EL PASO, Texas – Fans don’t want to miss the opportunity to see future PGA (Pro Golf Association) players in action as the 2017 Andeavor Sun Bowl All-America Golf Classic is set for Nov. 19-21 at the El Paso County Club.
Current PGA players such as Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Ricky Fowler, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods have hit the links at the El Paso Country Club and this year there are 32 amateurs from around the country invading the Borderland.
“This year’s field is one the best we’ve had in years,” said Sun Bowl Association Executive Director Bernie Olivas. “The golf committee has worked tirelessly throughout the year to make this an A-ranked event.”
“Players are invited to this tournament because of their All-America status and outstanding amateur career and ranking,” said Tournament Director Bob Kimble. “I can assure the fans that future PGA players will be out on the course during this tournament.”
Sam Burns of Louisiana State won last year’s All-America Golf Classic carding rounds of 67-68-66.
The Andeavor Sun Bowl All-America Golf Classic is one of the premier amateur golf tournaments in the country. Some of golf’s brightest stars have traveled to El Paso to compete in the tournament since its inaugural year in 1976.
Jordan Spieth, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Davis Love III, Ricky Barnes, Notah Begay and Jerry Pate are just a handful of past participants who went on to have successful PGA careers. College All-America Golf Classic Alumni have combined to win 50 major championships and have earned over $1.8 billion in career earnings.
The annual event starts with the Titleist Long Drive Contest and PING Putting Contest on Sunday, Nov. 19 at 9 a.m. (MT). The best opportunity for fans to get photos with the future PGA players and obtain autographs is on Sunday immediately following the two contests.
Round one and two are scheduled for Monday, Nov. 20 with a shotgun start scheduled for 8 a.m. (MT) while the final round is set for 8 a.m. (MT) on Tuesday, Nov. 21.
2017 Andeavor Sun Bowl All-America Golf Classic Participants
Dawson Armstrong – Hometown: Brentwood, Tenn. – Amateur Status: Sr. at Lipscomb
• Stroke Average: 70.93
• 2015 Western Amateur Medalist
• Has claimed medalist honors in eight collegiate events
• Two-time ASUN Conference Golfer of the Year
• Owns the all-time ASUN Conference record for weekly honors by a male in any sport with 12 ASUN Men’s Golfer of the Week honors
• 2017 Golfweek and PING All-American
• 2017 U.S. Amateur Quarterfinalist
• 2017 Golfweek 2nd-Team Preseason All-American
• As an amateur his two biggest wins are the 2015 Western Amateur and the 2015 Dogwood Invitational
John Augenstein – Hometown: Owensboro, Ky. – Amateur Status: So. at Vanderbilt
• Named to the GCAA Freshman All-American team and as a GCAA Honorable Mention All-American selection in 2017.
• Named SEC Freshman of the Year and to the All-Freshman Team.
• Clinched the SEC Championship after winning the deciding matches in the semifinals against Florida and the finals against Texas A&M.
• Has six top 10 finishes in his career, with best finishing coming at the Nike Golf Collegiate in 2016, where he finished fifth.
• Career round of 63 came in second round of Carmel Cup at Pebble Beach Golf Links in 2017.
Shintaro Ban – Hometown: San Jose, Calif. – Amateur Status: Sr. at UNLV
• 2016-17 Stroke Average: 71.26
• Has played in 101 rounds for UNLV with a career scoring average of 72.28 (sixth in program history)
• Has recorded 19 top-20 finishes, 12 top-10s and seven top-5s, with 50 rounds at par or better
• Earned honorable mention All-America honors in addition to PING All-West Region (second straight year)
• Had 10 top-20 finishes, seven top-10s and five top-5s during the 2016-17 season
Chandler Blanchet – Hometown: Gainesville, Fla. – Amateur Status: Sr. at West Florida
• 2017 NCAA Division II Men’s Golf National Champion, Arnold Palmer Award winner and Jack Nicklaus Award winner
• Two-time All-America, two-time PING All-South Region and two-time Gulf South Conference Player of the Year
