APGA – Syndication Server

Ryan Ellerbrock wins 2023 APGA Farmers Insurance Fall Series Finale

A San Diego native, Ellerbrock claimed the title about 90 minutes north of his hometown.

The 2023 Advocates Professional Golf Association season has come to an end and it’s Ryan Ellerbrock who hoisted the trophy at the APGA Farmers Insurance Fall Series Finale at Tustin Ranch Golf Club in California.

A San Diego native, Ellerbrock fired a 5-under 67 about 90 minutes north of his hometown in the final of the three fall series events.

Meanwhile, Chase Johnson claimed the APGA Farmers Insurance Fall Series Bonus of $10,000. He won the first two fall events. Johnson won three times in all on the APGA this season. He also made the cut on the PGA Tour’s World Wide Technology Championship last week and is competing at the Tour’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship this week. He’s also earned a spot in the 2024 Farmers Insurance Open.

For Ellerbrock, this win was a bounce-back from a tough loss to Johnson recently in Texas.

“After losing in a playoff to Chase Johnson last month at the APGA Farmers Insurance Austin, it’s really satisfying to come back and win in my next start,” he said. Ellerbrock was one of just five players who finished under par. He won by three shots, proving to be the only golfer to break 70.

Ellerbrock’s uncle, Bryan Gorman, played on the PGA Tour from 1991-1993.

The APGA Tour was established in 2010 as a non-profit organization with the mission to bring greater diversity to the game of golf.

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Kamaiu Johnson breaks APGA scoring record, ties TPC Scottsdale Champions course record en route to victory

Johnson registered two eagles and four birdies on the back nine, notching his seventh APGA Tour win.

If the name Kamaiu Johnson rings a bell, it may be because of a rule mishap at the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational when he was DQ’d for signing an incorrect scorecard. The situation made waves and was widely talked about.

However, what Johnson did Tuesday at TPC Scottsdale will also have people talking, as he set a new APGA Tour record for the lowest round in the tour’s history and tied the course record at the Champions Course.

Johnson fired a final-round 10-under 61 to win the APGA at TPC Scottsdale event. He broke loose from a four-way tie after the first round and finished with a four-stroke victory. Johnson registered two eagles and four birdies on the back nine, notching his seventh APGA Tour win.

“I was just trying to stay in the moment down the stretch. Wasn’t sure where I was, but I was comfortable because the other leaders were in my group,” Johnson said. “Last week, I was 13 over after two days on the Latinoamerica tour, and today 16 under. I’ve never experienced anything like that. It just shows you what kind of a funny game it is that we play.”

He also takes home the first-place prize of $7,500 from the $25,000 purse.

By Wednesday morning, Johnson was teeing it up across the country in Gainesville, Florida, at a U.S. Open local qualifier at Mark Bostic Golf Course.

Next up on the APGA Tour is APGA at TPC Deere Run May 28-30 in Silvis, Illinois, with APGA at Valhalla to follow July 23-25 in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Deaf golfer Kevin Hall erases eight-shot deficit to win APGA Tour event at PGA Golf Club

Hall started the day eight strokes back and proceeded to go 4 under after five holes.

With birdies on his final two holes, longtime APGA Tour standout Kevin Hall captured the APGA at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida, on Tuesday.

Hall shot 8-under 64 in the final round to card a two-shot victory, his second win of the season. It’s his sixth APGA Tour victory and second time he has won twice in a season. The first time was in 2016, when he was named Player of the Year.

The 40-year-old from Cincinnati overcame complete hearing loss resulting from a childhood case of H-flu meningitis. He went on to become the first Black golfer to play on Ohio State’s golf team, even winning medalist honors at the 2004 Big Ten Championship.

Hall started the day eight strokes back and proceeded to go 4 under after five holes, highlighted by a 10-foot eagle putt on the 495-yard par-5 fifth.

“My mindset is always the same, but I’m more consistent now. My putter has awakened,” said Hall through his mother, Jackie Hall, following the round. “I knew I had to go get it, make as many birdies as I could. After the hot start, I told myself, ‘No stupid mistakes.'”

