LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Apr. 12, 2021 — Kamaiu Johnson, Tim O’Neal and Tommy Schaff all delivered three under par 68s in mild conditions Monday to take the first round lead in APGA Tour Las Vegas at TPC Las Vegas.
All well known warriors in professional golf, they hold a one-shot lead over Marcus Manley of Kissimmee, Florida, and are two shots clear of three others as 59 players teed off in the fifth event of the season for the APGA Tour, whose mission is to bring greater diversity to the sport of golf.
The tournament culminates Tuesday with $25,000 at stake for the field, which includes the celebrity presence of Alfonso Ribeiro, the host of America’s Funniest Home Videos and an avid golfer who represents the PGA TOUR as a Brand Ambassador for the PGA TOUR Champions circuit.
Johnson, newly prominent with golf fans because of his PGA TOUR starts this winter and spring as a sponsor exemption, had six birdies in a roller-coaster round, grabbing a share of the lead with a three on the par-4 18th hole. O’Neal, the Savannah, Georgia, native and reigning APGA Tour Lexus Cup Points Champion, also had six birdies, including three straight to finish the round and surge into the deadlock at the top of the leaderboard. Schaff, also from Savannah, once caddied for O’Neal and continues to chase his PGA TOUR dream with a career that includes 25 mini-tour victories.
“The competition is really good out here. We’ve got a full field and it’s going to be tight coming down the stretch tomorrow,” offered O’Neal, the perennial standout still looking for his first APGA Tour win this year. “My swing is not where I want it, but I definitely had some good holes. It’s going to take solid ball-striking and patience to give myself some solid birdie looks.”
Among the players within five strokes of the lead at two-over are Willie Mack of Flint, Michigan, who also had two PGA TOUR sponsor exemptions in recent weeks, plus Michael Herrera of Moreno Valley, California, and Rovonta Young of Huntsville, Alabama, both APGA Tour winners in 2021.
Following tomorrow’s final round, the APGA Tour heads to Arizona for APGA Tour Scottsdale April 18-20 at TPC Scottsdale. The tournament was conducted under social-distancing and health/safety guidelines in conjunction with regional authorities.
