Valley Toyota Dealers Association to sponsor 2017 Patriot All-American Invitational

The Valley Toyota Dealers Association, a collection of ten Toyota dealerships across the Phoenix area, will be the title sponsor the 2017 Patriot All-America Invitational. The Patriot All-America Invitational presented by the Valley Toyota Dealers will be played at The Wigwam Golf Club in Litchfield Park, Arizona, December 29-31 and is regarded as a top amateur event internationally, attracting PING All-America golfers from all three NCAA Divisions, NAIA and NJCAA rankings as well as from universities outside the United States.  

As part of their title sponsorship of the event, the Valley Toyota Dealers Association will receive more than 1,000 passes to the tournament, playing spots in the AM-AM tournament played on Thursday, December 28th as well as multiple vehicle displays throughout the tournament grounds. 

Now in its 7th year, the Patriot All-America Invitational is a collaboration between the Arizona Golf Association, JDM Partners and the Golf Coaches Association of America in partnership with the Folds of Honor Foundation. Current PGA TOUR stars who have played in The Patriot All-America Invitational during their college careers, include: 2017 US Open champion Brooks Koepka (2011), 2017 PGA Championship winner and FedEx Cup champion Justin Thomas (2011), Patrick Rodgers (2011), Daniel Berger (2012) and Bryson DeChambeau (2013). 2016 Patriot All-America champion Cameron Champ recently turned professional and is now playing on the PGA TOUR.

2017 was quite a year for Patriot All-America alumni with two major championship titles (Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas); nine PGA TOUR victories; an NCAA individual golf championship for Braden Thornberry; three Presidents Cup appearances (Koepka, Thomas and Daniel Berger), three Walker Cup team members (Thornberry, Cameron Champ, and Doc Redman); a FedExCup champion (Thomas); and the reigning PGA TOUR Player of the Year (Thomas).

“We are excited to welcome the Valley Toyota Dealers as the title sponsor of the Patriot All-America,” said Karen Conway, executive director, Patriot All-America Invitational. “Through incredible community support from the Valley Toyota Dealers, Lockheed Martin, Pyramid Resort Group, the West Valley Mavericks, The Thunderbirds, and countless others, we continue to grow and improve this event. We can’t thank our sponsors enough for their support.”

Patriot All-America Invitational participants play for more than themselves or their school. Each golfer honors a fallen or severely injured soldier by carrying a golf bag bearing the name of that soldier. Before the tournament, participants receive a card with the soldier’s story, so they can be familiar with who that person was, what they represented and how they were killed or wounded in action. At the conclusion of the tournament, the golf bags are shipped to players’ schools and auctioned with all proceeds benefitting the Folds of Honor Foundation, which provides post-secondary educational scholarships for children and spouses of military service men and women killed or disabled while in active service.

“The Valley Toyota Dealers Association is proud to sponsor this awesome event,” said John O’Malley, President of the Valley Toyota Dealers Association. “The Patriot is more than a collegiate golf tournament, it’s a patriotic and emblematic event that does an amazing job of honoring our military and reminding us all of their courage and sacrifice for our country.”

The 2017 Patriot All-America Invitational presented by the Valley Toyota Dealers 54-hole, stroke play competition will be played December 29, 30 and 31 with a champion crowned at approximately 4 PM on New Year’s Eve. The winner of the tournament receives a sponsor exemption into the Web.com Tour’s Air Capital Classic played June 21 - 24 at Crestview Country Club in Wichita, Kansas. For more information on The Valley Toyota Dealers Patriot All-America Invitational, visit www.patriotallamerica.com