LITCHFIELD PARK, Az. – It was a Happy New Year indeed for Lady Topper junior
Catie Craig. Craig had the honor of being invited to compete in the Patriot All-America Invitational over Winter break. Craig had a tremendous showing on a big stage, tying for fourth on the leaderboard.
Established in 2011, the Patriot All-America Invitational was created for the families of the fallen or severely injured soldiers from across the country. Each golfer that is in the field honored a solider by having their golf bags with the name of the soldier on it. As the tournament concludes, the bag is shipped to the respective golfer's school where it will be auctioned off with the proceeds going to the Folds of Honor charity.
Competing in a field that was filled with Power Five competitors, Catie spent all three days of the tournament in the top five, even taking the lead at the start of the final round.
The junior finished tied for fifth after the day after shooting a 2- under 68 on the day. Craig was extremely consistent wire to wire in the first round, going par in nine of her 18 holes in round one. Craig also earned five birdies, including back-to-back birdies on her 13th and 14th holes.
The Lady Topper improved her score even more on day two of the event, finishing with a 6-under 64 in the second round. Her 64 second round was good for the second-best round played throughout the entire tournament. This came after Craig birdied holes 13-15 which put her one stroke shy of the lead to close out the round and heading into day three.
For Catie, it was more of the same heading into the final round. Craig never relinquished her position in the top five on the leaderboard. The Lady Topper junior shot a 3-over 73 in the final round which secured her position on the leaderboard.
After being invited for the tournament, Catie earned a commemorative coin along with other tournament gifts. For her outstanding performance, finishing in the top five, Catie received a replica F-35 plane.
Catie spoke on her experience with the tournament in Arizona, "My experience at the Patriot All-America has been beyond incredible. This week separated this tournament from other because it was about representing our military and specifically LCpl. Samuel Large Jr. It was an honor to play for something bigger than golf. I will surely take this experience into the upcoming Spring season with a new perspective of golf in that it's not always about the scores you shoot, but who you're playing for."
Lady Topper golf Head Coach
Adam Gary also spoke on what this experience for Catie meant as a coach, "I'm so happy Catie was able to play in this tournament. It's a great cause playing for fallen soldiers' families and local charities. Not to mention the competition against some of the best players in the country. I'm so proud of the way she represents WKU."
She returns to WKU for the start of the Spring semester where she will help lead the Lady Tops through their Spring season. The Lady Toppers tee off February 23rd as they compete in the Reynolds Lake Oconee Invitational, hosted by Mercer.
