There was pain in Tiger Woods’ steps, confidence in Rory McIlroy’s. That was the most obvious sign of two players in wildly different places on the same day at the same course.
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NEW YORK CITY – Skratch and Mastercard today announced a two-part series documenting the journey of APGA Tour Player of the Year Kamaiu Johnson – who won the inaugural Mastercard APGA Player Achievement Award in 2022 and with it an exemption to play on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, beginning in December. Over six episodes, ‘Relentless Pursuit’ will follow Johnson as he competes on the APGA for the award, prepares for PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and eventually finds out whether he is able to keep eligibility status or qualify for the Korn Ferry Tour and continue the path to the PGA TOUR. “This past season on the APGA Tour was a dream come true and I’m incredibly grateful to have received the Mastercard APGA Player Achievement Award, giving me the opportunity to compete on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica,” remarked Johnson. “I’ve worked extremely hard to have an opportunity like this and I’m excited to share my story through the ‘Relentless Pursuit’ series. Support like this is incredibly important to all of us out on the APGA Tour as we hope to share our stories and provide inspiration to the next generation of minority golfers.” The APGA Tour was established in 2010 as a non-profit organization with a mission to bring greater diversity to the game of golf. The Mastercard APGA Player Achievement Award is an initiative to promote the top performer from the APGA Tour’s World Wide Technology Player Development Program, a 12-member subset of the APGA Tour focused on developing minority golfers who have shown success on the APGA Tour and who support its mission. Johnson earned the award after winning the 2022 Mastercard APGA Tour Championship to earn the top spot in the Player Development Program in 2022. He also captured a $50,000 first place prize from the event’s $150,000 purse, each the largest in APGA Tour history. The 29-year-old has four APGA titles in the last three years and has competed in events on the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour. The Mastercard APGA Player Achievement Award will provide Johnson with financial support to play on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, which tees off December 1-4, 2022 at the 116 Visa Argentine Open presented by Macro in Buenos Aires, Argentina followed by the Neuquen Argentine Classic in Chapelco, Argentina before moving to Santiago, Chile from December 15-18 for the Scotia Wealth Management Chile Open presented by Volvo. “Mastercard is focused on creating an equitable and inclusive society, including a commitment to increasing diverse representation,” said Rustom Dastoor, Executive Vice President, Marketing & Communications, North America at Mastercard. “Together with the APGA and Skratch, we are proud to highlight the stories of APGA players, in addition to providing unforgettable opportunities and resources to support their personal and professional development.” A teaser for the first season was released earlier today on Skratch’s social channels including YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. The first episode will launch tomorrow, Thursday, Oct. 20 and will feature Johnson winning the 2022 Mastercard APGA Tour Championship followed by the release of the second episode on November 2 which will include an appearance from 2022 PGA TOUR Rookie of Year Cameron Young. Season 2 will be released in 2023. “We are excited to work with Mastercard to launch this series and highlight the incredible stories of the individuals playing on the APGA Tour,” said Skratch General Manager Sam Raeburn. “Skratch strives to support diversity in golf, attract a millennial audience and reach a more diverse fan base and we believe this series will do just that.”
The PGA Tour has wisely addressed the mini-trend of players magically struggling with footing when they also just so happen to have a buried lie in a bunker. The Man Out Front is still grumpy about Charley Hoffman and Branden Grace both asking for and receiving relief from bunker shots in 2017. The South African was buried in one of the recently renovated bunkers featuring the spray-on-style bunker liners that TMOF feels are more fad than functional fix for sand contamination. Hoffman’s relief came as he was contending in the RBC Canadian Open, and the episode didn’t sit particularly well with The Forecaddie when the golfer was seen smiling after receiving relief from a fried egg that likely saved him a shot.
