Chance email leads Patrick Reed to help aspiring APGA pro

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico — Today Mayakoba and the PGA TOUR introduced World Wide Technology, a $13 billion technology solutions provider, as title sponsor for the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba in a seven-year partnership that extends through 2027. The 15th annual event, hosted at El Camaleón Golf Club at Mayakoba on Mexico’s Riviera Maya, will be held November 1-7, 2021, with Norway’s Viktor Hovland expected to defend his 2020 title. Hovland, who will represent Norway in the 2020 Summer Olympics, claimed his second career PGA TOUR victory last December in Mexico with a birdie on the 72nd hole. “The global expansion and resulting positive impact of the PGA TOUR makes Mayakoba a natural fit for WWT,” said Jim Kavanaugh, CEO and co-founder of WWT. “At WWT, we do whatever it takes to create the best possible technology experiences and business outcomes for customers and communities around the world. We are proud to support the tournament as it showcases top golf talent while also inspiring leadership and opportunity through the expansion of youth golf in Mexico and Latin America.” In 2007, Mayakoba made history as the PGA TOUR’s first official full-field event held outside the United States or Canada. The tournament is a pioneer for the sport of golf in Mexico and Latin America and has opened the door for Tours such as PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and multiple professional golf events held annually throughout the region. “We are excited to partner with World Wide Technology as we continue to foster the growth of golf in Mexico and Latin America through the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba and its charitable initiatives,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “The World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba broke new ground as the first PGA TOUR event in Mexico in 2007, and we look forward to properly celebrating this new partnership and the 15th anniversary of the event come November.” This year’s World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba, a FedExCup Regular Season event, will again bring the world’s top golfers to Mexico’s most important tourist destination to experience the warm hospitality and natural beauty of the Mexican Caribbean. Since its inception, the growth of golf in Mexico and creating a positive charitable impact on the community have been key objectives for the event and Mayakoba as a destination. This growth recently manifested itself on the PGA TOUR as Guadalajara’s Carlos Ortiz became only the third player from Mexico to win on the PGA TOUR at the 2020 Vivint Houston Open. Ortiz joins Victor Regalado and Cesar Sanudo as winners hailing from Mexico. In its history, a total of 25 different Mexican players have competed in the PGA TOUR’s event at Mayakoba, and thousands of Mexican youth have been introduced to the sport of golf through the tournament’s community golf development program, Golf PARa Todos. More than $3 million has been generated for local, national and international charities focused on a variety of issues, including education, environmental sustainability and health and wellness for young people. “We are honored to have hosted the PGA TOUR since 2007 and we couldn’t be happier with this partnership with World Wide Technology that assures the continued positive impact of our event,” said Borja Escalada, CEO of RLH Properties. “Fifteen years ago, we made a great investment in golf and sport with which RLH shares many values. And the sponsorship of World Wide Technology, as well as the support of all our sponsors and supporters across Mexico and Latin America, make me confident that the best is yet to come. We look forward to continue supporting the development of this great sport in Mexico and the region as well as to hosting World Wide Technology at beautiful Mayakoba and celebrating many more years of PGA TOUR golf at Mayakoba.” All four rounds of the 2021 World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba will be carried live on Golf Channel in the United States and on Golf Channel Latin America and GOLFTV in Mexico and Latin America.

