NAVAL BASE SAN DIEGO, Calif. –
Air Force Men dominated the tournament, as the Air Force Women’s team repeats as champions during the 2023 Armed Forces Golf Championship held at the Admiral Baker Golf Course on Sunday, September 24.
Army Capt. Melanie De Leon of Fort Cavasos, Texas took the lead in round two and held on to win her third overall Armed Forces Women’s Title since 2017.
De Leon finished the final day shooting even for par, with an overall score of 295 (seven over par) throughout four days of tournament play.
Air Force Lt Col. Linda Jeffery of Maxwell AFB, Alabama, was in the lead on day one of competition. With De Leon taking the lead on day 2, Jeffery finished with a score of 302 for silver.
Teammate Air Force 1st Lt. Kimberly Liu of Minot AFB, N.D. completed the podium for bronze shooting 303 overall. Liu and Jeffery’s combined scores with teammate Spec. 4 Cayla Clark of the U.S. Space Force, were good for team gold, their second in a row.
Army women captured silver with De Leon and teammates Spc. Hansol Koo of USAG Camp Humphreys, Korea and 1st Lt. Lauren Thielen of Fort Bliss, Texas.
Marine women place third, along with Coast Guard making their Armed Forces golf debut in fourth place, followed by host Navy in fifth.
On the Men’s side, Marine Corps Capt. Nicholas Brediger of Charlottesville, Virginia tied the course record on day one, shooting seven under par. Brediger held on to the lead to win his first Armed Forces Championship.
Air Force 1st Lt. Joseph Crisostomo of Vance AFB, Oklahoma shot ten under par good for silver, as teammate Tech Sgt. Kyle Wesolowski of Lackland AFB, Texas shot seven under par for bronze.
Air Force men dominated the play behind Crisostomo, Wesolowski and teammates for a 55 stroke lead over their next competitors to capture team gold.
In the final holes of competition, the race was tight for second place between Marine Corps, Army and Navy.
The Marines held onto a two-stroke lead heading into the final day over Navy. Brediger and team were able to squeak by some early troubles with solid performance on the back nine to take silver.
Army’s disciplined play moved them ahead into third, as Navy fell to fourth in the final round. Coast Guard men finished fifth overall.
The highlight of round four came when Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Albert Montalbo knocked in a hole-in-one on the 7th hole. A normally quiet gold course was filled with cheers heard all the way to the 15th hole in celebration of the ace.
2023 marks the 75th anniversary of Armed Forces Golf, with the first held in August of 1948. This year marks the first time Coast Guard competed as a standalone team with a men’s and women’s team. Coast Guard combined with the Navy in prior contests.
NEXT LEVEL
At the conclusion of the Armed Forces Championship, the top six men and top three women were named to the U.S. Armed Forces Golf Team, which will compete at the Conseil International du Sport Militaire (CISM) World Military Golf Championship, also held at the Admiral Baker Golf Course at Naval Base San Diego, California from 1 to 8 October.
Teams from 17 nations, including the U.S. will compete in the 14th edition of the CISM Golf Championship. The U.S. has previously hosted the first and seventh championships at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida. This will be the first time that CISM Golf will come to the west coast of California.
The U.S. team members include:
Men:
Capt Nicholas Brediger, OSS Charlottesville, VA - USMC
1st Lt Joesph Crisostomo, Vance AFB, OK - USAF
TSgt Kyle Wesolowski, Lackland AFB, TX - USAF
CW4 Brian King, Fort Novosel, AL - Army
LT Jacob Meloche, NB San Diego, CA - Navy
SSgt David Banks, MCAS New River, NC - USMC
Women:*
CPT Melanie De Leon, Fort Cavazos, TX - Army
1st Lt Kimberly Liu, Minot AFB, ND - USAF
Capt Margaret Gross, MCB Camp Lejuene, NC - USMC
Team Captain – Mr. Gerry Dremel, Naval Base San Diego, Calif.
Chief of Mission – RADM Jackie McClelland, Washington, D.C.