A four-way tie for second included Chase Johnson, Varun Chopra, Salvador Rocha Gomez and Andrew Fernandes, all finishing at 4 under.

The victory vaulted Hall to first place in the Lexus Cup Point Standings with 1,498 points after four regular-season events. He moved ahead of APGA star Marcus Byrd, who has a sponsor exemption at the PGA Tour’s Wells Fargo Championship starting Thursday in Charlotte, North Carolina.

His 74-64—138 earned him the winner’s check of $7,500 from the purse of $25,000.

APGA at TPC Scottsdale May 7-9 in Arizona is the sixth event of the 2023 season with APGA at TPC Deere Run to follow May 28-30 in Silvis, Illinois.

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Pair of APGA Tour stars accept sponsor exemptions for PGA Tour’s 2023 Wells Fargo Championship

The 156-player field for the PGA Tour’s next designated event will be finalized on Friday.

The 156-player field for the PGA Tour’s next designated event, the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship, won’t be finalized until Friday evening, but the tournament announced two special names on Wednesday.

The APGA Tour’s Marcus Byrd and Quinn Riley have both accepted sponsor exemptions for next week’s event, May 4-7, at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Byrd will make his fourth start on Tour, and third of the season after teeing it up in consecutive events at the Genesis Invitational (playing on the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption) and the Honda Classic (after winning the APGA Farmers Insurance Invitational at Torrey Pines).

“I’m truly honored to play in the Wells Fargo Championship this year and thank everyone involved for the opportunity,” said Byrd, a 25-year-old graduate of Middle Tennessee State and three-time winner on the APGA Tour. “Being from D.C. and seeing the event last year inspired me, and I’m so thankful to play this year in Charlotte. From First Tee to support of the APGA Tour, I appreciate Wells Fargo’s commitment to championing young golfers.”

Riley finished first atop the APGA Tour rankings in 2021-22 and earned an exemption into last year’s John Deere Classic. The Duke University grad will make his third start on Tour at the Wells Fargo.

“This is a dream come true for me, and I’m extremely appreciative of Wells Fargo giving me the opportunity to play a PGA Tour event in my home state of North Carolina,” said Riley, a native of Raleigh. “I know Wells Fargo has supported where I got my start in golf at First Tee and now it has come full circle to being here at the Wells Fargo Championship.”

Players who have already been announced for the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship include Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Max Homa, Matt Fitzpatrick, Viktor Hovland, Sam Burns, Justin Thomas and Cameron Young.

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Wyatt Worthington II earns first APGA Tour win at TPC Las Vegas

Worthington earned $7,500 for the win.

Wyatt Worthington II earned his first APGA Tour victory Tuesday, holding off Marcus Byrd to win the APGA Las Vegas event at TPC Las Vegas.

Worthington, a PGA of America teaching professional who has competed in two PGA Championships, including last year at Southern Hills, shot 7-under 135 over 36 holes to beat Byrd by two shots. Worthington shot 7-under 64 in the first round, and an even-par 71 on Tuesday was enough to earn a two-shot victory.

Byrd carded rounds of 68-69 en route to his runner-up finish. Salvador Rocha Gomez was the only other golfer to finish under par. He carded a 1-under 141.

“It feels great and it’s also a relief,” Worthington said of his first APGA win. “It’s a notch on the belt against extremely tough APGA Tour competition. Now, I have to keep getting better and better.”

Worthington, from Reynoldsburg, Ohio, earned $7,500 for the win.

Wyatt Worthington II won his first APGA Tour event in Las Vegas on April 11. (Photo: APGA Tour)

Kamaiu Johnson, who was DQ’d from the Arnold Palmer Invitational, tied for fourth at even par.

Next up for Worthington is the PGA Professional Championship April 30-May 3 in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico. The top 20 finishers of more than 300 players qualify for the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club from May 18-21.

The APGA Tour is back in action on April 30-May 2 with APGA Tour at PGA Golf Club in Port Saint Lucie, Florida.

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Marcus Byrd earns two PGA Tour starts in matter of a week with exemption, APGA win

I’m going to be around the best players in the world so I want to learn as much as I can, pick their brains,” said Byrd.

