Dec. 26, 2011

WEST POINT, N.Y. - Army junior Matt Philie is among the 84 golfers selected to participate in the 2011 Patriot All-America golf tournament at Wigwam Golf Club in Litchfield Park, Ariz.

The 54-hole event will be played Dec. 28-30 in Arizona with a field that includes collegiate golfers from across the country, including 21 of the world’s top-100 ranked amateurs.

“This is truly an elite field of collegians and the first opportunity for them to go heads up in tournament competition,” said Ed Gowan, executive director of the Arizona Golf Association.

Players earning PING All-America honors from the previous season in NCAA Divisions I, II and III plus the NAIA and NJCAA are eligible to be invited to participate in the Patriot All-America. Additionally, a player from the United States Military, Naval and Air Force Academies have been invited, along with Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) national award recipients, members of the most recent Palmer Cup Teams, American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) All-Americans and Toyota Junior Golf World Cup participants currently enrolled as college freshmen.

The Wigwam Golf Club, along with the Arizona Golf Association (AGA) and the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA), is partnering with the Folds of Honor Foundation to host the inaugural Patriot All-America (www.patriotallamerica.com). The AGA is the host organization for the event, while the GCAA administered the player invitations.  Senator John McCain and Jerry Colangelo serve as co-chairmen for the event.

To show support for Folds of Honor, each golfer will carry a commemorative PING golf bag bearing the name of a fallen soldier from the community in which they live or attend school.

Philie will honor former Army hockey player Derek Hines for the tournament. Philie and head golf coach Brian Watts recently met with Army hockey coach Brian Riley and learned about the leadership and selfless service of Hines.

Hines, a 2003 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, was a four-year letterwinner for the Army hockey team and made the ultimate off ice contribution when he was killed in action on Sept. 1, 2005, in Afghanistan.

He was a fan favorite during his career as evidence by his unofficial fan club, whose members would bring Heinz ketchup bottles to games and bang them on the glass in support of Hines.

The Newburyport, Mass., native wasn’t the biggest or most productive players on the ice (32 career points), but his importance to his team was evident, serving as one of the teams’ captains his senior season.

Philie cut short his holiday break to travel to Arizona for the initial event at Wigwam, an 80-year old resort that maintains a reputation as one of the Southwest’s landmark resort destinations.

The event will get underway with Tuesday’s opening ceremony. Former PGA Tour player and Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee will serve as the emcee with speeches from the offices of Governor Jan Brewer, Senator John McCain, Jerry Colangelo and Folds of Honor representative Major Ed Pulido.

Parachute landings by the Wings of Blue Parachute Team and an LAFB F-16 flyover are also planned.

Philie will play a practice round on Monday and the tournament will feature 18 holes each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

The web site golfstat.com is expected to provide live scoring of the event.