Willie Mack III will go for his third First Coast victory at the Billy Horschel Invitational
The 18-player field has been set for the Billy Horschel APGA Tour Invitational May 4-6 at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.
Leading the field will be defending champion and six-time APGA winner Willie Mack III. Mack, who won an APGA event at Queen's Harbour last month, is one of 12 players in the field from the APGA player development program. The others are Ryan Alford, Aaron Beverly, Marcus Byrd, Mulbe Dillard IV, Michael Herrera, Kamaiu Johnson, Mahindra Lutchman, Trey Valentine, Davin White, Rovonta Young and Andrew Walker.
The other six players are exempt players Olajuwon Ajanaku, Kevin Hall, Joey Stills, Wyatt Worthington and Gregory Odom Jr.; and amateur Troy Taylor II.
The tournament is sponsored by Horschel a Ponte Vedra Beach resident and six-time PGA Tour winner, and Cisco. The field will compete for an APGA record purse of $125,000 and the winner will receive an exemption into the Korn Ferry Tour's BMW Charity Pro-Am.
The pro-am will be held on May 4 and the competitive rounds on May 5-6. The pro-am day also includes seminars, development opportunities with industry leaders and a trip to the PGA Tour Superstore to help players with equipment fitting.
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“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," Korn Ferry president Alex Baldwin said in a statement.
Six of the players in the field, Mack, Johnson, Alford, Byrd, Hall and Beverly, have played in PGA Tour events over the past 18 months and Mack made back-to-back cuts last year.
The APGA Tour was established in 2010 as a non-profit organization with the mission to bring greater diversity to the game of golf. The APGA Tour board 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.
Strong showing at FSGA Senior
Led by three-time Florida State Golf Association Super-Senior champion David Anthony of Jacksonville, the First Coast will have 13 players in the field for the 61st Florida Senior Amateur April 12-14, at the Avila Golf and Country Club in Tampa.
Anthony has finished among the top-six in three of the last four Senior Amateurs, topped by a tie for second in 2020.
Also in the field will be Steve Horner, Steve Pitts, Bob MacMillian, Francisco Aleman, Keith Bratton, Keith Komline and Ken Moody of Ponte Vedra Beach; Mark Beckworth, Mark Taylor and John Lobb of Jacksonville; and Brian King and Edward Kelly of Fernandina Beach.
Dunham slips by Russell
Phillip Dunham of Ponte Vedra Beach birdied the 17th hole for a two-shot lead and eventually defeated Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach by one shot in a Florida Junior Tour 13-15 tournament at the Fairwinds Golf Club in Ft. Pierce.
Dunham (69-68--137) offset an early in the final round at No. 2 with birdies on three of his next four holes. Russell (69-69--138) birdied the last hole to cut Dunham's lead in half.
Dunham has won two of his last three FJT starts and in the last two years, has 10 top-five finishes and 13 top-10s in 17 starts.
Play golf, help charities
Charity golf tournament season is heating up. Here are three opportunities to play the game and support worthy causes at the same time:
• The Cliff's Bar and Grill 18th annual charity tournament, to benefit Special Olympics of Florida, will be April 24 at Hidden Hills. A registration brunch begins at 10 a.m. at Cliff's, located on Monument Road in Arlington, followed by the captain's choice tournament at Hidden Hills. The entry fee includes golf, dinner, awards and prizes. All 144 spots sold out two weeks before last year's event, so move fast. Entry forms are available at Cliff's or email jimrose@bellsouth.net. Hole sponsorships are also available and silent auction items are being sought.
• The Clay County Gator Club will hold its 23rd annual Walker Footings Tournament May 1 at Eagle Harbor, with proceeds going to the club's scholarship fund. There is a 1 p.m. shotgun start, with a captain's choice format. The entry fee is $100 per player and there are various playing and sponsorship packages available. Visit claygators.com for information.
• The Knights of Columbus Father Maher Council 648 is hold its fifth annual charity tournament on April 30 at Bent Creek, with the proceeds going to the St. Pius V Parish. Registration will be at 11 a.m. and a shotgun start at noon. The fee is $90 per player and $360 per foursome. There are also hole-in-one trip prizes to Hawaii, Gatlinburg, Tenn., Las Vegas and Tampa. Call (904) 607-6833 or email rrober8153@aol.com.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Willie Mack leads field for Billy Horschel APGA Tour Invitational May 4-6