• Has a school-record nine career victories
• The nation’s top-rated golfer in any division with a school-record 68.76 stroke avg., becoming the first Division 2 player to win the Golfstat Cup
• Won seven individual titles in 2016-17, including six of final seven tournaments with the NCAA Division II Individual title among them
• Posted a school record and career-best round 62 at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club in the opening round of the 2017 Southeastern Collegiate in Valdosta, Ga., which was tied for seventh-lowest round in college golf all year
• Has four career hole-in-ones, with the last coming at the 2015 Patriot Intercollegiate
Brad Dalke – Hometown: Norman, Okla. – Amateur Status: Jr. at Oklahoma
• 2016-17 stroke average: 72.17
• Best Finish: 1st, 2017 NCAA Stanford Regional
Amateur Wins: 4
• Sank championship-clinching putt at the 2017 NCAA Championships
• Earned first collegiate win at the 2017 NCAA Stanford Regional
• Finished as the runner-up at the 2016 U.S. Amateur
• Competed in The 2017 Masters and 2017 U.S. Open
• 2017 Division I PING All-America honorable mention selection
Luis Gagne – Hometown: Orlando, Fla. – Amateur Status: Jr. at LSU
• 2016-17 Statistics: 15 tournaments, 71.35 scoring average (career low), 2 wins, 7 Top 10s
Best Career Finish: 1st Place (3 times)
• 2016 Maui Jim Intercollegiate; Sept. 23-25, 2016; Mirabel Golf Club, Scottsdale, Arizona
• 2016 David Toms Intercollegiate (Co-Champion); Oct. 8-9, 2016; University Club, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• 2017 David Toms Intercollegiate (Co-Champion); Oct. 6-7, 2017; University Club, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• 2017 PING Honorable Mention All-American
• 2017 Second-Team All-SEC
• 2016 PING & Golfweek Honorable Mention All-American
• 2016 U.S. Amateur Quarterfinalist
• Ended the 2016-17 season as the No. 25-ranked player in the college golf by Golfweek following the NCAA Championships.
• Career-low 71.35 scoring average in 2016-17 is the fourth-best by an LSU Tiger since records have been compiled dating back to 1982.
Doug Ghim – Hometown: Arlington Heights, Ill. – Amateur Status: Sr. at Texas
• 2017 Pacific Coast Amateur Champion
• 2017 U.S. Amateur runner-up
• 2017 Big 12 Player of the Year
• 2017 Golfweek All-America First Team
• 2017 PING All-Region
• 2017 All-Big 12
• 2017 Jack Nicklaus Award semifinalist
• 2017 Arnold Palmer Cup selection
• 2017 Ben Hogan Award Watch List
• 2016 Palmer Cup selection
• 2016 PING All-America Second Team
• 2016 Golfweek Second Team All-America
• 2016 Jack Nicklaus Award semifinalist
• 2016 All-Big 12
• 2015 PING All-America Honorable Mention
• 2015 All-Freshman Team
• 2015 All-Big 12 First Team
Ben Griffin – Hometown: Chapel Hill, N.C. – Amateur Status: Sr. at UNC
• 2016-17 average: 72.29
Best Finish: (three first place finishes)
• 2014-15 Tar Heel Intercollegiate, Chapel Hill, N.C.
• 2014-15 Bridgestone Collegiate, Greensboro, N.C.
• 2017-18 Tar Heel Intercollegiate, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Honors
• Two-time honorable mention All-America (2015, 2017)
• 2015 All-ACC
• Second-lowest stroke average in UNC history
• Won the 2013 AJGA Rolex Tournament of Champions
Ryan Gronlund – Hometown: Pleasanton, Calif. – Amateur Status: Jr. at Oregon
• Earned honorable mention All-America recognition from PING
• Named second-team All-Pac-12
• Competed nationally including numerous AJGA, FCWT, NCGA tournaments including 2013 Junior PGA Championship, 2013 Western Junior Championship. 2011 & 2012 FCWT First Team All-American
• Member of Oregon’s 2016 NCAA Championship team
Will Gordon – Hometown: Davidson, N.C. – Amateur Status: Jr. at Vanderbilt
• 2016-17 Scoring Average: 72.78
• Named Freshman All-American in 2016
• Named to the All-SEC 2nd Team and the All-Freshman Team in 2016.
• Only freshman to be named to the the U.S. Palmer Cup team in 2016
• Tied for first at the Schenkel Invitational (67-73-63) in 2016, which included a final round 63.
• Also posted a final-round 63 at the SunTrust Gator Invitational in 2016.
