The Advocates PGA Tour, created as a developmental tour for minority golfers, will make a stop at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth on Monday and Tuesday. A 50-player field will compete for the $25,000 purse, with $7,500 going to the winner.
The APGA Tour features 14 tournaments spread across the country, with more than $150,000 in prize money. The Lexus Cup points bonus pool offers an additional $50,000.
The defending champion is Willie Mack of Michigan. He has two wins – at Jacksonville’s Queen’s Harbour in March and at the Billy Horschel Invitational at TPC Sawgrass in May – and a pair of runner-up showings. Mack won the Lexus Cup in 2021.
The Georgia contingent is led by Savannah’s Tim O’Neal, who is celebrating the 25th anniversary of his Georgia Amateur Championship. O’Neal has won twice – at Harding Park in February and at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla., in April – and has three career wins on the APGA Tour. He is the current leader on the Lexus Cup points list.
David White of McDonough is an APGA Tour regular who had his best showing at TPC Louisiana, where he tied for fifth. Other Georgians in the Sugarloaf field include Maurice Jeffries of Peachtree City, Karim Muhammad of Macon, Nick Wade of Lithonia and Joseph Dent of Augusta, the son of Georgia Golf Hall of Famer Jim Dent.
Credit: Bob Andres
Credit: Bob Andres
Tech lands two on All-ACC Academic team
Georgia Tech’s Bartley Forrester and Christo Lamprecht earned spots on the All-ACC Academic Golf Team.
Forrester, a junior from Gainesville who has made the dean’s list three times and faculty honors twice, posted a perfect 4.0 grade-point average in the fall, a 3.07 in the spring and a career GPA of 3.37. Lamprecht, a sophomore from South Africa, is a two-time dean’s list honoree, had a 3.75 GPA both semesters and has a career GPA of 3.56. Both are business administration majors.
The list also included David Ford, a Peachtree Corners native and freshman at North Carolina. Ford was selected as ACC Freshman of the Year.
Credit: Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com
Credit: Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com
Georgians have presence in U.S. Open
A Bulldogs power trio will play together for the first two rounds of the U.S. Open this week. University of Georgia products Kevin Kisner, Russell Henley and Brian Harman are paired together for the opening 36 holes at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass.
Other UGA products in the field are Harris English of Sea Island and Patrick Reed, while Georgia Tech grads include Atlanta’s Stewart Cink and Cameron Tringale.
Other Georgians in the field include qualifier Andrew Novak of St. Simons Island and Luke List of Augusta.
Credit: Georgia PGA
Credit: Georgia PGA
Ohoopee’s Todd Sapere wins Georgia PGA Seniors title
Todd Sapere, the PGA professional at Ohoopee Match Club in Cobbtown, won the Georgia PGA’s Senior Professional Championship. Sapere shot a 9-under 135 and prevailed in a playoff against Paul Claxton by making birdie on the first extra hole at Woodmont Golf and Country Club in Canton.
Kyle Owen of Capital City Club-Crabapple was third at 6-under 138. Georgia Golf Hall of Famer Tim Weinhart of Heritage Golf Links, Mark Anderson of Brunswick Golf Club and Craig Stevens of Woodmont tied for fourth at 139.
Those six players earned exemptions into the PGA of America’s Senior Professional National Championship, with a chance to earn a spot in the Senior PGA Championship.
Earning spots as alternates were Scott Allen of Pointe South Golf Club, Sonny Skinner of Spring Hill Country Club and James Mason of The Orchard.
Credit: Georgia PGA
Credit: Georgia PGA
Georgia PGA determines Junior champions
Sahish Reddy of Duluth and Thanana Kotchasanmanee of Rome were the winners at the Georgia PGA Junior Championships played at the University of Georgia Golf Course in Athens.
The two top boys and girls earned a spot in the national championship at Cog Hill outside Chicago.
Reddy shot a 68-73-72 to finish at even-par 213 and earn a two-shot victory over Brody McQueen of Marietta. Joseph Canitano of Milton was third at 3 over. Four players tied for fourth at 4 over – Davis Bagwell of Monroe, Josh Strong of Sugar Hill, Cole Isbell of Cumming and Oliver Jackoniski of Dunwoody.
Kotchasanmanee, a rising sophomore at the Darlington School, shot a 70-66-71 for a 9-under 207. Mary Miller of Savannah and Reagan Southerland of Atlanta tied for second at 4-over 220, with Miller winning a playoff to determine the second national qualifier. Ella Manley of Calhoun was fourth at 5 over, and Hailey Han of Duluth and Alisa Pressley of Hoschton tied for fifth at 6 over.
Credit: Georgia PGA
Credit: Georgia PGA
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