It’s been quite a year for Marcus Byrd on the APGA Tour. Record-setting, in fact.
On Tuesday, Byrd took home the trophy for the fourth time this year, the most in the fledgling tour’s history, as he shot a 4-under 67 to win APGA at Valhalla Golf Club.
Byrd, 26, topped Ryan Ellerbrock, who was making his APGA Tour debut, by three strokes to secure the victory. Quinn Riley and Rovonta Young finished four shots off the pace in a tie for third.
“The last six months have been incredible, but it’s been non-stop. I feel like I’ve gotten these opportunities and haven’t performed the way I wanted,” Byrd said, in reference to a few PGA Tour appearances that haven’t led to much success. “I took some time off after the John Deere Classic and it’s really helped with this win today. My goals now are Korn Ferry Tour Q-School in the fall and to win the APGA Tour Lexus Cup Point Standings.”
Marcus Byrd. Photo: Courtesy APGA Tour.
The four victories in a season eclipse the previous mark of three held by both Willie Mack III and Tim O’Neal. Mack is now on the Korn Ferry Tour full-time and O’Neal has full status on the PGA Tour Champions.
Next up is the APGA Two-Man Classic at TPC Louisiana in New Orleans, starting on July 30, followed by the APGA Ascension Classic in St. Louis follows on August 8-10 at Glen Echo Country Club.
The regular season then concludes with the Mastercard APGA Tour Championship at TPC Sugarloaf from August 13-15.
Marcus Byrd started the year as a winner and that trend has continued all season long.
The 25-year-old won for the third time in four starts this season on the APGA Tour after claiming the event at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois, on Tuesday. Byrd shot rounds of 66-67 to win by two shots at 9 under over Chase Johnson, who shot the low round Tuesday with an 8-under 63, and Jarred Garcia, two finished T-2 at 7 under.
Byrd won the season-opening APGA Tour Farmers Insurance Invitational at Torrey Pines, as well as the APGA Florida and APGA Scottsdale. He also earned exemptions for three PGA Tour events: the Genesis Invitational, Honda Classic and Wells Fargo Championship.
“The PGA Tour experience is definitely a huge help. It’s cool to see how hard those guys work. I learned about being calm and to stay within myself,” said Byrd, who earned $7,500 of the $25,000 purse. “I overcame adversity there and overall with the PGA Tour experience, I now understand what I need to do.”
The event at TPC Deere Run was also the debut of the 2023 Cisco Junior Series, which consists of four tournaments where 18-and-under minority players compete at APGA Tour events. Jayden Lizama won the boys division after rounds of 71-73, while Staci Pla won the girls with rounds of 71-74.
The APGA Tour returns to play with APGA Tour at Valhalla, July 23-25, in Louisville, Kentucky.
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.
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)
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.
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – Marcus Byrd didn’t get mad when Tiger Woods stiffed him for an autograph.
This was back in the days of the Quicken Loans National at Congressional Golf Club and Byrd, who attended the tournament every year as a kid was decked out in his red shirt and black shorts. In one hand, he had a picture of Tiger, his favorite player, that he tried to get signed as Tiger made his way to the first tee. But Tiger had his game face on and didn’t stop to make Byrd’s day.
But rather than get mad, Byrd used it as motivation.
“I told my dad one day when I make it to the Tour, he’ll have to sign my scorecard anyway, don’t really need the signature right now,” he recalled during a press conference ahead of the Genesis Invitational. “That was just kind of a thing to keep pushing me forward to getting to where I am.”
Byrd, 25, was selected by Tiger this year to receive the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption into the event at Riviera Country Club, a PGA Tour event with a $20 million purse. On Tuesday, Byrd met Tiger for the first time.
Very cool see to Langston's own, Marcus Byrd, with Tiger. All of the NLT community will be rooting him on this week! https://t.co/AbR2H6WZr1
“It was a pretty special moment just to kind of actually shake his hand and like meet him in person,” Byrd said. “Just kind of look at him face-to-face and actually realize he’s human, that was pretty cool.”
Did Byrd mention that time at Congressional when he didn’t get Tiger’s signature?
“No, no, I haven’t brought it up yet, but I’m sure he’ll hear about it,” Byrd said. “I still want to make sure I earn that. Hopefully we can get that to happen this week.”
