Idaho junior golfer Mark Giorgi was invited to play in the Patriot All-America Golf Invitational during winter break.
The three-day tournament took place Dec. 28 to 30 at Wigwam Golf Club in Litchfield Park, Ariz. The tournament brings together some of the best college golfers from around the country while raising money and awareness for the families of fallen or wounded soldiers.
“The tournament was about raising funds for families of military people that have been killed,” Idaho golf coach John Means said.
During the tournament each player used a golf bag containing the name of a fallen soldier. The bags were also autographed by every player in the tournament. At the conclusion of the tournament, the golf bags were sent back to players’ respective colleges where they are auctioned for the Folds of Honor Charity.
“Our job is to try to find somebody that would be willing to buy that bag,” Means said. “That money goes to the scholarship funds for the kids of that military person that was killed.”
The 84-player field for the Patriot All-America is limited primarily to male college golfers who have earned PING All-America honors. Giorgi was an All-American at his former college, St. John’s (Minn.) University, as well as the 2010 NCAA Division III Freshman of the Year.
“Any player from Division I, II, or III that was an All-American from the past two years got invited (to the Patriot All-America Invitational),” Giorgi said. “The skill (of the opposing players) was a little better than other tournaments just because everyone was an All-American.”
Not only was Giorgi up against tough competition, but the Wigwam Golf Resort proved to be a challenging course. The tight fairways and numerous water hazards did not bode well for Giorgi and the other northern athletes who had not had much outdoor practice this winter. This contributed to his 81st place finish.
“Every hole was pretty tight,” Giorgi said.
Means said UI golfers practice primarily indoors during the winter months. This includes hitting golf balls into nets and working on swings rather than actually playing on a golf course.
“A lot of the kids that were down south had been playing (outdoors) a lot,” Means said. “There was definitely a huge advantage for those living down south and had been playing a lot (this winter).”
The first and second place finishers for the Patriot All-America were Cory Whitsett and Bobby Wyatt. They are both from the University of Alabama. Giorgi was the only player in the tournament representing the Vandals. Since it was an individual tournament, Means could not attend. Giorgi’s parents could not make it to the tournament either.
“(The Patriot All-America) is an individual tournament,” Means said. “I wasn’t even allowed to go with (Giorgi). He was out there playing in the tournament by himself.”