PGA TOUR STAR WANTS TO BE PART OF THE SOLUTION\
LOS ANGELES (August 25, 2020) — In a ground-breaking initiative to promote diversity in professional golf, three-time PGA TOUR winner Charles Howell III will make continuing, performance-based cash donations to the Advocates Pro Golf Association (APGA) Tour, a 10-year-old mini-tour for minority players, and its affiliated Advocates Foundation.
Howell and the APGA Tour have named the initiative #CharlesHowell4APGATour.
Howell, one of only nine players to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs every year since its inception in 2007, declared his intention via Instagram to take a leading role in creating more opportunities for minorities in the sport, specifying the APGA Tour as his partner of choice, offering “I want to be part of the solution.”
The Augusta, Georgia native now living in Orlando, Florida, has been one of the tour’s most prominent players for two decades. He was named PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year in 2001 after leading his Oklahoma St. team to the NCAA Championship in 2000 as the individual tournament winner. Charles Howell’s Instagram Post
“It is a privilege to take this step in support of the APGA and its programs to develop African American talent and advance the cause of diversity in professional golf,” stated Howell. “We’re all more aware now in the wake of the George Floyd tragedy and I see this as just one step in what I hope can be an industry-wide initiative. The APGA has been working at this for a decade now. The organization has made great strides. I want to help them meet their moment.”
Howell will donate $100 per eagle and $50 per birdie to the APGA Tour (Advocates Professional Golf Association) and the Advocates Foundation, its 501(c)(3) arm which conducts multiple programs for inner-city children to promote health, wellness and positive career choices while awarding scholarships to deserving participants. #CharlesHowell4APGATour will continue indefinitely and may expand or evolve as circumstances dictate.
“This is a major development for the APGA Tour because Charles Howell III is recognizing the importance of our work and our growth over the past 10 years,” offered Ken Bentley, CEO of the APGA Tour and Advocates Foundation. “Most prominently, the APGA Tour is giving African American players a chance to compete at the highest levels of golf. More importantly, our programs are providing minorities with the skills to work in all aspects of the industry. We’re hopeful that Charles’ generosity will inspire both individuals and corporations to join in our efforts.”
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Farmers Insurance®, which has been involved with the APGA Tour since hosting a tournament as part of the Farmers Insurance Open® PGA TOUR event in January, has pledged to match Howell’s donations. In addition, Farmers® will replicate the format as part of its pre-existing sponsorship of two APGA Tour players, Willie Mack and Kamaiu Johnson, donating $100 per eagle and $50 per birdie achieved by those players to the APGA Tour and the Advocates Foundation.
“At Farmers we’re guided by our commitment to diversity, inclusion, and doing what is right in support of equality – one of the reasons we support organizations like the APGA Tour,” said Jeff Dailey, CEO of Farmers Insurance. “We applaud Charles for his commitment, and we’re happy to provide additional support to the APGA Tour on behalf of Farmers APGA Tour brand ambassadors Willie and Kamaiu.”
The APGA Tour presented by Lexus, which has been supported financially by the PGA TOUR since 2012, began in 2010 with three professional tournaments, 80 participants and $40,000 in prize money. This year, the APGA is staging 10 events with hundreds of participants and over $250,000 in prize money. In October, the tour will conduct its culminating event, APGA Tour Salute to African American Golfers, a combination of a seniors (over 50) competition and the season-end Lexus Cup Championship featuring 2020’s top-ranked players plus selected amateurs.
PGA TOUR players who competed on the APGA Tour enroute to their careers at the highest level of professional golf included Tony Finau, Harold Varner III and Joseph Bramlett.
The APGA Tour was founded by Bentley, the former VP of Community Affairs for Nestle USA, and Adrian Stills, who played on the PGA Tour in 1986-87. Bentley is a member of the Board of Directors of the TGR Foundation and chairman of Fire Insurance Exchange (a member of the Farmers Insurance Group). Stills is the founding Executive Director of the Northwest Florida Chapter of The First Tee and the Director of Golf at Osceola Golf Course in Pensacola, FL.
