Wigwam Hosts 11th Annual Tournament for Elite Collegiate Players
Both the men’s and women’s leaderboards were crowded with low scores after the first round at the 2021 Patriot All-America, hosted by Wigwam Golf Club December 29-31. Chase Sienkiewicz, University of Arizona junior, matched the men’s tournament-low round of 7-under-par 63, while Oklahoma State’s Caley McGinty and Pepperdine’s Kaleyia Romero shot a pair of 4-under 66s to lead the girl’s division.
The second round picked up where the first left off, with multiple players in contention after record-setting rounds. Romero and Michigan State senior Valery Plata surged into the lead. A native of Floridablanca, Colombia, Plata chipped in at No. 18 to shoot 5-under 65, tying Romero after 36 holes.
Marquette University’s Hunter Eichhorn made a run of his own to sit atop the men’s leaderboard after two rounds. He posted a bogey-free round with seven birdies to match the Patriot All-America low-round record of -7 (63).
In the final round Plata and Georgia Tech senior Connor Howe went low to take their respective divisions. Plata fired a final-round, 4-under 66 for a three-shot victory at -12 overall on Wigwam Golf Club’s Blue Course.
“I was pretty confident on my approach shots,” said Plata, former Big 10 Player of the Year. “I wasn’t hitting it all that great, but I hit a couple good ones, and then the putter was rolling in pretty well so I think that helped me a lot.”
Plata entered the final round tied for the lead. She erased a double bogey on the 3rd hole with six birdies to win the inaugural Women’s Division over Clemson’s Ivy Shepherd at -9 and Arizona State’s Ashley Menne who finished alone in third place at -8.
Also earning a three-shot victory thanks to an albatross, Howe finished at 15-under par overall on the Gold Course.
“I didn’t know where I stood with the rest of the field coming up 18, so I just wanted to give myself a good look and not make any big numbers, and that’s what I did,” said Howe, whose 255-yard albatross on the par-5 10th hole pushed him up the leaderboard. “I knew I needed to get something going – I didn’t know how much – but the albatross really kicked things into gear.
Palmer Jackson of the University of Notre Dame shot a second consecutive -3 (67) to finish alone in second at -12 overall. Nick Lyerly of UNC-Greensboro, first round leader Chase Sienkiewicz, Mason Andersen of Arizona State and 36-hole leader Hunter Eichhorn of all tied for third at -11 overall.
For all information on the Patriot All-America, visit patriotallamerica.com.