Awarded annually since 2009, the Sifford exemption represents the advancement of diversity in the game of golf.
“Marcus has shown resiliency and perseverance in pursuit of a professional playing career,” Woods said. “These are qualities that remind me of Charlie and his journey.”
Byrd certainly appreciates the significance of his opportunity to play in one of the Tour’s big-money designated events and make a childhood dream come true, but he’s also aware of the bigger picture.
“It’s about the game being inclusive and about giving kids hope,” he said. “Just to be able to show these kids that you can be just like me in these shoes. That’s what it’s all about. It’s about bringing more people to the game and making it more approachable. I think when you get more people that look like me and more people who can spread that, spread the love of the game that way, that’s more important than anything else and I think that’s what the game of golf is really about.”
Marcus Byrd, 2023 Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption recipient during a press conference prior to The Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on February 14, 2023 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
A native of Washington D.C., Byrd is the youngest of four kids and was introduced to golf by his father, Larry, who started him at the age of three at the predominantly Black Langston Golf Course. His father died during COVID just before Byrd turned pro, but on Thursday Byrd will point to the sky before his first tee shot in his father’s memory as he does at every tournament he plays. His mother, who suffered serious injuries in a car accident when Byrd was 9, his grandmother, aunt and sister will make up a supportive gallery.
“They’ve been pretty much my lifeline over these last few years,” he said.
Byrd, a three-time APGA Tour winner and 2019 Conference USA Golfer of the Year when he played at Middle Tennessee State University, isn’t just playing for himself and his family. He considers himself to be representing a much larger community of Black golfers.
“It’s not just my dream, a lot of those guys have had the same dream and for me to be able to be the person to carry the torch for them, it’s an incredible feeling,” he said.
The start at Riviera will be Byrd’s second career appearance in a Tour event. He made his debut at the 2022 Corales Puntacana Championship, where he missed the cut. Byrd also has another start in the big leagues next week at the Honda Classic after winning the Farmers Insurance Invitational, a 36-hole APGA event on the North and South Course at Torrey Pines. Byrd birdied the last two holes to post 3-over 75 for a 36-hole total of 4 over that was five shots better than runner-up Joey Stills. Seven-time PGA Tour winner Billy Horschel, who played a nine-hole practice round with Byrd on Tuesday, first met Byrd in 2021 at his APGA event at TPC Sawgrass and says Byrd has the game to make it on the Tour.
“He has this inner fire and inner desire to be great,” Horschel said. “He’s got a light-hearted way about himself that people are attracted to but at the same time he wants to kill you on the golf course.”
And he’s still driven to get Tiger’s signature on his scorecard someday, maybe even someday as soon as this week.
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.
“Marcus has shown resiliency and perseverance in pursuit of a professional playing career.”
Dating back to 2009, an exemption has been given to a minority golfer for the Genesis Invitational as a way to represent the advancement of diversity in golf. In 2017 the exemption was re-named the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption in honor of Sifford, the man who broke the PGA Tour color barrier.
On Monday morning, tournament host Tiger Woods announced Marcus Byrd would receive the exemption for the upcoming event, Feb. 16-19, at Riviera Country Club near Los Angeles.
“Marcus has shown resiliency and perseverance in pursuit of a professional playing career,” Woods said via a release. “These are qualities that remind me of Charlie and his journey. I look forward to watching Marcus compete at Riviera.”
A former star for Middle Tennessee State and 2019 Conference USA Golfer of the Year, Byrd currently competes on the Advocates Professional Golf Association Tour, where he finished atop the standings for the Farmers Insurance Fall Series back in November. The Genesis Invitational will be Byrd’s second career start on the PGA Tour after he debuted at the 2022 Corales Puntacana Championship.
“It’s a true honor to receive the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption into the 2023 Genesis Invitational,” added Byrd. “To think that I’ll forever be a part of this tournament’s storied history means a lot. I cannot wait to compete at Riviera and represent Mr. Sifford with my play.”
Former recipients of the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption include the following:
Marcus Byrd played flawlessly in the final round to win.
Marcus Byrd won for the second time in the past 15 months on the Advocates Professional Golf Association Tour, capturing the Valley Forge Championship on Wednesday at Bluestone Country Club in Pennsylvania.
