PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pennsylvania (August 5, 2026) – The APGA at The 1912 Club came down to the APGA Tour’s two top players this season, and it took two extra holes to crown a champion Wednesday.
Willie Mack III birdied the 17th hole, then made three straight pars on the 18th – first in regulation and then on two sudden-death playoff holes – to hold off Marcus Byrd and win the Advocates Professional Golf Association’s annual tournament outside Philadelphia.
The triumph extended Mack III’s record for career APGA Tour victories to 20, and it was his third win this season, tying Byrd for the 2026 lead. Mack III also won the APGA Cisco Black History Month Classic in February and the APGA at TPC Scottsdale in June.
“Any time you win anywhere, it’s a good feat,” Mack III said. “I’m just happy that I can keep playing golf and keep pursuing my dreams. The APGA has definitely played a big part in that, and I thank them a lot for that. I just hope I can continue to play well and get through (PGA TOUR) Q School this year.”
Mack III earned a $21,700 prize from a $70,000 purse and a $10,000 sponsorship from The 1912 Club.
He shot 67-69-67—202 (8-under par) in the three-day, 54-hole event.
Playing in the final grouping with Byrd and Willy Deus, he trailed Byrd by three strokes late in the round. But Byrd bogeyed the 16th and 17th holes, and Mack III’s birdie on 17 pulled them into a tie for the lead.
Each time they played the 18th hole, Mack – battling a sore right shoulder – pushed his tee shot further and further right. On the second playoff hole, he narrowly missed landing in the fescue right of the fairway, found himself in the rough with a massive tree guarding the right side of the green and still managed to stick his 184-yard approach shot on the green. Standing over a 40-foot birdie putt, he rolled it to within 18 inches and then tapped in.
Byrd missed a 12-footer for birdie on the high side, and then lipped out from three feet.
“I have been having trouble with my driver, but I knew that if I could somehow keep it in play and give myself a look at a second shot, I felt like I had a good chance,” Mack III, a Flint, Michigan native explained. “Luckily it stayed up, and luckily I was able to make some big par putts.”
David Kim (7-under) finished third, while Joey Stills and 2024 APGA at The 1912 Club winner Chase Johnson (6-under) tied for fourth.
Byrd’s season on the APGA Tour has been a remarkable one. The APGA’s 2025 Jeff Dailey Player of the Year opened the 2026 season by capturing the APGA Farmers Insurance Invitational at Torrey Pines in January. He won the APGA Juneteenth Classic in Los Angeles in June, then came out on top last month in the APGA at TPC Deere Run. All the while, he has been posting solid results playing on the APGA Tour Americas circuit, with six cuts made in nine events and four top-25 finishes.
Mack III earned 500 points in the APGA’s Jeff Dailey standings and Cisco Cup Series standings. The victory moved him into the solo lead in both points races as the tour heads to the 10th event of its 2026 season, the MasterCard Tour Championship from August 25-27 at Baltusrol Golf Club – Lower Course in Springfield, New Jersey. The season runs through November with 12 tournaments from coast to coast.
Founded in 2010, the Advocates Professional Golf Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring an inclusive future through the game of golf.
The APGA Tour tees up the 10th event of its 2026 season with the MasterCard Tour Championship from August 25-27 at Baltusrol Golf Club – Lower Course in Springfield, New Jersey. The season runs through November with 12 tournaments from coast to coast.
About the APGA Tour
The APGA Tour was established in 2010 as a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring an inclusive future through the game of golf. The APGA Tour Board of Directors works diligently 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 12 tournaments awarding more than $1 million in prize and bonus money in 2026, the APGA has organized a Player Development Program to aid golfers as they work to chase their professional golf goals.
