The Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA) Tour continues its 2026 season with one of its premier stops when the APGA at TPC Deere Run returns July 13-16 at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois. The tournament marks the seventh event on the APGA Tour’s 2026 schedule and the second 54-hole competition of the season, bringing together many of the circuit’s top players to one of professional golf’s most recognizable venues.
TPC Deere Run, home of the PGA TOUR’s annual John Deere Classic, will once again welcome a field of 54 competitors vying for a share of the $25,000 purse, with the champion earning $8,000 along with 500 points toward both the Jeff Dailey Player of the Year standings and the Cisco Cup Series standings.
Defending champion Marcus Byrd returns looking to capture another victory at TPC Deere Run after winning the event in both 2023 and 2025. The Washington, D.C., native and Temple Hills, Maryland resident enters the tournament riding another outstanding season after claiming victories at the season-opening APGA Farmers Insurance Invitational at Torrey Pines and the APGA Juneteenth Classic in Los Angeles. The reigning Jeff Dailey APGA Tour Player of the Year and Cisco Cup champion has amassed 10 APGA Tour victories and continues to compete on PGA TOUR Americas while earning multiple PGA TOUR exemptions.
The championship field also features Illinois standouts Brian Ohr of Wheeling, Marcus Smith Jr. of Rockford, and Alec Martinez of Orland Park, giving local fans several hometown favorites to follow throughout tournament week.
Among the strongest challengers is Willie Mack III, the APGA Tour’s winningest active player with 19 career victories. The Flint, Michigan native recently captured the APGA at TPC Scottsdale and remains one of the tour’s most accomplished veterans. Mack made history as the only APGA player to compete in the 2024 U.S. Open and owns 10 career PGA TOUR starts.
Another fan favorite is Kevin Hall, an eight-time APGA Tour champion and winner of the 2021 APGA at TPC Deere Run. Hall, the APGA Tour’s only deaf competitor, continues to inspire throughout professional golf. A former standout at Ohio State University, he made his PGA TOUR debut through the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption at the 2017 Genesis Invitational and most recently earned the silver medal at the 25th Deaflympics while receiving the APGA’s Adrian Stills Award presented by Cisco.
Eight-time APGA champion Kamaiu Johnson also headlines the field. Johnson has become one of the tour’s most recognizable players after earning multiple PGA TOUR starts and capturing consecutive APGA victories during the 2025 season. He joins an impressive roster that includes Manav Shah, who represented the APGA Tour at the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, Wyatt Worthington II, John-Baptiste Hakizimana, Joey Stills, Steve Kibare, and rising star Xavier Bighaus, whose victory earlier this season at the APGA Daugherty Foundation Championship established him as one of the tour’s emerging talents.
Tournament week begins Monday, July 13, with official practice rounds before three consecutive days of competition. The opening and second rounds will feature all 54 competitors, with tee times scheduled from approximately 8:00 a.m. until 10:50 a.m. A 36-hole cut following Wednesday’s second round will reduce the field to the leading 18 players and ties for Thursday’s championship round, where tee times are expected to run from approximately 9:50 a.m. until 11:00 a.m.
Beyond the competition, the event represents another important chapter in the APGA Tour’s mission to create greater opportunities within professional golf. Since its founding in 2010, the APGA Tour has grown into one of the sport’s leading developmental tours, providing competitive opportunities, player development, mentorship, and pathways to higher levels of professional golf for talented players from historically underrepresented communities.
In 2026, the APGA Tour is conducting 12 tournaments awarding more than $1 million in prize money and bonuses while continuing to expand opportunities through its Player Development Program and youth outreach initiatives. The organization remains committed to inspiring a more inclusive future for golf by helping talented professionals pursue their dreams while introducing the game to the next generation.
With one of the tour’s strongest fields assembled, a championship venue familiar to PGA TOUR fans, and valuable points on the line in both the Cisco Cup and Jeff Dailey Player of the Year races, the APGA at TPC Deere Run promises another exciting week of championship golf in the Quad Cities.