CISM Golf Sports Committee Member: Lt Col Linda Jeffery, Maxwell AFB, AL
Follow the CISM Championship at www.armedforcessports.com
COMPLETE INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
WOMEN RESULTS
1st place: CPT Melanie De Leon, Fort Cavazos, TX - Army (295) +7
2nd place: Lt Col Linda Jeffery, Maxwell AFB, AL - USAF (302) +14
3rd place: 1st Lt Kimberly Liu, Minot AFB, ND - USAF (303) +15
4th place: Capt Margaret Gross, MCB Camp Lejuene, NC - USMC (312) +24
5th place: 1LT Lauren Thielen, Fort Bliss, TX - Army (316) +28
6th place: SPC Hansol Koo, USAG Camp Humphreys, AP - Army (317) +29
7th place: Spc4 Cayla Clark*, Schriever SFB, CO - USAF (326) +38
8th place: CPO Laura Pirruccello, Academy, New London, CT - USCG (326) +38
9th place: Capt Meghan Reinwald, MCAS Miramar, CA - USMC (367) +79
10th place: MCPO Brandi Anger, Pentagon, VA - Navy (382) +94
11th place: CAPT Karen Griffith, DSCA Southwest/NEPLO, UT - Navy (397) +109
12th place: PO1 Bethany Teichert, Air Station Kodiak, AK - USCG (399) +111
13th place: PO1 Danielle Deaver, Training Center Yorktown, VA - USCG (441) +153
14th place: CPO Amie McCollum, Joint Base Charleston, SC - Navy (461) +173
MEN RESULTS
1st place: Capt Nicholas Brediger, OSS Charlottesville, VA - USMC (277) -11
2nd place: 1st Lt Joesph Crisostomo, Vance AFB, OK - USAF (278) -10
3rd place: TSgt Kyle Wesolowski, Lackland AFB, TX - USAF (281) -7
4th place: CW4 Brian King, Fort Novosel, AL - Army (285) -3
5th place: LT Jacob Meloche, NB San Diego, CA - Navy (285) -3
6th place: SSgt David Banks, MCAS New River, NC - USMC (288) 0
7th place: Capt Todd Berglund, Vance AFB, OK - USAF (292) +4
8th place: SSG Austin Teal, USAG Hawaii, HI - Army (297) +9
9th place: Capt Michael Fan*, LA Air Station, CA - USAF (298) +10
10th place: Capt Turner Howe, Vance AFB, OK - USAF (298) +10
11th place: PO1 Albert Montalbo, NAS Jacksonville - Navy (301) +13
12th place: TSgt Lincoln Jackson, NRO, VA - USAF (302) +14
13th place: PO2 Zachary Rudy, Sector Anchorage, AK - USCG (303) +15
14th place: CDR Robert Stochel, NAS Corpus Christie, TX - Navy (303) +15
15th place: PO1 Kenneth Leonard, NB Point Loma, CA - Navy (303) +15
16th place: CW4 Jesse Rhymes, USAG Hawaii, HI - Army (304) +16
17th place: SGT Robert Oxley, USAG Hawaii, HI - Army (308) +20
18th place: MAJ Joseph Cave, Army Reserves - Army (308) +20
19th place: SSgt Adam Kish, Makalapa, HI - USMC (309) +21
20th place: SCPO Daniel Manferdini, NB San Diego, CA - Navy (310) +22
21st place: SGT Thomas Fitzgerald, USAG Hawaii, HI - Army (311) +23
22nd place: 1stLt Brendan Roberts, MCB Camp Pendleton, CA - USMC (312) +24
23rd place: PO2 Nicholas Marshall, Sector Columbia River, OR - USCG (316) +28
24th place: LCDR Ronald (Todd) Stephens, Air Station Borinquen, PR - USCG (317) +29
25th place: CWO1 Kioel Massong, NAS Patuxent River, MD - Navy (317) +29
26th place: MSgt Benjamin Deitz, MCAS New River, NC - USMC (317) +29
27th place: LtCol Gregory Scott, MCB Camp Lejeune, NC - USMC (318) +30
28th place: PO2 Michael Schlemeyer, Station Umpqua River, OR - USCG (348) +60
29th place: CWO4 Brian Robson, USCG Base Alameda, CA - USCG (350) +62
30th place: LTJG Joshua Baer, Chesapeake, VA - USCG (370) +82