Get familiar with the name Marcus Byrd, golf fans. You’ll see a lot of him over the next month.

Last week Byrd was announced as the 2023 Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption for the PGA Tour’s upcoming Genesis Invitational, Feb. 16-19 at Riviera Country Club, and he celebrated by winning the APGA Farmers Insurance Invitational on Sunday at Torrey Pines.

Byrd was the first-round leader after he opened with a 1-over 73 and then cruised to a five-shot win after a 3-over 75 in the final round. A former star for Middle Tennessee State and 2019 Conference USA Golfer of the Year, Byrd finished atop the standings for the APGA’s Farmers Insurance Fall Series back in November and now has three APGA Tour wins.

“The conditions today were extremely difficult, but that’s really what we want as players,” said Byrd. “We want to be tested and measure ourselves against the best. To be able to birdie the final two holes and win this event is extremely gratifying and a great way to start my season.”

Byrd’s victory on Sunday came with a $30,000 prize as well as an exemption to the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic, which will be held Feb. 23-26 at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The Genesis Invitational and Honda Classic will be Byrd’s second and third career starts on the PGA Tour, respectively, after he debuted at the 2022 Corales Puntacana Championship.

“A goal of mine is just to be a sponge. I’m going to be around the best players in the world so I want to learn as much as I can, pick their brains, see how I can keep improving, make the most of these opportunities,” Byrd said. “I feel like I have the game to be there. Most importantly, I just have to learn. A lot of those guys, they’ve been out there for years. I’m going to take advantage of these two opportunities and learn as much as I can. And hopefully, the game is in a good spot to where I can play well and perform well those weeks.”

The APGA Tour was established in 2010 as a non-profit organization with the mission to bring greater diversity to the game of golf. The Tour expects to hold 18 tournaments in 2023 with close to $1 million in prize money.

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Willie Mack III wins Butterfield Bermuda APGA Championship in three-way playoff

Next up for Mack is the second stage of Korn Ferry Tour Q-School.

Willie Mack III won the inaugural Butterfield Bermuda APGA Championship on Wednesday after outlasting Joseph Hooks and Marcus Byrd in a three-way playoff.

In the first international competition for the Advocates Professional Golf Association Tour, Mack needed just a tap-in par on the first playoff to clinch the title at Port Royal Golf Course.

Hooks led after 18 holes and after 36, the three were tied at 4-under (138). Replaying the 18th hole, Mack made his par while Byrd and Hooks couldn’t match. Mack takes the $15,000 first-place prize from the purse of $60,000, which was the fourth-largest in the history of the APGA Tour.

“I tried not to make mistakes today,” said Mack. “My putting was there today when I needed it. Hopefully, I can bring what I accomplished this week into next week. It was good to play a PGA Tour-level course these last two days.”

Next up for Mack is the second stage of Korn Ferry Tour Q-School at Plantation Preserve Golf Club in Plantation, Florida.

The APGA Tour’s first-ever Farmers Insurance Fall Series continues at the APGA Tour Charlie Sifford Centennial at Kingswood Forest Golf Club, in Houston, Oct 25-26.

The PGA Tour’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship will also be played at Port Royal, Oct. 27-30.

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APGA Tour makes history with first international event at 2022 Butterfield Bermuda APGA Championship

The field will compete for $60,000 in prize money, the fourth-largest purse on tour.

When the APGA Tour began in 2010, it offered just three tournaments with 80 competitors playing for $40,000 in prize money.

Over the last 12 years, the tour has taken significant steps forward in its mission to help prepare minority players compete at the highest levels of professional golf, and this week marks another historic moment as the APGA Tour hosts its first international event.

The 2022 Butterfield Bermuda APGA Championship begins Tuesday, Oct. 11 and ends Wednesday, Oct. 12, at Port Royal Golf Course, also the host of the PGA Tour’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship (Oct. 27–30). Kevin Hall, Kamaiu Johnson, Willie Mack, Marcus Byrd, Tim O’Neal and 17 of the APGA Tour’s top players as well as four local Bermudian qualifiers – Cory DeSilva, Oliver Betschart, Camiko Smith and Damian Palanyandi – will compete for $60,000 in prize money, the fourth-largest purse on tour.

