Billy Horschel APGA Tour Invitational announces field, more

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Six-time PGA TOUR winner and 2021 BMW PGA Championship winner Billy Horschel has announced that the Billy Horschel APGA Tour Invitational presented by Cisco will return to THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on May 4-6.

Inside the ropes, the second-year event on the Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA) Tour will include an 18-player field competing for a $125,000 total prize purse, the largest in APGA Tour history, with the winner also receiving an exemption into the Korn Ferry Tour’s BMW Charity Pro-Am.

Outside the ropes, the tournament will provide business development opportunities for the players as well as opportunities for business leaders to learn from the players and their stories of perseverance and determination.

“My goal last year was to create a tournament that not only gave these young players an opportunity to compete on a world-class golf course for a substantial prize, but to also connect them with leaders in the business community,” Horschel said. “With the vision and support from Cisco, we hoped to help support each player’s journey, provide them with resources and create an experience that I hoped would benefit each player on their path in the professional game.”

The event will include an initial day of a pro-am, a trip to PGA TOUR Superstore to help the players with equipment and other needs, seminars and other development opportunities all with key partners and industry leaders.

The companies and partners supporting the event or that will be a part of the business development efforts includes Cisco, BDO USA, Body Armor, Duvel Moortgat USA, Farmers Insurance, Garden of Life, PGA Tour Superstore, PGA TOUR, Polo Golf Ralph Lauren, Spartan Investment Group, The Concession Golf Club, The Exeter Group, Titleist and Velocity Global.

The competition will challenge the players with 36 holes at THE PLAYERS Stadium course, home of THE PLAYERS Championship.

"We are thrilled to continue our support of this APGA event and build on the success it had last year," said Mark Patterson, SVP and chief of staff to the chair and CEO at Cisco. "We are focused on supporting individuals like Billy Horschel and organizations like the APGA who are acting boldly and deliberately to accelerate fairness, inclusion, and equitable access to opportunity. Together, we will take another step forward toward achieving our purpose to power a more inclusive future for all."

“It is exciting to offer an exemption into the Korn Ferry Tour’s BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX for the winner of the Billy Horschel APGA Tour Invitational presented by Cisco,” said Korn Ferry Tour President Alex Baldwin. “Our tour prides itself in providing a pathway for professional golfers to achieve their dreams and reach the PGA TOUR, and we’re honored to work alongside Billy Horschel and the APGA Tour in an effort to provide meaningful playing opportunities to help diversify the golf landscape.”

The APGA Tour was established in 2010 as a nonprofit 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 $500,000 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.

The 18-player field will consist of 12 players from the APGA Tour Player Development Program: Ryan Alford, Aaron Beverly, Marcus Byrd, Mulbe Dillard IV, Michael Herrera, Kamaiu Johnson, Mahindra Lutchman, Willie Mack III, Trey Valentine, Davin White, Rovonta Young and Andrew Walker; amateur golfer Troy Taylor II; and exemptions Olajuwon Ajanaku, Kevin Hall, Joey Stills, Wyatt Worthington and Gregory Odom Jr.