Hill moves up at Patriot All-America
Maynooth University’s Allan Hill
Allan Hill made four birdies in a two-under 68 in the second round of the 11th Annual Patriot All-America at The Wigwam Golf Club in Arizona.
The Maynooth University player moved up to tied 53rd on two-over-par but trails leader Hunter Eichhorn by 12 strokes in an event that features one of the strongest fields in amateur golf.
Hill’s Maynooth University teammate, fellow Athenry man David Kitt, made one birdie, one bogey at a double-bogey six in a 72 to share 70th on five-over.
Michigan State University senior Valery Plata and Pepperdine University sophomore Kaleiya Romero surged to the top of the inaugural Women’s Division leaderboard.
The 85-player men’s division is being played on the Gold Course, and the inaugural women’s division, with 41 players, is being contested on the Blue Course.
A native of Floridablanca, Colombia, and former Big 10 Player of the Year, Plata chipped in from off the green at the 18th for a five-under 65 to tie Romero for the Women’s Division lead.
An all-WCC First Team selection, Romero had more ups than downs in her second round, countering three bogeys with five birdies and an eagle for her second straight four-under 66.
“Everything’s been pretty good except for my tee shots, so I’m hoping to fix that and go low tomorrow,” said Romero.
“I’ve been hitting it pretty well off the tee, and I’ve been making some pretty good approach shots and putts I guess that’s what it takes to do well out here,” said Plata.
Eichhorn made seven birdies in a bogey-free, record-equalling, seven-under 63, finishing with birdies at the last two holes to lead by a shot on 10-under from Arizona State’s Mason Andersen (65-66) and the University of Notre Dame’s Palmer Jackson (64-67).
“I got off to a little bit of a slow start, but I kind of got the putter hot and started to hit some good shots, and it all came together,” said Eichhorn. “[Tomorrow] I need to go out, have fun, be aggressive when I can, try to make some birdies and try to avoid making any mistakes.”
Jackson and Anderson are tied for second on nine-under with Connor Howe and first-round leader Chase Sienkiewciz a shot further back in a tie for fourth.
“I’m hitting the ball better than I ever have,” said Anderson, who has yet to make a bogey at this year’s Patriot All-America. “I’m hitting a lot of fairways, hitting a lot of greens, and not really putting myself in positions for bogeys at all. It’s usually just a two-putt par or maybe I make one and it’s a birdie, so my ball striking has been really nice.”
Ivy Shepherd of Clemson University and Natasha Andrea Oon of San Jose State University sit tied for third at six-under, and Mychael O’Berry of Auburn University rounds out the top five at five-under heading into tomorrow’s final round.
University of Texas at Austin sophomore Ashley Park set a new Patriot All America Women’s Division low-round with a seven-under 63 on the Wigwam Golf Club Blue Course, at one point birdieing seven straight holes.
She made eight birdies and one bogey to share 11th on three-under.
“Honestly, I had had four birdies in a row and I didn’t even know my score,” said Park. “After the three after that I was just thinking keep it simple and play golf. It’s my best score yet, so it’s really nice.”
Since the inaugural event in 2011, the Patriot has featured one of the top fields in amateur golf. Major champions Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, and Collin Morikawa are past participants while Patriot alumni have combined for more than 50 victories on the PGA Tour and European Tour.
The Patriot posted the 15th highest power rating for amateur tournaments in WAGR in 2020 and was ranked 35th worldwide by Scratch Players in 2019 (Scratch Players did not post a 2020 tournament ranking). This is the first year a women's event is being staged simultaneously.
The Patriot All-America honours fallen or severely wounded soldiers in partnership with the Folds of Honor Foundation. The golfers receive a golf bag donated by PING Corporation at the event’s opening ceremony emblazoned with the name and branch of service of a fallen or injured military member whom they shall represent. Participants also receive a card with the soldier’s story so they can be familiar with that soldier.
