“We just wanted to get more African Americans on tour,” said Kenneth Bentley at the APGA Farmers Insurance Fall Series Finale in November 2023. Since its start in 2010, the Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA) has grown from a humble three-event league into a dynamic 18-stop tour, even playing at PGA Tour venues. Co-founded by Bentley and Adrian Stills, the APGA focuses on helping talented adults who dream of becoming professionals but lack the resources. Now 15 years strong, the APGA is making waves with events like the Farmers Insurance Invitational, proving it’s more than just a tour—it’s a movement.
With 70 members strong in 2025, the APGA Tour is all about teeing up “greater diversity” in golf. Tim O’Neal, one of its standout players, is proof that they’re hitting the nail on the head. Guided by values like courage, excellence, cultural advocacy, and inspiration, the APGA isn’t just about swinging clubs—it’s paving the way for change and leveling the playing field for everyone. Let’s learn more about it.
The APGA vision of two revolutionaries
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The APGA Tour’s vision bloomed from a pivotal moment of reflection. We have all had those “change the world” days after watching Jamie Foxx in Django Unchained. Co-founder Ken Bentley had a similar experience and he chose to act on it. On a casual Las Vegas golfing trip, a screening of the documentary “Uneven Fairways: The Story of the Negro Leagues of Golf,” left Bentley asking: Why, despite Tiger Woods’s transformative impact on the sport, did golf remain predominantly white?
This was the catalyst for Bentley who only picked up golf much later, in his 40s. In contrast Adrian Stills, the fellow-founder has played in the PGA Tour for over 10 years and is the last black player to qualify for the Q school! That’s a hard fact. He was also the Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Pensacola, