NEW YORK — Columbia men's golf senior Nathan Han has been invited to play in the 2023 Patriot All-America, which begins Friday at The Wigwam Golf Resort in Litchfield, Park, Arizona. Han will tee off at 12:40 p.m. ET / 10:40 a.m. local.
The 54-hole amateur event held in Arizona is the first of its kind to combine the talents of 222 nationally recognized players in a holiday bowl-like experience. Consisting of three separate divisions: the Patriot Men's Division (84 players), The Patriot Women's Division (66 players) and the recently added Thunderbolt Division (72 players). It is the combined effort of the Arizona Golf Association, the Golf Coaches Association of America and the West Valley Mavericks in conjunction with the tournament's beneficiary, the Folds of Honor Foundation.
The unique aspect of this Championship is that it honors our military heroes throughout the week. In fact, that is the foundation of this event. At the opening ceremony, each golfer receives and carries a commemorative PING golf bag that bears the name and branch of a fallen or wounded hero from their hometown or school. Additionally, all of the golfers have the opportunity to visit Luke Air Force Base, the training center for our nation's F-16 and F-35 fighter pilots. There, they meet with the General, fighter pilots and crew, and tour the base while participating in activities rarely seen by civilians.
Invitations to the tournament are issued on a tiered-level basis; collegiate players must be currently enrolled in school and be part of a University team to be eligible. Click here for a full rundown of tournament eligibility.
Ranked No. 203 in the latest NCAA Individual Rankings, Han had an impressive start to his senior campaign. This past fall, the Somers, New York native finished top-10 in all four tournaments, including runner-up finishes at The Georgetown Intercollegiate and Columbia Autumn Invitational, as well as outright medalist honors at the season-opening Doc Gimmler Invitational. Han won the tournament by five shots with a 54-hole program-record total of 14-under-par 196.
Han is coming off a 2022-23 campaign in which he was named a PING All-America Honorable Mention, becoming the first player in program history to earn those honors.
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