#NNPA BlackPress

PRESS ROOM: Billy Horschel APGA Tour Invitational presented by Cisco announces field, purse, sponsors and Korn Ferry Tour event exemption

NNPA NEWSWIRE — 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 post PRESS ROOM: Billy Horschel APGA Tour Invitational presented by Cisco announces field, purse, sponsors and Korn Ferry Tour event exemption first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 years ago

April 2, 2022

admin

May 4 – 6 event at TPC Sawgrass will include a field of 18 players with the largest purse in APGA Tour history, will focus on competition, promoting diversity and player development opportunities.

Ponte Vedra Beach, Fl. – Six-time PGA TOUR winner and 2021 BMW PGA Championship winner Billy Horschel today 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. What I didn’t expect is how much of an impact the event would have on me, on the players and on the attendees. The success of year one has only fueled my desire to do more and this year’s event is going to be even better. We are fortunate to have companies like Cisco, Velocity Global, PGA TOUR Superstore, Polo Ralph Lauren and The Concession Golf Club who have returned and many more who have joined to support this event who share my passion in making golf better resemble the world we live in. To have Korn Ferry provide a sponsor exemption to the BMW Charity Pro-Am is a massive opportunity for the winner not only to gain experience on that stage, but sometimes one week can change a player’s career.”

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 list of companies and partners who are supporting the event and/or 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. Thank you to our partners at Korn Ferry for their commitment to this mission and providing the sponsor exemption, and we look forward to welcoming the winner of the event to the Thornblade Club in South Carolina in June.”

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 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.

“Last year’s event had a profound impact on our players with several receiving financial support from companies that attended, but it also gave them a chance to hear from Billy about what it takes to be a professional in the game and to test their skills at a world-class golf course,” said APGA Tour CEO Ken Bentley. “With Billy and the team at Cisco, we are certain that this will be another successful event with tremendous impact on our players. The grind of professional golf is not only immensely difficult, but it is also very costly. With Farmers Insurance starting off the year with a record-breaking $100,000 purse and now Cisco and Billy Horschel pushing this purse to $125,000, the financial support of this week alone can go a long way for these players throughout the season.”

Many of the players in the field are a part of the APGA Tour player development program. The event will include six APGA Tour players who have made starts on the PGA TOUR in the last 18 months including Kamaiu Johnson, Ryan Alford, Marcus Byrd, Kevin Hall, Aaron Beverly and Willie Mack, who made back-to-back cuts on the PGA TOUR in 2021. Kamaiu Johnson and Ryan Alford both played in this year’s Farmers Insurance Open where Alford made an eagle on the first hole of his PGA TOUR career. Alford won back-to-back events on the APGA Tour in 2021. Aaron Beverly received the Charlie Sifford Exemption at the Genesis Open after winning the 2021 APGA Farmers Fall Series Finale at Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles. Mack returns as defending champion of the Billy Horschel APGA Tour Invitational presented by Cisco after winning last year’s event by four strokes in a season that saw him continue on to win the APGA Tour’s season-long Lexus Cup. Michigan State’s Troy Taylor II returns again as an amatuer after playing in last year’s event and finishing an impressive runner-up to Mack.

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
- Andrew Walker
Amateur golfer as determined by tournament and APGA Tour leadership –
- Troy Taylor II
Exemptions
- Olajuwon Ajanaku
- Kevin Hall
- Joey Stills
- Wyatt Worthington
- Gregory Odom Jr.

ABOUT BILLY HORSCHEL – A resident of Northeast Florida, Billy Horschel has won six times on the PGA TOUR, and most recently added a victory on the DP World Tour at the 2021 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. Horschel is a dedicated husband and father to his wife, Brittany, and their three children. He hosts one of the most successful AJGA youth events, the Billy Horschel Junior Championship and, along with Annika Sorenstam, was recently named as one of two National Chairmen on the AJGA Board of Directors. Billy is an ardent supporter ofFeeding Northeast Florida through numerous charitable efforts.

ABOUT CISCO – Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in technology that powers the Internet. Cisco inspires new possibilities by reimagining your applications, securing your data, transforming your infrastructure, and empowering your teams for a global and inclusive future. Discover more on The Network and follow us on Twitter.

Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco’s trademarks can be found at http://www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company.

ABOUT THE APGA TOUR – 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 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.