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The John Deere Classic’s Monday qualifier at Oakwood Country Club ended in a rarity for 2021. No playoff was needed to determine the final spots in the field of this week’s PGA TOUR event. Luke Gannon, 22, was medalist after shooting 63 (-8). He will make his PGA TOUR debut at TPC Deere Run. Gannon has worked a maintenance job for his dad’s church while trying to make ends meet as a professional golfer, per Ryan French’s Monday Q Info account on Twitter. Alex Smalley, Eric Cole, and Rodrigo Lee finished in a 3-way tie for second at 6 under. An elite group that include Brooks Koepka’s younger brother (Chase Koepka), a former TOUR winner (Eric Axley), and a player who successfully Mondayed just two weeks ago (Stephen Stallings Jr.) finished a shot back. Rodrigo Lee will join Gannon in making his PGA TOUR debut. Q&A with Alex Smalley PGATOUR.com spoke with Alex Smalley after he successfully qualified Monday for his fifth career PGA TOUR start. PGATOUR.COM: What did your back-to-back top-5 finishes on the Forme Tour do for your confidence leading into this Monday qualifier? Alex Smalley: I knew I was playing well coming into this week, so I just had to do the same things I’ve been doing. I played in the Rocket Mortgage qualifier last week and missed the playoff by one, so I knew I was close. It was certainly nice to be able to get over the hurdle this week. PGATOUR.COM: How hectic will preparation be this week after you revise the travel and lodging plans? Alex Smalley: Travel and lodging are always difficult when you qualify because most hotels in the area (especially this week) are sold out. Thankfully I was able to find a place. The TOUR gives out courtesy cars for players, so that certainly helps the finances for the week not having to worry about a rental car for seven days. I am currently trying to cancel my return flight to Atlanta that I booked for 6 a.m. Tuesday if I didn’t make it. That is currently the most difficult thing that I’m dealing with right now. PGATOUR.COM: How have your expectations matched your goals since turning professional? Alex Smalley: I’m not sure I had a whole lot of expectations turning pro. I was trying to feel it out the first few months. The thing I did realize pretty quickly is just how competitive all levels of pro golf are. Monday qualifiers, mini-tour events, and Q-School are all crazy competitive, so I’ve had to adjust my expectations after competing in a few of those. Especially for Monday qualifiers, you could go a whole year playing well in those and never make it into an event. Just trying to manage that part of it is difficult, mentally speaking. PGATOUR.COM: What has been the most surprising to you the most about the grind of a professional golfer? Alex Smalley: I think the most shocking thing is how lonely it can all be. Traveling back and forth between events is tough, but doing it alone would be even tougher. I’m lucky that my mom travels with me and caddies for me in the Monday qualifiers and mini-tour events. She actually caddies for me in the Forme events as well. Going back to what I said in the last question, it’s just so competitive. I was 20 under last week at the Forme event in Auburn and finished T3 with four other guys. That’s just crazy. I’ve also played in three-day mini-tour events where the winning score was -24. If you’re not shooting 6 to 8 under every day in some of these events, especially Monday qualifiers, you’re not going to sniff winning. That’s probably been the thing I’ve realized most. Everyone is so hungry and driven to get to the PGA TOUR. Qualifiers Luke Gannon Age: 22 College: Southern Illinois University Turned pro: 2019 PGA TOUR starts: 0 Cuts Made: 0 Notes: Gannon has played in three Korn Ferry Tour events in the 2020-21 season. He finished in the top 20 in two consecutive events on the Adams Pro Tour in June. Gannon helped lead Southern Illinois University to two NCAA Regional appearances in 2016 and 2019. He was ranked the No. 7 junior in Kansas in 2015. Alex Smalley Age: 24 College: Duke University Turned pro: 2019 PGA TOUR starts: 4 Cuts Made: 2 PGA TOUR earnings: $93,000 Twitter: @asmalley_golf Notes: Smalley made the cut at Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship in 2020 (T14) and 2021 (T22). Before Monday, Smalley finished in the top 5 in consecutive starts on the Forme Tour. Smalley was a member of the 2019 U.S. Arnold Palmer Cup team and the Walker Cup team, registering a 3-1-0 record in each event. He also finished one stroke back of the all-time scoring record during the 2016 U.S. Amateur stroke play, winning medalist honors by shooting 65-68. He also competed in the 2017 U.S. Open, missing the cut after rounds of 73 and 74. He won the prestigious Sunnehanna Amateur in 2018 and 2019, the first player to go back-to-back in that event since Rickie Fowler. Eric Cole Age: 33 College: Nova Southeastern University Turned pro: 2009 PGA TOUR starts: 2 Cuts Made: 1 PGA TOUR earnings: $28,000 Notes: Has won more than 50 times on the Minor League Golf Tour. Finished T23 at Final Stage of Korn Ferry Q-School in 2017 to earn temporary status. Cole has made 26 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour in the 2020-21 season, including a third-place finish. His dad, Bobby Cole, won the 1966 British Amateur and won his solo PGA TOUR title in 1977 at the Buick Open. His mother, Laura, is the youngest player to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur at age 16 in 1971. She was the 1973 LPGA Rookie of the Year and finished in the top 10 of 70 LPGA tournaments. Rodrigo Lee Age: 33 Turned pro: 2010 PGA TOUR starts: 0 Cuts made: 0 Notes: The John Deere Classic will be Lee’s first PGA TOUR start. He has recorded a top-10 on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica every year since 2017. He was 2011 Rookie of the Year on the China Tour. Notes Notables who missed qualifying: Stephen Stallings Jr., Eric Axley, Chase Koepka, Robert Garrigus, Tain Lee, Akshay Bhatia, John Augenstein, Hayden Springer, M.J. Daffue, Justin Suh, Dylan Meyer, Ben Crane, Andrew Loupe, and Broc Everett. 