The event in Bermuda is the 16^th of the 2022 season on the APGA Tour, which has expanded to 18 events with $900,000 in prize money. The season concludes with the final two events of the Farmers Insurance Fall Series at the APGA Tour Charlie Sifford Centennial in Houston (Oct. 25-26) and the APGA Tour Farmers Insurance Fall Series Finale at Tustin Ranch in Los Angeles (Nov. 8-10).

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APGA Tour’s Tim O’Neal earns special exemption to PGA Tour Champions event in St. Louis

“The Ascension Charity Classic PGA Tour Champions event is a new highlight for me,” said O’Neal.

Tim O’Neal is set to make a little history in Missouri.

After turning 50 earlier this month, O’Neal has received the first-ever exemption for an APGA Tour player into a PGA Tour Champions event at the Ascension Charity Classic presented by Emerson, September 9-11 at Norwood Hills Country Club in St. Louis.

Along with O’Neal, the field includes the likes of defending champion David Toms, Bernhard Langer, Justin Leonard, Jim Furyk, Vijay Singh, Jerry Kelly, and John Daly.

“The Ascension Charity Classic PGA Tour Champions event is a new highlight for me and I am super appreciative of the opportunity,” said O’Neal. “I love the challenge of teeing it up against some of the biggest names and best players in golf and I’m excited to play a role in raising money for the St. Louis-area charities involved.”

“We’re thrilled to have Tim join this elite field,” added Nick Ragone, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Ascension. “By bringing the PGA Tour Champions and APGA Tour in closer alignment, we hope that other PGA Tour properties will do likewise as we help make the game more diverse and inclusive.”

O’Neal has played a handful of PGA Tour events and has made numerous Korn Ferry Tour starts in his professional career, but his biggest achievements have come on the APGA Tour, which aims to bring greater diversity to the game of golf by providing opportunities to minorities and underrepresented players.

The Savannah, Georgia, native has won nine times on the APGA Tour, played in the tour’s first event in 2010, and is the only Black player to have won both the Georgia Amateur and Georgia State Open. O’Neal received the Charles Sifford Memorial Exemption at the PGA Tour’s Genesis Open in 2019 and earned an exemption into the 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic after he won the John Shippen National Invitational.

Ascension and the APGA Tour announced back in February a three-year agreement to host the APGA Tour St. Louis – Ascension Classic presented by Daugherty Business Solutions, which will debut September 8-9 at Glen Echo Country Club in North St. Louis County. The event will be the first tournament on the APGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Fall Series.

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Kamaiu Johnson wins 2022 APGA Tour Championship at TPC San Antonio

Along with the $50,000 prize, Kamaiu Johnson earned some other perks as well.

Kamaiu Johnson as won the APGA Tour Championship for the second time in three years. Along with the $50,000 first-place check, Johnson as earned some other perks as well.

His final-round 67 on Tuesday at TPC San Antonio was punctuated by a birdie on the final hole and the prize money is the biggest to date on the APGA Tour, whose core mission is to bring greater diversity to golf.

Marcus Byrd and Daniel Augustus faced birdie putts on 18 that would have forced a playoff but neither was able to convert.

For Johnson, he is now exempt into early-stage events of the PGA Tour Latinoamerica series and he has earned full scholarship into Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying School in September.

“Things have been trending in the right direction and I’m happy that it came together today at the Tour Championship,” Johnson said after his round Tuesday. “My goal was to win twice on the tour this year and take the Lexus Cup. I’ve been working hard with my team and I got it done.”

Willie Mack III, who won $27,500 for claiming the title a year ago, finished fourth this time. Tim O’Neal and Joseph Hooks tied for fifth.

The APGA Tour has grown to 18 events in 2022 with more $800,000 in prize money up for grabs. The Tour Championship was the 12th tournament this year. Next up is the APGA Tour Cisco Invitational at Baltusrol Country Club in Springfield, New Jersey.

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