ABOUT FAIRWHAY MANAGEMENT – Fairwhay Management is a boutique, female-owned, sports marketing, consulting and talent management firm. With over 30 years of experience in the industry, our expertise lies in unique and innovative alliances and endeavors. We specialize in relationship building, multi-faceted marketing partnerships, along with full-service athlete and client management. We are proud to partner with a collection of the most driven and talented athletes in the golf industry.

ABOUT KORN FERRY TOUR – Founded (1990), owned and operated by the PGA TOUR, the Korn Ferry Tour identifies and develops golf’s next stars, preparing them to compete and win on the game’s biggest stage. The Korn Ferry Tour, which has served as a path to the PGA TOUR since its inception, began providing 50 PGA TOUR cards annually in 2013. Each season, the top 25 players secure PGA TOUR cards via the Korn Ferry Tour’s regular season and an additional 25 players secure promotion through the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. With more than 600 PGA TOUR titles, 25 major championships and six FedExCup Champions, Korn Ferry Tour alumni make up over 80 percent of the PGA TOUR’s current membership. To learn more about the PGA TOUR, the Korn Ferry Tour and to follow the season-long quest for a PGA TOUR card, visit PGATOUR.COM or follow the Korn Ferry Tour on social media.

Six Korn Ferry Tour events are televised annually on GOLF Channel in the United States, with tournament programming also available via 22 linear TV partners in 170-plus countries and territories. Over 70 hours of live coverage is available in 130-plus countries and territories. Programming is also available via the OTT platform GOLFTV powered by PGA TOUR in every market outside of the United States (240-plus countries and territories), excluding China, Korea and Russia, with live coverage distributed in 130-plus countries and territories.

The post PRESS ROOM: Billy Horschel APGA Tour Invitational presented by Cisco announces field, purse, sponsors and Korn Ferry Tour event exemption first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

admin

Posts by admin

Up Next

Environmental Justice Group Sues Port of Oakland for “Negative Impacts” of Sand and Gravel Project

Don't Miss

Oakland Post: March 30 – April 5, 2022

admin

Click to comment

#NNPA BlackPress

COMMENTARY: Jim Crow 2.0 at the Pentagon

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The American people are expected to believe that one extraordinary officer after another suddenly fails to meet some undefined standard of excellence. We are expected to ignore impeccable service records while accepting that political appointees alone possess the wisdom to determine who is worthy of advancement.

Published

2 weeks ago

August 3, 2026

bpusa-syndication

Pete Hegseth insists that he is restoring “merit” to the United States military. But after months of dismissals, blocked promotions, and ideological purges, the evidence tells a different story. His campaign against so-called “diversity, equity, and inclusion” has become something far more dangerous: an assault on equal opportunity that falls with particular force on African Americans, while also targeting women, Latinos, gay Americans, and transgender service members.

The latest example is both troubling and infuriating.

Once again, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reportedly blocked the promotion of an exceptionally qualified woman—Rear Admiral Amy Bauernschmidt. Bauernschmidt is no ordinary officer. She became the Navy’s first woman to command a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, one of the most demanding leadership assignments in the world. Her career reflects decades of exemplary performance, operational excellence, and leadership under extraordinary pressure.

Yet once again, a distinguished military career appears to have been subordinated to an ideological agenda masquerading as “merit.”

I call BS!

The American people are expected to believe that one extraordinary officer after another suddenly fails to meet some undefined standard of excellence. We are expected to ignore impeccable service records while accepting that political appointees alone possess the wisdom to determine who is worthy of advancement.

The pattern has become impossible to ignore.

General Charles Q. Brown Jr., only the second African American to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was dismissed despite a career that placed him among the most accomplished military leaders of his generation.

Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman ever to serve as Chief of Naval Operations, was removed despite decades of distinguished command experience.

Reports have documented interventions that blocked or delayed the promotions of Black officers and women selected through the military’s rigorous promotion system.

Now Rear Admiral Amy Bauernschmidt joins the growing list of highly accomplished officers whose careers have been derailed for reasons that have never been persuasively explained.

Where is Congress?

Its silence has become deafening.

Congress has an independent constitutional responsibility to oversee the armed forces. Instead, too many lawmakers have watched silently while one of the nation’s most respected institutions is subjected to ideological litmus tests and political interference.

This is not military reform. It is testosterone-fueled performative masculinity disguised as a philosophy of military excellence.

The irony is impossible to miss. Hegseth repeatedly invokes “merit,” yet his rhetoric begins with the assumption that Black officers, women, and other historically excluded Americans must somehow justify their achievements in ways that white male officers are rarely required to do.

