When Tony Finau, Harold Varner III and Joseph Bramlett were coming up through the ranks, they each teed it up in tournaments that were part of the Advocates Pro Golf Association (APGA).
Designed to bring greater diversity to the game by developing African-Americans and other minorities for careers in golf, the APGA is set to kick off its 11th season having grown from three events in its debut to a full-fledged eight-event series.
On Jan. 21, the PGA Tour and the APGA announced significant enhancements to the existing strategic partnership between the two organizations, including 2020 tournaments hosted by TPC properties and funded by the PGA Tour, access and instruction at the PGA Tour Performance Center at TPC Sawgrass and additional financial assistance.
With the support of the PGA Tour, the APGA Tour has elevated the quality of courses on its schedule in recent years, hosting tournaments at TPC Craig Ranch (2018), TPC Scottsdale (2019) and Innisbrook (2019). The enhanced venues provide a platform for minority golfers to succeed in the professional ranks.
That partnership continues in 2020 as the APGA Tour will play three events held at TPC courses: TPC Scottsdale (April 27-28), TPC Louisiana (May 11-12) and TPC Sugarloaf (June 15-16). Competition rounds for those three tournaments will be financially covered by the PGA Tour. In addition, the Torrey Pines North Course will host a one-day tournament on Saturday, January 25, during the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open.
Another benefit added to the partnership is the ability for APGA Tour players to receive instruction at the state-of-the-art PGA Tour Performance Center at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Several benefits will continue in 2020, including access to the First Stage of Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament for the season-long APGA champion. In addition, each tournament winner is granted a scholarship for Open Qualifiers on the Korn Ferry Tour, while the winner of the Senior Pro Classic receives one for Open Qualifiers on PGA Tour Champions.
The Advocates is a grassroots effort that began as a group of 20-30 friends that gathered a couple times a year and bonded over golf outings. In 2006, they formalized the group as Advocates USA, a 501(c)(3) organization comprised of African-American men from across the country.
The APGA Tour, which has been supported financially by the PGA Tour since 2012, began in 2010 with three professional tournaments, 80 participants and $40,000 in prize money. In 2019, it hosted seven events with 103 participants (25 amateurs) and $250,000 in prize money, as well as an APGA Senior Pro Classic.