Photo caption: Kamaiu Johnson of Tallahassee, Florida, is among the top players on the Advocates Pro Golf Tour (APGA), which resumes play June 22-23 at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Georgia. Johnson and APGA Tour player Willie Mack will be playing their first event as brand ambassadors for Farmers Insurance®, which signed both to multi-year sponsorship deals earlier this year. The APGA Tour at TPC Sugarloaf is one of nine 2020 events offering prize money totaling $250,000. Photo credit: Felix Marquez
Diversity-focused tour offering $250,000 in prize money;
boasts relationships with PGA TOUR & Farmers Insurance®
June 17, 2020
LOS ANGELES (June 17, 2020) – The Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA), professional golf’s newly-prominent tour promoting diversity in the sport, will launch a seven-tournament schedule next week highlighted by events in the major markets of Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles.
The APGA burst into the pro sports spotlight in January when the Farmers Insurance Open® hosted a tournament during the annual PGA TOUR stop at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Calif., including the APGA Tour players and officials in operations, hospitality, and media operations throughout the week.
The 27-hole APGA Tour at the Farmers Insurance Open competition, organized in collaboration with the PGA TOUR, Farmers® and The Century Club of San Diego, took place on the Torrey Pines North golf course while the best players in the world were competing in the third round of the Open on Torrey Pines South. The exposure resulted in major print, digital, and TV media coverage about the 11-year-old tour and its mission of bringing diversity to the highest levels of professional golf in conjunction with the PGA TOUR, Farmers Insurance®, Lexus and other supporting organizations.
Like all American sports these past several months, the new APGA slate has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but most events have been successfully organized so that a near-full schedule is in place. Prize money for the seven events totals $250,000.
APGA Tour regular Tim O’Neal won the Jan. 25 event at Torrey Pines North and will be in the field when the competition resumes with the June 22-23 APGA Tour at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Ga. The tournament will be conducted in conjunction with state/regional social-distancing and health/safety guidelines.
The APGA Tour then moves on to St. Augustine, Fla., for the APGA Tour at World Golf Village, July 9-10. The competition then travels to Orlando, Fla., July 13-14, for the APGA Tour at Dubsdread, hosted by Dubsdread Golf Course, the oldest public layout in Central Florida.
There will be three APGA Tour events in August, including the APGA Tour at Harborside International Golf Center, August 16-17, in Chicago. The tour then heads back to Southern California for the APGA Tour at Chester Washington (Chester Washington Golf Course) on August 30. The regular-season finale to determine the Lexus Cup champion follows Sept. 1-2, the APGA Tour at Pacific Palms Resort in City of Industry, Calif.
The 2020 season concludes with the APGA Tour Black College Classic, Oct. 11-13, also at Pacific Palms Resort. The NCAA-sanctioned annual event features APGA Tour players competing alongside the golf teams from Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU) Florida A&M, Howard University, Morehouse College, and Prairie View A&M University.
The APGA Tour Black College Classic includes a fundraising component for each of the school’s golf programs along with professional recruiting for entry-level corporate jobs by companies including Farmers Insurance, Lexus, PGA TOUR and Nestle.
The remaining APGA Tour 2020 schedule follows:
June 22-23 APGA Tour at TPC Sugarloaf: Presented by Lexus
Location: TPC Sugarloaf – Duluth, Ga.
July 9-10 APGA Tour at World Golf Village: Presented by Lexus
Location: World Golf Village – St. Augustine, Fla
July 13-14 APGA Tour at Dubsdread: Presented by Lexus
Location: Dubsdread Golf Course – Orlando, Fla.
Aug. 16-17 APGA Tour Chicago: Presented by Lexus
Location: Harborside International Golf Center – Starboard – Chicago
Aug. 30 APGA Tour at Chester Washington: Presented by Lexus
Location: Chester Washington Golf Course – Los Angeles
Sept. 1 -2 APGA Tour at Pacific Palms Resort: Presented by Lexus
Location: City of Industry, Calif.
Oct. 11-13 APGA Tour Black College Classic
Location: Pacific Palms Resort, City of Industry, Calif.
About APGA Tour
The Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA) 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 eight tournaments awarding $250,000 in prize money annually, the APGA conducts the Charlie Sifford Player Development Program to aid young minority golfers.
