The Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA) Tour will bring its 2026 season to an exciting conclusion November 16–19 at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina. The Cisco Invitational, the Tour’s most lucrative tournament of the year, will feature a 20-player field competing for a $150,000 purse and a $50,000 winner’s prize, the largest first-place award in APGA Tour history.
Leading the field are Willie Mack III and Marcus Byrd, two of the Tour’s most successful competitors this season. Both players have captured three APGA Tour victories in 2026 and will arrive at Pine Needles looking to add another championship to their impressive records.
Mack, the APGA Tour’s winningest active player with 20 career victories, enters the tournament as the 2026 Cisco Cup Series champion. The Flint, Michigan native, who resides in Orlando, Florida, has also continued to pursue opportunities on the PGA TOUR. He has made 12 PGA TOUR starts, including recent appearances at the World Wide Technology Championship and Butterfield Bermuda Championship after qualifying through Monday events.
Byrd, meanwhile, brings the experience of being the 2025 Jeff Dailey APGA Tour Player of the Year. The Washington, D.C. native and Maryland resident has accumulated 11 APGA Tour victories, including three this season. He is also competing on PGA TOUR Americas in 2026, further demonstrating his progress through the professional golf ranks.
The field also includes defending Cisco Invitational champion Joey Stills of Orlando, Florida. Stills, the son of APGA Tour co-founder and former PGA TOUR professional Adrian Stills, will look to repeat his 2025 victory against a strong collection of competitors.
Other 2026 APGA Tour tournament champions scheduled to compete include Xavier Bighaus, Enrique Dimayuga, Andrew Fernandes, Kevin Hall, David Kim, Willy Pumarol and Jonathan Yoshihiro. The tournament will also welcome 17-year-old Evan Pena of Puerto Rico, who earned an invitation after winning the Underrated Golf Tour’s 2026 Curry Cup in September. His inclusion reflects the importance of connecting emerging young talent with professional golf opportunities.
The Cisco Invitational will award the champion 700 points toward the APGA’s Jeff Dailey Player of the Year standings. With all nine APGA Tour members who won tournaments this year represented in the field, the season finale promises a compelling test of skill, consistency and competitive determination.
Competition begins with practice rounds on Monday, November 16. The first competitive round starts Tuesday, November 17, at 8:30 a.m. ET, followed by the second round Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. The final round gets underway Thursday, November 19, at 8 a.m. ET.
Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club, located at 1005 Midland Road in Southern Pines, provides the setting for this important championship. Tee times and live scoring will be available through the tournament’s Golf Genius pages.
Founded in 2010, the APGA Tour is a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring an inclusive future through golf. Its mission extends beyond tournament competition through player development, mentoring initiatives and programs that introduce the game to young people in underserved communities.
During 2026, the organization conducted 15 tournaments offering more than $1 million in prize and bonus money. Its Player Development Program also supports golfers pursuing professional careers by providing competitive opportunities and resources to advance their goals.
As the season reaches its final chapter, the Cisco Invitational represents more than a championship. It is an opportunity to recognize the accomplishments of APGA professionals, celebrate the growth of the Tour and spotlight the talent and determination of players working to advance their careers in golf. With $50,000 awaiting the winner, the competition at Pine Needles promises an exciting finish to the 2026 APGA Tour season.
