Louisville, KY. (July 20, 2022) – Former PGA TOUR regular Brad Adamonis used an eagle and two birdies on the back nine to surge to victory over Andrew Walker and Marcus Byrd at APGA Tour Valhalla Tuesday afternoon.
The former Miami University of Ohio standout moved into contention with an eagle at the 555-yard 10th hole and then closed with a two-putt birdie on the 490-yard par-5 18th hole to secure the one-stroke victory and earn the $7,500 first prize from the $25,000 purse.
A resident of Hallandale, Florida, Adamonis played five seasons and earned three top-ten finishes in PGA TOUR competition in addition to a victory on the Korn Ferry Tour. He contends regularly on the APGA Tour, including a win in 2019 and several runner-up finishes in the last few years. Now 49 with a January birthday, he has his sights set on PGA TOUR Champions Q School this fall. Thursday, he tees off in a pre-qualifier for the PGA TOUR’s Rocket Mortgage Classic at Lyon Oaks Golf Club in Wixom, Michigan.
“I was happy to finish with a birdie and the leaders had those tough finishing holes,” said Adamonis, who also had three birdies on the front nine to counter some rocky play. “I was hoping to get into playoff, but the score held up. I’ve played a lot of golf and sometimes you get lucky.” He shot a 70-69-139 and was the only one of the top contenders to break 70 in the final round in the difficult, humid conditions.
Walker, the second-ranked player in the first APGA Collegiate Ranking Class in 2020-21, shot a 68-72-140 on the prestigious 6,975-yard, Par 72 Jack Nicklaus layout. Walker continues his post-college streak of playing well enough to earn starts on the Forme Tour and PGA TOUR Canada since graduating from Michigan State last year. Byrd, winner of APGA Tour at TPC Louisiana in 2021, shot 70-70-140. Joey Stills of Orlando and Ryan Alford of Shreveport, Louisiana, tied for fourth place at three-under 141.
The circuit now moves to its regular season finale, the Mastercard APGA Tour Championship, August 8-9, at TPC San Antonio, where the Lexus Cup Point Standings Champion will be crowned.
The tour then heads into its four-event Farmers Insurance Fall Series in the St. Louis, Houston, Philadelphia and Los Angeles markets. Invitational events are also scheduled for famed Baltusrol Golf Club (August 15-17) and at Port Royal Course in South Hampton, Bermuda, as part of Bermuda Black Golfers Week (October 24-26).
The APGA Tour was established in 2010 with the mission to bring greater diversity to the game of golf by hosting and operating professional golf tournaments, player development programs, mentoring programs, and introducing the game to inner-city young people. The tour has grown from seven events with $200,000 in prize money in 2020 and 14 events with over $400,000 in prize money in 2021, to 18 events with over $800,000 in prize and bonus money in 2022.
