Ryan Griffin (Rosapenna) in action at the 2023 South of Ireland, sponsored by Pierse Motor Group. Picture: Niall O'Shea

Maynooth University’s Ryan Griffin opened with one-over 71 in the 2023 Patriot All-America event in Arizona.

He was five strokes behind Texas Tech’s Matthew Comegys, Florida’s Ian Gilligan and Illinois’ Jerry Ji all going low with five-under 65s on the Gold Course at The Wigwam Golf Club.

The University of South Florida star Melanie Green shot a Patriot All-America Women’s Division record, eight-under 62 in the first round of the 13th annual event played at The Wigwam Golf Club’s Blue Course to take a three-shot lead into Saturday’s second round.

Three players sit atop the Men’s Division leaderboard, with Texas Tech’s Matthew Comegys, Florida’s Ian Gilligan and Illinois’ Jerry Ji all going low with -5 (65) rounds on the Gold Course. View the entire 2023 Patriot All-America leaderboard here.

“No complaints – the course is in great shape, kudos to all of the course management and maintenance people that made it all possible,” said Green, a senior from Medina, N.Y. “This tournament is pretty incredible so far, and it’s only just beginning. So I’m really happy and excited to get out there again tomorrow.”

“I started off with a bogey on a par 5, which isn’t the best, but from there I played some really solid golf and was pretty happy with my overall performance,” said Gilligan, a transfer from Long Beach State and the defending Big West Conference Individual Champion.

Eight miles northwest of The Wigwam, BYU’s Cooper Jones posted eight birdies with two bogeys for a first round, six-under 66 for a one-shot lead at the 2nd Annual Thunderbolt, played at Sterling Grove Golf + Country Club in Surprise.

Jones leads a packed leaderboard including a pair of locals currently in second: Phoenix-native and University of Southern California junior Gavin Aurilia, Mesa-native and Oklahoma State freshman Johnnie Clark – along with Northwestern’s James Imai, all one shot back at -5. Twelve more players sit within two shots of second place. View the entire 2023 Thunderbolt leaderboard here.

“Nothing really stuck out today other than just solid golf and hit a couple good shots with not a lot of mistakes,” said Jones, a freshman from Highland, Utah. “I just need to keep doing what I’m doing: just try to hit fairways and greens, and make as little mistakes as I can. That’s kind of what I did today.”

For South Florida’s Green, it seemed inappropriate to ask what went well in her standout round, as opposed to asking if anything went wrong. The three-time 2023 American All-Conference Team selection chipped in twice, and sheepishly admitted her score could have been a little better if not for two three-putts, including a par on hole 14 after driving the green.

“Everything was working if you’re going to shoot eight under,” said Green, who led the Bulls with eight top-10 finishes and 10 top-25 finishes this past season. “I tried to keep chatty with my playing competitors today. I’ll probably try do the same thing tomorrow just to stay loose.”

University of Texas freshman Lauren Kim sits alone in second place in the Women’s Division after recording five birdies for a clean -5 (65) in the first round. The Surrey, British Columbia-native hopes to take the momentum gained by four birdies on the back nine into Saturday’s second round.

“Same thing as today: stay patient,” said Kim, a two-time U.S. Women’s Open participant and the 2022 Pacific Northwest Golf Association Player of the Year. “The putts will drop, whether they drop on the first hole or on the 10th hole, I just have to stay patient.”

Five players in the Men’s Division are tied for fourth place, one shot behind the trio of leaders. Another eight players are tied for ninth place on shot behind, setting up an exciting weekend of golf on the Gold Course.

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, giving many of the top players a unique perspective not only on golf, but on life. At the conclusion of the tournament, the golf bags are shipped to players’ schools and auctioned with all proceeds benefiting the Folds of Honor Foundation.

Named after the Air Force P-47 Thunderbolt, The Thunderbolt has been added to the tournament week schedule to accommodate players who met the initial eligibility but did not make it into The Patriot.

The Thunderbolt consists of players who are ranked in the top 1000 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), are PING Second, Third and Honorable Mention All-Americans from Divisions II, III, NAIA, and NJCAA, or are AJGA Second Team and Honorable Mention All-Americans.

The Patriot All-America and Thunderbolt is a collaboration between the GCAA, WGCA, the West Valley Mavericks, The Patriot All-America LLC, the Arizona Golf Association, JDM Partners, the City of Surprise and Sterling Grove Golf + Country Club – in partnership with the Folds of Honor Foundation and support from The Thunderbirds, the Waste Management Phoenix Open host.

For more information including live stream links, player pairings and schedule of events, visit patriotallamerica.com.