Ian Gilligan, a junior at Florida, used rounds of 65-65-68 to shoot 12-under and win the Patriot All-America Invitational at The Wigwam, Gold Course, in Litchfield Park, Ariz., by three shots.
A hole-out eagle on No. 13 punctuated his final round 2-under 68, giving him the lead comfortable lead over Notre Dame's Palmer Jackson. Jackson finished in solo second place at 9-under after rounds of 67-65-69.
The transfer from Long Beach State was tied for the lead after a first-round 5-under 65 with Matthew Comegys from Texas Tech and Jerry Ji from Illinois, but another 5-under 65 in the second round gave him the solo lead by two shots over Jackson. The final round, 2-under 68, closed the door on the competition.
Jackson Buchanan of Illinois, Matthew Kress of Georgia, Gregory Solhaug of Oregon, and Ben Lorenz of Oklahoma all finished T3 at 7-under.
Gilligan has had an incredible journey back to golf after being diagnosed with lymphoma over five years ago, a slow-moving cancer that was treatable with chemotherapy.
Related: FOUR YEARS REMOVED FROM CANCER, IAN GILLIGAN IS MAKING NOISE IN COLLEGE GOLFNow, he is the 2023 champion of the Patriot All-America Invitational as he heads back to Gainesville for the Spring season.
In partnership with the Folds of Honor Foundation, the Wigwam and the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) 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 to 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.