Web.com Tour’s Wichita Open
Competing in his first-ever professional golf event, defending Patriot All-America Invitational champion Mason Overstreet battled nerves and a stellar field at the 2018 Wichita Open, played June 21-24 at Crestview Country Club in Wichita, Kansas. Overstreet, a soon-to-be junior at the University of Arkansas, received a sponsor exemption into the Web.com Tour event for winning the 2017 Patriot All-America Invitational.
Overstreet shot rounds of 71, 70, 72, before shooting a final-round 3-under par 67, that included six birdies. He finished the tournament at even par (280) and tied for 65th. Brady Schnell beat Brandon Hagy – a 2012 Patriot All-America Invitational participant – and Scott Pinckney in a playoff to win the Wichita Open. In addition to more than a dozen Patriot All-America alumni playing in the event, the Wichita Open field also included past PGA TOUR winners Mike Weir, Stuart Appleby and Jason Gore.
In December, Overstreet won the 2017 Patriot All-America Invitational by six shots over a strong 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.
Coincidentally, 2016 Patriot All-America Invitational winner Cameron Champ also competed in this year’s Wichita Open and finished in 7th place. Like Overstreet, Champ had earned an exemption into the Wichita event in 2017 but did not play in the tournament because he qualified-for and played in the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills, where he tied for 32nd.
The Patriot All-America Invitational, held annually December 27-31 on The Wigwam’s Gold Course in Litchfield Park, Ariz., pits the best-of-the-best in collegiate golf from every NCAA division plus special invitees. Throughout the 54-hole championship, each participant honors a fallen or severely injured soldier by carrying a golf bag bearing the name of that soldier. Participants also 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.
Current PGA TOUR stars who have also played in The Patriot All-America during their college careers, include: back-to-back U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka (2011), 2017 PGA Championship winner and reigning FedEx Cup champion Justin Thomas (2011), Patrick Rodgers (2011), Daniel Berger (2012) and Bryson DeChambeau (2013).
For more information, visit www.patriotallamerica.com.
