Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Buccaneer leader begins play on Friday in Arizona  

LITCHFIELD PARK, Ariz.  – ETSU’s Mats Ege is set to play in the 2023 Patriot All-America, which begins Friday at The Wigwam Golf Resort in Litchfield, Park, Ariz.

Ege, who finished tied for sixth at last week’s 2023 South Beach International Amateur, gets underway Friday at 2:20 p.m. ET from The Wigwam Gold Course. Saturday’s second round is slated to begin at 12:30 p.m. ET, while Sunday’s final round starts at 12 p.m. ET.

Ege is coming off a stellar fall season where he shot 55-under-par in five tournaments, including a win at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate. Overall, Ege finished no worse than sixth in the fall where he generated a scoring average of 67.53 and shot below par in all 15 rounds played.

The 54-hole amateur event held at the Wigwam Resort is the first of its kind to combine the talents of 150 nationally recognized players (84 men and 66 women) in a holiday bowl-like experience. It is the combined effort of the Arizona Golf Association, the West Valley Mavericks, the Golf Coaches Association of America, the Women’s Golf Coaches Association and the Wigwam Golf Resort in conjunction with the tournament’s beneficiary, the Folds of Honor Foundation.

The unique aspect of this Championship is that the players also honor our military heroes. In fact, that is the foundation of this event. The tournament honors the military throughout the week. At the opening ceremony, each golfer receives and carries a commemorative PING golf bag that bears the name, rank and branch of a fallen or wounded hero. Additionally, all of the golfers have the opportunity to visit Luke Air Force Base, the training center for our nation’s F-16 and F-35 fighter pilots. There, they meet with the General, fighter pilots and crew, and tour the base while participating in activities rarely seen by civilians.

The players carry the bag and honor that soldier throughout the week. Upon conclusion, the bags are shipped back to the player’s school where they are auctioned off with the proceeds benefiting the Folds of Honor charity.

For more information on this weekend’s tournament, please click here.