Phoenix-area golf tournament to honor fallen American soldiers

PHOENIX — A golf tournament set for later this month in the Phoenix area will see each player honor a fallen American soldier that hailed from either the golfer’s hometown or where they go to school.

The fifth annual Patriot All-America Golf Invitational, scheduled for Dec. 27-31 at the Wigwam Golf Club in Litchfield Park, will feature 84 elite collegiate-level golfers.

“It’s the only bowl-like experience for golfers that allows players from all divisions to compete against one another,” Ed Gowan, executive director of the Arizona Golf Association, said in a release.

Each golfer will carry a patriotic golf bag bearing the name, rank and service record of a fallen soldier. International players will carry white bags with a similar remembrance. The bags will be auctioned off for charity at the end of the tournament.

Two Phoenix natives — Ben Harden and John Souza — are playing in the tournament. Harden will honor Army Pfc. Tenzin L. Samten, a Prescott man who was killed during Operation Iraqi Freedom, while Souza will play in memory of Lt. Col. Robert J. Zangas, who was also killed in Iraq.

All proceeds from the tournament will be donated to the Folds of Honor Foundation, a nonprofit that provides post-secondary scholarships and assistance to the families of soldiers who were killed in battle.

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