Blaine Hale – Hometown: Dallas, Texas – Amateur Status: Jr. at Oklahoma
• 2016-17 stroke average: 72.30
• Best Finish: Tied for 4th, Ka’anapali Collegiate Classic
Amateur Wins: 4
• Earned wins in the semifinal and final to help OU secure the 2017 NCAA Championship
• Shot career-low 64 at Nike Golf Collegiate Invitational (Oct. 1-3)
• Two top-5 and six top-10 career finishes during his OU career
• Best finish came at the Ka’anapali Collegiate Classic, tying for fourth
• 2017 Division I PING All-America honorable mention selection
Grant Hirschman – Hometown: Collierville, Tenn. – Amateur Status: Sr. at Oklahoma
• 2016-17 stroke average: 71.08
• Best Finish: First, twice
• Amateur Wins: 3
• Two career wins: (2016 Gopher Invitational and 2017 Southern Highlands Collegiate)
• 26 career top-10 finishes
• Aided OU’s comeback versus Baylor at the 2017 NCAA Championships
• Tied a school record with a career-low 63 at the 2016 Big 12 Championships
• Posted career-low 54-hole score at the 2017 Carmel Cup (206, -10).
• 2017 Division I PING All-America honorable mention selection
Lee Hodges – Hometown: Ardmore, Tenn. – Amateur Status: Sr. at Alabama
• 2016-17 Scoring Average: 71.91
• Was a two-time all-conference performer at UAB, including being named the 2015 Conference USA Freshman of the Year
• Named to 2017 PING All-Region team
Ian Holt – Hometown: Stow, Ohio – Amateur Status: Sr. at Kent State
• 2016-17 stroke average: 71.33
• Best finish: Individual champion at the Gopher Invitational, 70-67-66–203 (-10).
• PING All-American after junior season in 2016-17
• A Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar
• Last season’s Mid-American Conference Golfer of the Year
• Began the season ranked third all-time at Kent State with a 71.54 scoring average.
• His seven eagles last season set a program record.
• His 2016 fall season included nine consecutive rounds shooting 70 or lower. The run included his first collegiate victory at the Cleveland State Invitational, where his 18-under-par 198 set a new program record for a 54-hole tournament, bettering the record set by Ben Curtis in the 1999-2000 season by two strokes.
Amateur Wins
• The 2015 Midwest Collegiate Amateur (68-70)
• Won the 2013 Hudson Junior Invitational (69-70)
Franklin Huang – Hometown: Poway, Calif. – Amateur Status: Sr. at Stanford
• 2016-17 stroke average: 71.41
• Best Finish: First at 2016 NCAA Regional Championships (May 16-18, Tucson, Ariz.)
• 2017 PING All-America honorable mention
• 2017 PING All-Region
• 2017 All-Pac-12 second team
• 2017 Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention
• First at 2016 U.S. Amateur Qualifier (67-65, 132)
• First at 2014 California Junior Amateur Championship
• First at 2014 CIF San Diego Section
• First at 2013 Southern California PGA Toyota Tour Cup Tour Championship
• First at 2012 AJGA Junior Championship
Hurly Long – Hometown: Mannheim, Germany – Amateur Status: Jr. at Texas Tech
• 2016-17 Scoring Average: 73.07
• Long’s first-round 67 was his low round of the season
• Placed first 2017 Carmel Cup, Sept. 2017, Pebble Beach – He broke the course record with a second-round 61
Patrick Martin – Hometown: Birmingham, Ala. – Amateur Status: Jr. at Vanderbilt
• Best Finish: First at the Schenkel Invitational (Forest Heights Country Club, Statesboro, Ga., March 17-19, 2017)
• Named first-team All-American in 2017
• Led Vanderbilt with 70.34 stroke average in 2016-17, the second-lowest in program history.
• Nicklaus Award Finalist.
• Named to All-SEC First Team.
• Finished runner-up at the SEC Championship after posting a 10-under par, 200, a Vanderbilt record at the event.
• Won the Schenkel Invitational in 2017 for his first collegiate individual title
Chip McDaniel – Hometown: Manchester, Ky. – Amateur Status: Sr. at Kentucky
• 2016-17 Scoring Average: 71.77
• Three total No. 1 finishes, most recent is Bearcat Invitational – Cincinnati, Ohio – Sept. 25-26, 2017
• Has started 37 events at UK and played more than 100 rounds.
• Has 23 top-20 finishes, 14 top-10 and three individual victories
• 2016 PING Third-Team All-American
• 2016 All-SEC second team member and 2015 All-SEC Freshman Team member
• Fifty-five percent of his collegiate rounds have been par-or-better
• Career low round is 65
Cole Miller – Hometown: New Tripoli, Penn. – Amateur Status: Sr. at Penn State
• 2016-17 Scoring Average: 71.50
• First place finish in the Seminole Intercollegiate (March 10-12, 2017) and the NCAA Washington Regional (May 15-17, 2017).