2020-2021 Monday Qualifier statistics: Last event’s qualifier result (Rocket Mortgage Championship): Connor Arendell (MC), Justin Suh (MC), Daniel Wetterich (MC), and Tain Lee (MC) Total money earned by Monday qualifiers on TOUR this season: $1,002,323 Best finish: M.J. Daffue (T12, Sanderson Farms Championship). Next Monday Qualifier: Barbasol Championship at Boone’s Trace National Golf Club in Richmond, KY (July 12, 2021)

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At the old muni they called him My-My, the eighth-grade dropout who was raised by golf. The men at the course treated him like a son, offering guidance he'd never known, while the assistant pro gave him work in exchange for $1 rounds of golf. Gradually, he found a home. Gradually, he became a player. And now Kamaiu (Cam-My-You) Johnson, who never knew his father and never felt welcomed in school, stands on the precipice of his first PGA TOUR start at this week's Farmers Insurance Open. "It's kind of surreal," says Jan Auger, the assistant pro who has since become General Manager of Hilaman Golf Course in Tallahassee, Florida. "It's hard to put into words. Kamaiu is like my son." Says Johnson, 27, who has since gotten his GED, "I'll be a little nervous. I mean, once I get going, I think I'll calm down, but first couple holes will be a little nervy." It takes a men's league The story of perhaps the least likely contestant at the Farmers starts with community. It takes a village, yes, but it also takes a pro shop, a men's league, proactive corporate engagement, and the Advocates Pro Golf Association Tour (APGA), which aims to promote diversity in golf and which the PGA TOUR has supported with its courses and facilities since 2012. All fueled Johnson's wild ride, but it's the adults who practically raised him at Hilaman and the nine-hole Jake Gaither G.C. who will be refreshing their live scoring feeds most obsessively. "Everybody from Tallahassee is going to be watching," says Hank Sykes, 66, an ex-swimming pool installer and one of the regulars at Hilaman. "Kamaiu is the next legend." How the legend expanded beyond Tallahassee goes back to the APGA's first-ever one-day tournament at Torrey Pines' North Course while the Farmers Insurance Open played out on the South last year. Farmers CEO Jeff Dailey, wowed by Johnson's story, made him and former Michigan Amateur winner Willie Mack III brand ambassadors, easing their financial burdens. It was just the start. While a summer of tragedies and racial unrest roiled America, Johnson posted five straight top-10s on the APGA Tour, culminating with a victory over Tim O'Neal and former TOUR pro Brad Adamonis at the APGA Tour Championship in September. His best-ever payday of $16,000 was sweet; he didn't know a spot in the Farmers was just around the corner. "We value diversity and are proud to help support the APGA Tour in its mission to level the playing field for many talented golfers," Farmers CEO Dailey said in announcing the invitation in October. "The APGA is doing incredible work to expand the game of golf, and we are thrilled to be able to provide Kamaiu the chance to play in his first-ever PGA TOUR tournament." Johnson was beyond thrilled. What happens when APGA Tour meets PGA TOUR? "We're about to find out," says Johnson, who lives in Orlando with roommate and PGA TOUR Latinoamérica player Keith Greene. "There are really good players on the APGA Tour that, if they got more opportunities, could play on the PGA TOUR. People don't understand how much it takes to get through Q-School and everything. It's a lot of money. "We have to put ourselves in position to take advantage of those opportunities," he continues. "Make it to the weekend and show we can play out there just like those guys." The key word there is opportunities. Last summer TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan pledged $100 million to help address disparities faced by African Americans and other under-represented groups. The TOUR's alliance with the APGA Tour, and Farmers, is part of that. Ken Bentley, CEO of the APGA Tour, says success stories like Johnson's show the APGA is living out its mission to place people of color not just on TOUR but also in pro shops and boardrooms. "I go back to a press conference Kamaiu did at the Farmers last year," Bentley says. "He said his goal was to get back to Torrey but on the South Course. Now he's got that opportunity. It's great for us. It puts another spotlight on our tour and shows how good our guys are, and that guys who do well on our tour will get other opportunities. Life has really changed for him." That's for sure. He's also been given a sponsor's exemption to compete in the Korn Ferry Tour's Emerald Coast Golf Classic at Sandestin