Tag: APGA

Beyond the course: How the APGA — and CEO Kenneth Bentley — are bringing diversity to golf

Golfweek spoke with APGA CEO Kenneth Bentley about growing diversity in the sport of golf.

Golfweek and USA TODAY Sports spoke with APGA CEO Kenneth Bentley about growing diversity and creating change in the sport of golf.
Bentley’s story is an incredible one. A former aspiring tennis player, Bentley struck up a friendship with the legendary Arthur Ashe, who offered not only help with his game, but advice that would later shape the person Bentley would become.
As the CEO of the Advocates Professional Golf Association Tour, Bentley is passing along similar advice to his players — practice hard, focus on your dreams, but be prepared with a backup plan.
Under Bentley’s watchful eye, the APGA Tour — which offers opportunities to minority players — has increased in visibility, length of schedule and prize money.
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Kamaiu Johnson wins his first APGA Tour event of the season at TPC Las Vegas

Kamaiu Johnson, who has competed in two PGA Tour events this season, wins his first APGA Tour event of the 2021 season.

Kamaiu Johnson won his first Advocates Pro Golf Association Tour of the season on Tuesday in Las Vegas.

Johnson shot 68-70 in the 36-hole tournament to finish at 4 under at TPC Las Vegas to edge Nyasha Mauchaza by a shot. Johnson’s final birdie on Tuesday came on the 14th hole and he parred out from there, but it was enough to claim the title and the $7,500 first-place check.

Tommy Schaff was third at at 2 under. Rovonta Young, who won the previous APGA event at the World Golf Village King & Bear Course in St. Augustine, Florida, finished tied with Marcus Manley for fourth at 1 under. Willie Mack III, Landon Lyons and Marcus Byrd tied for sixth at even par.

APGA Tour TPC Las Vegas: Leaderboard

Johnson has competed in two PGA Tour events this season—the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Honda Classic—on sponsor exemptions. He won the APGA Tour Championship last season.

Upcoming APGA tournaments

April 18-20 – APGA Tour Scottsdale, TPC Scottsdale

May 23-25 – APGA Tour Louisville, Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, Kentucky

May 31-June 2 – APGA Tour New Orleans, TPC Louisiana, New Orleans

July 18-20 – APGA Tour Deere Run, TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Illinois

Aug. 8-10 – APGA Tour Championship, TPC Sugarloaf, Duluth, Georgia

Kamaiu Johnson wins 2020 APGA Tour Championship; Tim O’Neal captures points title

Kamaiu Johnson won the 2020 APGA Tour Championship while runner Tim O’Neal captured the season-long points title.

Kamaiu Johnson birdied the 18th hole on Wednesday to capture the 2020 APGA Tour Championship in City of Industry, California, holding off former PGA Tour player Brad Adamonis and Tim O’Neal in the circuit’s regular-season finale.

Johnson shot a 68 for the second straight day in the 36-hole event. He won by two shots after draining a five-foot birdie putt to ice the victory. It was Johnson’s second win of the season.

O’Neal also won twice but accumulated more points to clinch the season-long Lexus Cup Point Standings title. O’Neal won $17,500 of the $35,000 bonus-pool purse. Johnson is taking home $16,000, $10,000 for winning the tournament and $6,000 for finishing second in the Lexus Cup points.

More: PGA Tour pro takes action to support minority mini-tour

“I went back to basics,” said Johnson after his win. “I worked with my coach (John Montgomery of Orlando) and came away with so much confidence. This win is bigger than me. This has been a growth year for the APGA Tour and for me with my Farmers Insurance sponsorship. The APGA Tour has done a great job with the schedule since the restart to give us this opportunity.”

Willie Mack finished fourth. Landon Lyons, who won the previous two APGA events, was fifth.

The APGA Tour Presented by Lexus is a nonprofit organization with the mission of bringing greater diversity to the game of golf. Now in its 11th year, the tour consists of 10 events offering over $250,000 in prize money.

Landon Lyons wins another APGA Tour playoff; Amari Avery makes tour debut

Landon Lyons won another Advocate Pro Golf Tour event in a playoff. Meanwhile, 16-year-old Amari Avery shot a 75 in her debut vs. the men.

For the second straight tournament, Landon Lyons won an Advocates Pro Golf Tour event in a playoff.

This time, his three-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole allowed him to escape a battle with Joe Hooks in the APGA Tour Los Angeles at Montebello Golf Course on Sunday.

Two weeks ago at TPC Deere Run, Lyons also won on the first playoff hole. He now has three APGA titles.

Lyons and Hooks both shot 66s in the one-day, 18-hole event. Tommy Schaff of Ridgeland, South Carolina, Jarred Garcia of Jacksonville, Florida, and Mark Victorian of League City, Texas all shot 67s.

The APGA Tour stop in Los Angeles also marked the first time that 16-year-old Amari Avery competed against the men.

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Avery is an African American teenager from Riverside, California. She shot a 75 to finish third among the eight amateurs. She’s off to Stanford this week for the AJGA Girls Invitational.

Next up is the APGA Tour Championship Presented by Lexus, Sept. 1-2 at Pacific Palms Resort in City of Industry, California. The APGA Tour Championship is the tour’s biggest event of the year with $50,000 in prize money at stake.

The season will then wrap up in October with the APGA Tour Salute to African American Golfers in Los Angeles.

The APGA Tour Presented by Lexus is a nonprofit organization with the mission of bringing greater diversity to the game of golf. Now in its 11th year, the tour consists of 10 events offering over $250,000 prize money.

PGA Tour, APGA Tour expand strategic partnership

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.

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.