That is not meritocracy. It is prejudice wrapped in patriotic language.

No one is asking that anyone be promoted because of race or gender. Americans simply expect that promotions be based on demonstrated competence, leadership, integrity, and service. The officers being targeted have already proven themselves repeatedly under one of the world’s most demanding evaluation systems.

Their records speak for themselves.

The attack on African American military leadership has been especially pernicious.

For generations, Black Americans fought in segregated units, earned decorations while denied equal treatment, and repeatedly demonstrated loyalty to a nation that often failed to extend them full citizenship. They broke barriers not because standards were lowered but because excellence finally overcame institutional discrimination.

Today’s campaign against “diversity” threatens to revive old assumptions under new slogans.

The implication that Black generals and admirals somehow owe their success to affirmative action rather than extraordinary performance echoes some of the ugliest stereotypes of the Jim Crow era. Yesterday’s segregationists claimed Black Americans were inherently less qualified. Today’s culture warriors simply employ more politically acceptable language while inviting the same suspicion about Black achievement.

That is why Hegseth’s campaign increasingly resembles Jim Crow 2.0.

The targets may now wear stars on their shoulders instead of military patches on segregated uniforms, but the underlying message is hauntingly familiar: Black excellence is presumed suspect, while white excellence is presumed earned.

America’s military became the finest fighting force in history because it opened its doors to talent wherever it could be found. It grew stronger after President Truman desegregated the armed forces. It became stronger when women assumed greater command responsibilities. It became stronger when every qualified American was given the opportunity to serve to the fullest extent of their abilities.

Diversity is not a concession. It is a strategic advantage.

The nation’s adversaries do not fear an American military because it is racially homogeneous. They fear it because it draws upon the talents of more than 340 million Americans whose diverse experiences, perspectives, and abilities make our armed forces unmatched anywhere in the world.

Every politically motivated dismissal of a distinguished officer sends a chilling message throughout the ranks: excellence alone may no longer be enough if you belong to the wrong demographic group.

That weakens morale. It weakens recruitment. It weakens retention.

And ultimately, it weakens national security.

Pete Hegseth has every right to pursue military readiness. He has no right to redefine merit in ways that repeatedly cast suspicion upon the accomplishments of Black officers, women, and others who have devoted their lives to defending this nation.

America deserves better. The men and women who wear the uniform deserve better. The Constitution deserves better.

And unless Congress finds the courage to exercise meaningful oversight, history may well remember this period not as a restoration of military excellence, but as the moment political ideology attempted to resurrect, in modern form, the old poison of exclusion.

Jim Crow did not strengthen America. Jim Crow 2.0 will not strengthen America’s military. It will only diminish it

Wade Henderson
Strategic Advisor
Civil and Human Rights
wade@wadejhenderson.com

bpusa-syndication

Posts by bpusa-syndication

#NNPA BlackPress

New Judge Could Decide if Karmelo Anthony Gets a New Trial

By Emilie St. John (Contributor) Karmelo Anthony will return to court next month in his first step to overturn his murder conviction. Anthony was found guilty last month in the stabbing death of Austin Metcalf and sentenced to 35 years in prison. His new legal team has filed motions seeking the recusal of State District […]
The post New Judge Could Decide if Karmelo Anthony Gets a New Trial appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

2 weeks ago

July 31, 2026

Oakland Post

By Emilie St. John
(Contributor)

Karmelo Anthony will return to court next month in his first step to overturn his murder conviction.

Anthony was found guilty last month in the stabbing death of Austin Metcalf and sentenced to 35 years in prison. His new legal team has filed motions seeking the recusal of State District Judge John Roach Jr. from overseeing the appeals process.

Two hearings have been scheduled on the motion for Aug. 9 and 10 in the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney, Texas, according to Fox4 News.

On July 14, Senior Judge Sid L. Harle of the 226th District Court was assigned to preside over the defense’s motion to recuse Collin County Judge John Roach. The assignment took effect immediately and authorized Harle to handle all matters related to the recusal request, the filing read.

The Collin County District Attorney’s Office continues to defend its handling of the case by issuing a statement to NBC 5 DFW.