Byrd made three puts of more than 40 feet during his first round and included nine birdies. He shot 6-under 65 to take a four-shot lead into the final round. There, he played strong, shooting 3-under 68 to finish at 9 under for the week and win by five strokes.
The 25-year-old rom Washington D.C., played collegiately at Middle Tennessee State and was a part of the First Tee growing up.
“My putter was hot, and that helped with the long putts (Tuesday) and a bunch of one-putt greens (Wednesday),” Byrd said. “My game is moving in the right direction.”
The fifth-place finisher in the regular-season Lexus Cup Point Standings, Byrd is now a contender for bonus pool prize money in the Farmers Insurance Fall Series, which concludes with events in Houston (October 25-26) and Los Angeles (November 9-10).
APGA Tour competition continues with the series’ first international tournament, the Butterfield Bermuda APGA Championship, on Oct. 11-12 at Port Royal Course in Southampton, Bermuda.
Marcus Byrd claimed his first professional title on Tuesday at the APGA event at TPC Louisiana in New Orleans.
Marcus Byrd claimed his first professional title on Tuesday at the APGA event at TPC Louisiana in New Orleans. Byrd closed out a final-round 69 with a birdie on the par-5 18th hole and wrapped up a single-stroke victory over Rafa Guerrero Lauria.
Byrd finished the 36-hole event with an 11-under 133 total. The 23-year-old from Nashville managed to hold off Lauria despite making double-bogey on the 10th hole and Laura throwing out seven consecutive birdies mid-round.
This is only the sixth APGA Tour start for Byrd, who played collegiately for Middle Tennessee State and qualified for the 2020 U.S. Amateur.
“I’m happy with the way I kept my composure. When a guy makes seven birdies in a row, it gets disconcerting,” said Byrd, who took home the winner’s purse of $7,500. “I was able to play the best golf I could to get it done, so that’s good.”
Marcus Byrd competes Tuesday at TPC Louisiana.
Willie Mack took third with a 6-under 141 and now heads to the Korn Ferry Tour’s BMW Charity Pro-Am in South Carolina on June 10-13 as a sponsor exemption.
Behind Mack, five players tied for fourth: Patrick Newcomb, Trey Valentine, Landon Lyons, Michael Herrera and Wyatt Worthington. Kevin Hall finished ninth and Tommy Schaff of Ridgeland tied with Ryan Alford for 10th.
Ryan Alford recorded the first professional win in his golf career on Tuesday, taking the APGA Tour Scottsdale at TPC Scottsdale’s Champions Course.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Ryan Alford recorded the first professional win in his golf career on Tuesday, taking the APGA Tour Scottsdale at TPC Scottsdale Champions Course.
It’s the third APGA event in a row that someone new came out on top. Alford, of Shreveport, Louisiana, shot a three-under 68 for a two-day, nine-under 133 to beat Marcus Byrd of Knoxville by 3 strokes.
Alford, 24, said the key for his success was his renewed mental state. He was among the leaders last week in Las Vegas before blowing up with a six-over performance on the back nine.
“I changed my mindset,” Alford said. “Told myself to erase the bad and keep going with the good. Talent is not the issue. It’s just a matter of getting it done.”
Alford entered the second round just one stroke ahead of Byrd. But a tap-in birdie on the 17th hole provided a cushion, and he went on to claim the first-place prize of $7,500 from the $25,000 purse that the APGA offers at every event.
The two-day, 36-hole tournament Monday at the Champions Course was the sixth event on the APGA’s 10-tournament season. The tour’s mission is to bring greater diversity to the sport of golf.
The other first-time APGA winners this year are Jarred Garcia, who took the Black History Month Classic at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and Rovonta Young, who won the APGA Tour at World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida.
Tim O’Neal, the 2020 APGA Tour Player of the Year, was third at 5 under, with Tommy Schaff of Ridgeland, South Carolina another stroke back in fourth. Willie Mack III of Flint, Michigan, and Aaron Beverly of Fairfield, California, tied for fifth at 3-under. Mack is headed for Korn Ferry Tour’s Huntsville (Alabama) Championship next week.
Phoenix resident Doug Smith led a group of five players tied for seventh at even par. Kamaiu Johnson of Orlando finished in a tie for 12th (1 over) after winning in Las Vegas last week.
The next stop for the APGA Tour is Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, set for May 23-25.
