With a jammed-pack leaderboard heading into Friday's final round, the Patriot All-America Invitational trophy could have landed in the hands of any number of players.
There was
Hunter Eichhorn of Marquette, who took a one-stroke lead into the final round following a brilliant 63 on Thursday.
Mason Andersen of Arizona State and
Palmer Jackson of Notre Dame were right there, too, just one back at the start of the day.
Chase Sienkiewicz of the University of Arizona, who held the first-round lead after opening with a 63 on Wednesday, was just two back.
In fact, Eichhorn, Andersen and Jackson, along with ASU's
Preston Summerhays, shared the lead at 10-under after the opening nine holes.
And then there was
Connor Howe, the Georgia Tech junior who was plodding along at even-par after nine holes on Wigwam's Gold Course, where pars leave you covered in Arizona's desert dust and bramble.
With the leaders quietly separating themselves from the pack, Howe stood on the 10th tee box looking for anything to ignite his round and join the fray. A birdie on the par-5 would certainly help matters while an eagle was not impossible but seemed unlikely since he had only parred the hole each of the first two rounds.
What transpired next will not soon be forgotten in the lore of the tournament which pays tribute to military heroes.
Howe, a native of Ogden, Utah, sent shock waves through the Wigwam by holing out his second shot on the par-5 10th for an albatross. With one swing of the club, Howe had moved to 3-under on the day and 11-under for the tournament. He had the leaders in sight but there was more work to be done.
With birdies seemingly there for the taking, it was unlikely anyone was going to fall back to the pack, so Howe had to take matters into his own hands.
And he was more than up for the challenge.
Following his two on the par-5 10th, Howe picked up birdies on holes 12, 13, 15 and 16 for an inward nine of 28 and a round of 7-under 63. At 15-under 195, Howe was the one holding the trophy that two hours previously looked like it was going to be lifted by any one of four players besides him.
“I just started putting well – I made some putts on 12 and 13 and I had some good looks at birdie – and I capitalized,” said Howe.
On the last day of 2021, it was Howe's turn to shoot a 63, and his timing couldn't have been better.
ABOUT THE Patriot All-America
The Wigwam and the Golf Coaches Association
of America (GCAA), in partnership with the
Folds of Honor Foundation present the Patriot All-
America Invitational. It's one of the most unique
events
in all of golf.
84 top collegiate players named to the PING All-
America team in NCAA Division I,II and III, NAIA
and
NJCAA, AJGA, one player from each military
academy
and select international players compete in a 54-
hole
championship.
Each player honors our military by carrying a bag
with
the name, rank and service of a fallen or severely
wounded soldier embroidered on the pocket.
Following
the championship, the bags go to the players’ school
for auction, with proceeds benefiting the Folds of
Honor.
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