“The defendant’s new lawyers have filed a motion containing several inaccurate characterizations of the trial proceedings. The entire prosecution team and I conducted this trial ethically and in full compliance with the Court’s rulings and any agreements with defense counsel. We look forward to addressing these claims thoroughly in a Court of law in the coming weeks. The jury heard extensive evidence over the course of the trial and returned a unanimous verdict. We remain confident in that verdict and the fairness of the proceedings.”

Anthony’s new legal team, made up of appellate, civil rights, and criminal defense attorneys, was retained following Anthony’s conviction.

“Our responsibility is to determine whether a legal error occurred and to ensure that every issue supported by the record is fully and vigorously presented on appeal,” the team said in a statement.

“We recognize the profound loss suffered by one young man’s family and the uncertainty facing another, and we extend our respect to everyone whose lives have been forever changed by these events,” the release reads.

Anthony was charged with the stabbing death of Austin Metcalf during a track meet in Frisco, Texas, April 2, 2025. Anthony has long maintained it was an act of self-defense.

The attorneys are representing Anthony pro bono. The nearly 200-page notice of appeal seeks a new trial because his Sixth Amendment right to a public trial was violated.

“The cumulative and practical effect of these provisions was to exclude members of the public from proceedings at every stage,” the filing reads.

The filing also focused on an alleged “handshake deal” that kept Anthony from taking the stand in his defense.

The defense filing said the agreement was that the jury would not hear that Metcalf and his twin brother had been accused of racism and bullying in the past. In exchange, they also would not see Anthony’s cellphone records or his school disciplinary record, according to court documents reported by the Dallas Morning News.

Anthony’s former defense attorney, Mike Howard, said the defense relied heavily on that deal. The team chose not to ask certain questions of witnesses or call on a separate expert witness based on that agreement. It also abandoned plans to introduce testimony and evidence about the allegations against Metcalf and his brother.

Appellate attorney Russell Wilson is now handling post-trial proceedings and Anthony’s appeal. He recently sat down for an interview, stating, “The court committed multiple errors during the June murder trial, preventing him from receiving a fair trial.”

“You know, we file motions that we expect to prevail on, but we understand that there’s two sides to every story. And at the end of the day, it’ll be a judge that has to make these decisions, but we feel confident in the positions that we’re taking,” Wilson said during an interview with WFAA. “There were substantial issues that we thought a reviewing court needed to look at. We thought these were constitutional irregularities, and we could have them addressed now. And so, we put them into a motion for a new trial.”

Bree West, a former Dallas County Assistant District Attorney, found it startling that so little time was given to Anthony’s team for such a serious “life or death” situation.

“I do think that it’s really challenging that potentially a court decided that you have 10 minutes to make that level of decision when it has the potential of being life-altering,” said West during an interview with Fox 4 News.

Judge Harle is no stranger to high-profile cases, having presided over the prosecution of a police officer charged in connection with the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.

Anthony was convicted on June 9 of the murder of Austin Metcalf and sentenced to 35 years in prison.

The post New Judge Could Decide if Karmelo Anthony Gets a New Trial appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

#NNPA BlackPress

COMMENTARY: LSMFT! Lord Save Me from Trump!

WESTSIDE GAZETTE — The author criticizes Donald Trump’s rhetoric, noting his use of terms like “Dumbocrats” and “Communist” to describe Democrats and democracy. The column asserts that Trump’s current strategy involves creating doubt about midterm elections due to a lack of Republican agenda.
The post COMMENTARY: LSMFT! Lord Save Me from Trump! appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

2 weeks ago

July 31, 2026

Oakland Post

Frankly Speaking

Wow! Wow! Wow! The swamp drainers have truly stepped down to new levels of stupidity. You remember Weapons of Mass Destruction? We now have Weapons of Mass Distraction. Trump has introduced Dumbocrats and Communists into the conversation about Democrats and Democracy.

Trump lies so much, and his current strategy is to set up doubt about midterm elections because he and Republicans have no agenda!

He has no “Trump “ card, but Iran has a strait! He called it a skirmish; it’s now a War. He said five days; now it’s five months. He said few casualties; now it’s 18 deaths. He knew nothing about Project 2025 but hired its architects! Trump lies about the lies and often forgets these little inventions called cameras and phones

We see and hear and then see and hear the inconsistencies.

I didn’t like 45 and dislike 47 even more!

The post LSMFT! Lord Save Me From Trump! appeared first on The Westside Gazette.

Based on reporting by Westside Gazette.

The post COMMENTARY: LSMFT! Lord Save Me from Trump! appeared first on BlackPressUSA.