HOUSTON, TX– Kamaiu Johnson captured his third APGA Tour victory of 2022 at the APGA Charlie Sifford Centennial, the third of four events in the APGA Tour Farmers Insurance® Fall Series, held at the Clubs of Kingwood. Johnson, who earlier this season won the APGA Mastercard Tour Championship to win the season-long Lexus Cup standings, now moves into 2nd in APGA Tour Farmers Insurance Fall Series.
Birdies on the 16th and 17th holes helped seal the three-stroke victory for Johnson. On hole 17, with Marcus Byrd two shots behind, Johnson hit his second shot in a fairway bunker, leaving 129 yards on the par-5 hole. After an approach to 35 feet, Byrd chipped to 8 feet. Johnson drained the 35-footer and Byrd missed his birdie attempt putting Johnson in command on the final hole.
Byrd, who won the second Farmers Fall Series event in September, remains at No. 1 in the Fall Series standings with the runner-up finish.
“This one is incredibly special to me in a number of different ways,” Johnson said. “Farmers Insurance® has played a massive role in my growth as a player thanks to their support dating all the way back to 2020. To win an event that is part of the Farmers Fall Series is very gratifying. It’s also meaningful to win a tournament with Charlie Sifford’s name in the title, honoring the legacy of a man who paved the way for players like myself and all of us on the APGA Tour.”
The Forest Course at Clubs of Kingwood is an Invited property. Johnson, who is a Farmers Insurance ambassador, is also an ambassador for Invited’s Gateway Club, a program that provides complimentary junior memberships to stand-out First Tee participants in Atlanta, Dallas and Houston.
“To win at an Invited property, after playing a practice round with some of the youth members of the Gateway Club is the icing on the cake to be honest,” Johnson said. “The Gateway Club is making a big difference for minority kids like me by welcoming them and giving them resources and facilities that most of us on the APGA Tour didn’t have access to at their age.”
- The APGA Tour Farmers Insurance Fall Series is designed to further the APGA Tour’s mission of bringing greater diversity to the game of golf and to provide additional playing and earning opportunities to APGA Tour players.
- The APGA Tour Farmers Insurance Fall Series will also feature a $20,000 bonus pool that pays an additional $10,000 to the player who is awarded the most points from each of the four events.
- The APGA Tour Farmers Insurance® Fall Series Finale will be held on Nov. 8-10 at Tustin Ranch Golf Club, Tustin Ranch, CA.
Current APGA Tour Farmers Insurance Fall Series Standings:
1 – Marcus Byrd
2 – Kamaiu Johnson
3 – Brad Adamonis
4 – Willie Mack III
6- Christian Heavens
Earlier in the week, the tournament honored the legacy of Charlie Sifford by partnering with the Charlie Sifford Centennial to host a clinic at FM Law Park, a First Tee Facility. The clinic hosted more than 100 local youth to introduce them to the game while also providing physical and mental health training as well as career guidance. The clinic included APGA Tour players, Invited Executives and APGA Tour staff members.
On Sunday, October 23, Invited Clubs hosted members of the Invited Gateway Club as they played 9 holes in a practice round with Johnson, Byrd and fellow APGA Tour members Ryan Alford and RJ Young. The Gateway Club partners with local First Tee chapters in Houston, Dallas and Atlanta to open the doors of Invited private clubs to First Tee junior golf participants with a focus on growing diversity within Invited clubs and throughout the golf industry.
The program provides First Tee participants with junior golf memberships, which include tee times, use of the practice areas and the opportunity to compete in events. Club Members and Staff serve as mentors to the youth, empowering them to build their strength of character on and off the course. Creating access for First Tee students who otherwise may not have the opportunity to join a private Club embodies Invited’s commitment to grow the game. The program is a vital component of companywide initiatives to improve diversity and inclusion within the company, clubs and in the golf industry.
ABOUT APGA TOUR
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 APGA Tour Board of Directors works to accomplish this by hosting and operating professional golf tournaments, player development programs, mentoring programs and by introducing the game to inner city young people. In addition to conducting up to 18 tournaments awarding more than $800,000 in prize money and nearly $100,000 in bonus money in 2022, the APGA has organized a Player Development Program to aid young minority golfers as they work to chase their goals in professional golf.
