A two-part series that explores the lives of the players on the professional golf tour whose mission is to create diversity in the game
CBS Sports and the Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA) Tour – a non-profit organization committed to bringing greater diversity to the game of golf – will bring a unique and in-depth look at a season on the APGA Tour in a two-part series. ‘Up and Down: Life on the APGA Tour presented by Grand Wagoneer,’ narrated by GRAMMY Award-winning singer and songwriter Darius Rucker, will debut on the CBS Television Network on June 11 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET and also stream on Paramount+. A conversation with the creator of the tour, ‘The Founder: Life on the APGA Tour, Presented by Grand Wagoneer’ will air on CBS Sports Network on June 7 at 7:30 p.m. ET, as Kelly Tilghman sits down with APGA Tour CEO and Founder Ken Bentley.
Established in 2010, the APGA Tour is a non-profit organization with the mission to prepare African American and other minority golfers to compete and win at the highest level of professional golf, both on tour and in the golf industry through professional tournaments, career development and mentoring sessions. The show follows the lives and stories of several APGA Tour players including Aaron Beverly, Trey Valentine, Kamaiu Johnson, and Tim O’Neal as they navigate through the birdies and bogeys of the first half of the 2022 APGA Tour campaign.
“We are honored to partner with the Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA) to highlight the many incredible stories on the APGA Tour,” said Emilie Deutsch VP, Original Programming and Features, CBS Sports. “CBS Sports is committed to utilizing our various platforms to increase diverse storytelling. We are excited to create awareness and tell the powerful stories of the players on the APGA as we to continue our ongoing efforts to showcase impactful content and shine a light on the many untold stories in Sports.”
Today’s announcement continues recent momentum of the APGA Tour as it now hosts up to 17 tournaments awarding more than $700,000 in prize money and nearly $100,000 in bonus money in 2022, while also instituting a Player Development Program to provide assistance both on and off the course to young minority golfers as they chase their goals in professional golf.
“As we look to bring greater diversity to the game of golf, telling stories of our incredible athletes and the perseverance and determination each of these young men have shown in their life will help inspire the next generation of golfers while also creating more awareness about the APGA Tour,” Bentley said. “We are grateful for the support of CBS Sports as they have dedicated tremendous resources and effort to help share the triumph and hardships of the players on the APGA Tour. I have been able to spend time with these amazing young men and I know that fans will be impacted when they hear these stories.”
Player Information:
Aaron Beverly struggled with the loss of his father and his own bout with COVID-19 through 2020 and the early part of 2021. He is currently playing in his second season on the APGA Tour after winning the 2021 APGA Tour Farmers Insurance Fall Series finale for his first career APGA Tour victory. He was the 2022 recipient of the Charlie Sifford Exemption and made his first start in a PGA TOUR event at this year’s Genesis Invitational. Beverly has since earned status on PGA TOUR Canada.
Trey Valentine, 29, was a three-time First Team All-Conference Big East player while at the University of South Florida and was ranked in the top 50 as part of the famous graduating class of 2011 that included PGA TOUR stalwarts Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, and Xander Schauffele. Valentine has played on PGA TOUR LatinoAmerica, PGA TOUR Canada and the PGA Tour Forme Tour. As the son of two military parents, Valentine has gone through the ups and downs of chasing the PGA TOUR dream after learning to play on U.S. Air Force bases all over the world.
Kamaiu Johnson dropped out of school in the 8th grade and had never touched a golf club in his life when a woman named Jan Auger saw him swinging a stick off the fairway of a public golf course in Tallahassee near his grandmother’s apartment. Auger sent Johnson to the driving range where he found a bucket of balls and a 9-iron waiting for him and instantly fell in love with golf. Auger allowed him to play golf and use the golf course in exchange for working at the facility. That moment changed Johnson’s life and path which has resulted in three APGA Tour victories and four PGA TOUR appearances over the last three years.
Tim O’Neal, 49, is one of the most experienced and accomplished golfers on the APGA Tour. O’Neal’s first start on the Korn Ferry Tour came in 1998 and the Tour has gone through four title sponsors and name changes since that day. As a graduate of Jackson State University, O’neal won 16 college events and won the Georgia State Amateur Championship in 1997. His game remains sharp as he eyes PGA TOUR Champions events with two victories on the APGA Tour this season.
About APGA Tour
The APGA Tour 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 17 tournaments awarding more than $700,000 in prize money and nearly $100,000 in bonus money in 2022, the APGA has organized a Player Development Program to aid young minority golfers as they work to chase their goals in professional golf.
