The Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA) Tour returns this week to one of Florida’s most recognized championship venues for the 2026 APGA Cisco Black History Month Classic at TPC Sawgrass’ Dye’s Valley Course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The tournament will be played Wednesday, February 18 through Friday, February 20, marking the second event and first full-field competition of the 2026 APGA Tour season.
A field of 54 professional golfers will compete over 36 holes on the challenging Dye’s Valley layout, battling for a $25,000 purse. The tournament champion will earn $7,500 along with 500 points toward both the Cisco Cup Series and the Jeff Dailey Player of the Year standings.
West Palm Beach resident Chase Johnson returns to defend his title after winning last year’s event with a 5-under-par 135 (67-68), edging 2025 APGA Player of the Year Marcus Byrd by one stroke. Johnson, a Barberton, Ohio native, is a two-time APGA Player of the Year (2023, 2024) and seven-time APGA Tour winner. He was the only APGA golfer to compete in the 2025 U.S. Open, earning his place through Final Qualifying, and has made nine PGA TOUR starts since 2021, including a 2024 Genesis Invitational appearance via the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption.
Byrd, a Washington, D.C. native and Temple Hills, Maryland resident, enters the week as one of the tour’s top players. A nine-time APGA winner and 2025 Jeff Dailey Player of the Year, Byrd captured the 2026 season-opening APGA Farmers Insurance Invitational at Torrey Pines and received an exemption into the PGA TOUR’s Farmers Insurance Open.
The field also features Willie Mack III, the APGA’s winningest active player with 17 titles; eight-time champion Kamaiu Johnson; Rwanda-born John-Baptiste Hakizimana; and Kevin Hall, the tour’s only deaf golfer and an eight-time APGA champion who earned a silver medal at the 25th Deaflympics in Tokyo. Additional standouts include Gregory Odom Jr., Jaime Lopez Rivarola, Wyatt Worthington II, Jonathan Yoshihiro, and Joey Stills.
Tournament week begins Wednesday morning with practice rounds and a Pro-Am at 9:05 a.m. ET. That evening, the APGA Cisco Black History Month Classic Awards Ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. ET, honoring PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan, Chuck Robbins Scholarship recipient Joshua Mitchell, Golf Digest Senior Editor Tod Leonard, and APGA player award winners.
Founded in 2010, the APGA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring an inclusive future through the game of golf. Through competitive opportunities, scholarships, and player development, the tour continues to expand access and visibility for underrepresented golfers.
Round 1 begins Thursday, February 19 at 9:05 a.m. ET, followed by the final round Friday at the same time. Tee times and live scoring will be available through official APGA channels. Media planning to attend the tournament or awards ceremony are encouraged to RSVP at Apga@bzapr.com.