in Destin, Florida, in early April. A bed under the table Johnson was lost before he found golf. Put in slow-learner classes in school, he got discouraged and dropped out. Living with his grandmother and six other family members in a two-bedroom apartment in Section 8 housing, he slept under the dining room table. Golf came into his life by chance on a day when he was skipping school and swinging a stick outside his grandmother's apartment complex, which bordered Hilaman. "I thought it was a golf club," Auger says. "When I saw that it was a stick it made me laugh. It wasn't like he was addressing the ball, but it had the fluidity of a golf swing." She invited him back to Hilaman, and they cobbled together some clubs. He showed promise even if he couldn't beat Johnnie Lee Brown, a Hilaman regular who once shot 59 at Gaither. Local businesses and others chipped in for equipment, lessons and tournament entry fees. When his mom temporarily relocated for work, Johnson lived with Ramon Alexander, who mentored young Black men and later became a member of the Florida House of Representatives. For two years, the arrangement provided Johnson much-needed stability. He kept playing golf. At 19, he finally beat Brown, and when he won the first of his four Tallahassee Opens, the first thing he did was bring Sykes to the pro shop to buy him a hat with his merchandise credit. For Auger, who was standing behind the counter, the gesture meant even more than the victory. "I thought wow, he's grown up to be such a good person," she says. "I'd call Hank sometimes if Kamaiu was giving me a hard time, and Hank would straighten him out." Adds Sykes, whose brother, Freddie, played wide receiver for the New England Patriots, "It's a good hat. Seminoles. I still got it. He was 12 or 13 when I first seen him and started talkin' to him, and we became real good friends. I didn't teach him a lot of golf, but I taught him how to act. Yes, sir. No, ma'am. It was a community thing to teach him how to play golf." ‘He's got big-show game' Johnson's career low is 62. He practices at Orlando's Lake Nona Golf & Country Club but has lately been picking the brain of former TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions pro Jim Thorpe at nearby Heathrow Golf Club. What's it like on TOUR? What should he do? What to avoid? "Just feeling like I belong there; that's kind of how I'm taking it," Johnson says. Greene, his roommate, will be his caddie. Andy Walker, one of his coaches, will also be at Torrey. "He's got big-show game," says Walker, who played the Korn Ferry Tour and is now the golf coach at Div. II Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida. "He has a couple of intangibles, one of which is the length. For a thin guy he has plenty of clubhead speed and can move it. That's going to be one of his major assets. We're making sure he's committing to and hitting the right shots. "The maturation in his game, especially the last six or seven months, has been awesome," he continues. "His background - Kamaiu is a fighter. He's worked for what he's got. Nothing was handed to him, so I think he's used to being in a situation where you've got to go get it." Still, Walker adds, no one should jump to conclusions based on this week. "I don't expect him to be 100% comfortable in that environment because he's never been there before," he says. "I hope this turns into more opportunities for him because he's a great kid. There will be no failure no matter what he shoots in this tournament." Johnson isn't sure who he will play a practice round with, although he's pretty certain he'll meet fellow Farmers ambassador Rickie Fowler, who gave him and Mack a shout-on social media when their endorsements were announced. Johnson occasionally ran into FSU golfers Daniel Berger and Brooks Koepka when he was living in Tallahassee, but the local kid and the collegiate superstars were essentially living in different worlds. "There just hasn't been a lot of money in Black golf," says Johnson, who also represents Titleist and Cambridge Mobile Telematics, a software company in Massachusetts. Those companies plus Farmers, the APGA, the TOUR, and NBA star Stephen Curry's support for HBCU Howard Univerity's golf teams, not to mention other initiatives, are helping to change that. "I think we're definitely moving in the right direction," Johnson says. Back in Tallahassee recently, he visited Sykes, who says of his old, white FSU cap that he has to keep everything Johnson ever touched because the kid is going to be famous. He marveled at Johnson's staff bag with his name on it, a sure sign that Kamaiu had made it. My-My, indeed. Sykes regrets not being able to attend the Farmers because of the pandemic. Brown, who also taught Johnson so much on and off the course, died suddenly at 81 earlier this month. Employed by the city of Tallahassee, he worked at Gaither and passed shortly after shooting his age. The pool of pioneering minority golfers shrinks each year, and Gaither, one of the first courses to allow Blacks, will soon be entered into the historic registry. There is much work to be done; there are fewer Black players than in the 1980s, the heyday of Thorpe, Calvin Peete and others. The APGA Tour will play at Torrey North again this Saturday while Johnson plays the Farmers on the South, determined as ever to make the TOUR his home. There is, he says, no Plan B.

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