• The lone senior on the 2017-18 edition of the Nittany Lions, Cole Miller has led by example his entire career at Penn State. With a career scoring average of 72.37, Miller would be the program’s all-time scoring average leader if his career were to end today. Miller has represented himself and the University in the Pennsylvania Amateur, The U.S. Amateur and the British Amateur in the summer of 2017, winning the PA Amateur in 2016. His fall 2017 scoring average of 71.25 was the best of his career.
• 2016 Pennsylvania Amateur Champion (Runner-up in 2017)
Kyle Mueller – Hometown: Athens, Ga. – Amateur Status: Sr. at Michigan
• 2016-17 Scoring Average: 71.36
• Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) PING DI All-America honorable mention (2017)
• Golfweek All-America, honorable mention (2017)
• 3x All-Big Ten, first team (2016, ‘17), second team (2015)
• 3x PING Division I Midwest All-District Team (2015, ’16, ’17)
• All-Big Ten Tournament Team (2016)
• GCAA All-America Scholar (2017)
• GCAA Team Academic Honor (2015)
• Academic All-Big Ten (2016, ’17)
• 3x U-M Athletic Academic Achievement Award (2015, ’16, ’17)
• 3x U-M’s Bert Katzenmeyer Award for lowest scoring average (2015, ’16, ’17)
• 4x Big Ten Golfer of the Week (Sept. 9, 2014, Oct. 14, 2015, Sept. 28, 2016, March 1, 2017)
• Started 41 straight events for career, not missing a single event in four years
• In 41 career events, has 29 top-20 finishes with 19 top-10 and 11 top-five with three wins — 2014 Wolverine Intercollegiate (Sept. 6-7), 2016 Windon Memorial Classic (Sept. 25-26) and 2017 Aggie Invitational (April 1-2)
• Carries a 9-1 record in match play
Fredrik Nilehn – Hometown: Goteborg, Sweden – Amateur Status: Sr. at Texas Tech
• 2016-17 Scoring Average: 72.36
• First place finish at the 2016 Carmel Cup, Sept. 2016, Pebble Beach
• First place finish at the 2017 Amer Ari Invitational, Feb. 2017, Kona, Hawai’i
• Was named Big 12 Golfer of the Month for the month of September, 2016
• Posted five under-par rounds in the fall, including a pair of 67’s at Pebble Beach
Bryson Nimmer – Hometown: Bluffton, S.C. – Amateur Status: Jr. at Clemson
• 2016-17 Stroke Average: 70.94
• Two-time first-team All-ACC selection
• Has 26 under-par rounds in 60 total rounds in his two years
• Has 14 rounds in the 60s and over 200 birdies
• Won ACC Rookie of the Year honors in 2015-16
Mason Overstreet – Hometown: Kingfisher, Okla. – Amateur Status: So. at Arkansas
• 2016-17 Stroke Average: 73.0
• 2016-17 Best Finish: Runner-Up at NCAA National Championship
• Fall 2017 Stroke Average: 69.2
• 2017-18 Best Finish: 1st at Jerry Pate Intercollegiate
• Ended the fall 2017 season with the 19th best stroke average in the country at 69.2.
• Finished the fall 2017 semester with 10 of his 15 rounds under par, including a victory and runner-up finish.
• Shot a combined 5-under in three postseason events last year, finishing T-13th at the SEC Championship, sixth at NCAA Regionals and second at the NCAA National Championship.
• Earned 2017 PING All-America honorable mention honors from the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA).
• Became the first freshman in program history to finish even par or better at the SEC Championship.
• Finished T-14th at the Western Amateur Championship during the summer of 2017
Doc Redman – Hometown: Raleigh, N.C. – Amateur Status: So. at Clemson
• 2017 United States Amateur Champion
• Clemson’s first Walker Cup selection since Kyle Stanley in 2007
• Had second best stroke average in Clemson history in 2016-17 with 70.77
• Defeated Doug Ghim of the University of Texas and Arlington Heights, Ill in 37 holes to become Clemson’s second US Amateur Champion (Chris Patton, 1989)
• Third team All-American as a freshman according to Golfweek
• Honorable mention All-American by Golf Coaches Association
• First-team Freshman All-American…Academic All-ACC in addition to making All-ACC on the course
• First-team Freshman All-American according to Golf Coaches Association and Golfweek
Kristoffer Reitan – Hometown: Oslo, Norway – Amateur Status: Fr. at Texas
• 2016 stroke play medalist of the Boys Amateur Championship
• 2016 European Junior Ryder Cup team
• Selected as a member of the European Jacques Leglise Trophy team in 2015 and 2016
• 2015 Junior Orange Bowl champion
Scottie Scheffler – Hometown: Dallas, Texas – Amateur Status: Sr. at Texas
• 2017 U.S. Open Low Amateur
• 2017 Golfweek All-America First Team
• 2017 PING All-Region
• 2017 All-Big 12
• 2017 Ben Hogan Award Watch List
• 2016 World Amateur Team selection
• 2016 U.S. Open qualifier
• 2016 Academic All-Big 12 First Team
• 2015 Phil Mickelson Freshman of the Year
• 2015 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year
• 2015 PING All-America Second Team
• 2015 All-Freshmen Team
• 2015 All-Big 12 First Team
• SGA National Amateur of the Month (April)
• 2015 Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll
Davis Shore – Hometown: Knoxville, Tenn. – Amateur Status: Fr. at Alabama
• 2016-17 Stroke Average: 72.17
• Had his first career top-10 finish at the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate (JPNI), shooting a 54-hole score of 207 (69-67-71), which included a season-best round of 3-under 67
• Finished tied for 9th as Alabama claimed the JPNI championship
Alex Smalley – Hometown: Wake Forest, N.C. – Amateur Status: Jr. at Duke
• 2016-17 Stroke Average: 71.54
• 2016-17 Best Finish: T-2 Grand Canyon University Invitational
• 2016-17 All-ACC Team
• 2016-17 All-ACC Academic Team
• 2016-17 Division I Ping All-Region Team (East)
• Finished 2016-17 season with best stroke average on team
• Finished 2016-17 season with lowest round of 54 on team
• Won the individual medal at the 2016 U.S. Amateur at Oakland Hills Country Club
• In 2017, qualified for U.S. Open after tying for first at Hawks Ridge Golf Club
Kyler Tate – Hometown: Winter Garden, Fla. – Amateur Status: Jr. at Central Florida
• Scoring average was 73.2 last season
• Top finish last year was tie for fourth at FGCU Invitational
• Earned Honorable Mention All-America honors from Golf Coaches Association of America
• Ranked second on team with 13 rounds of par or better
• Led team at NCAA Championships with a 23rd-place finish
• Earned four Top 10 finishes
• Led team at The Hayt, where he finished tied for ninth
• Ranked third on team with a 73.2 scoring average
• Only Knight to play in all 13 events in 2016-17
Kristoffer Ventura – Hometown: Rygge, Norway – Amateur Status: Sr. at Oklahoma State
• Earned honorable mention All-America status from both the Golf Coaches Association of America as well as Golfweek after the 2016-17 season
• Was tabbed as a Ping All-Region pick in 2016-17
• Was named a first-team All-Big 12 selection for the 2016-17 season
• Was also named a first-team Academic All-Big 12
• Was named a third-team All-American by both Golfweek magazine and the Golf Coaches Association of America after the 2015-16 season
Dylan Wu – Hometown: Medford, Ore. – Amateur Status: Sr. at Northwestern
• 2016-17 stroke average: 70.53
• Best Finish: First place (2x), last time at Redhawk Invitational, Apr. 3-4, 2017, Chambers Bay Golf Course)
• PING Second-Team All-American in 2017
• Unanimous First Team All-Big Ten selection
• Team leader in scoring average (70.53), rounds of par or better (23), rounds in the 60s (12), top-five finishes (5), top-10 finishes (9), top-25 finishes (11), birdies (115), and low round (66) in 2016-17
• Scoring average was the third-lowest in program history, trailing only Luke Donald’s season-ending marks from 1998-99 and 1999-2000
• Les Bolstad Award winner for low scoring average in the Big Ten Conference, edging out Illinois’ Dylan Meyer by five-hundredths of a point
• 2017 Division I PING Midwest All-Region Team … 2017 Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar
Andy Zhang – Hometown: Reunion, Fla. – Amateur Status: So. at Florida
• 2016-17 Stroke Average: 72.33
• Best finish: (Trinity Forest Invitational, Sept. 24-26, 2017, Dallas, Texas)
• Named to All-SEC Freshman Team
• Recorded two top ten finishes in the Windon Memorial and SunTrust Gator Invitational
• Finished four tournaments at or below par in 2016-17
• Carded a career-low 209 54-holes at the Mason Rudolph
Amateur tournaments won:
• 2014 AJGA Thunderbird International Junior
• 2014 Florida Junior Tour at Banyan
• Won the 2013 Florida Junior Tour events at Old Corkscrew and Carrollwood
• 2012 IMG Junior Golf Tour at World Golf Village
• Won a pair of Florida Junior Tour events in 2011 at The Evergreen Club and Lake Wales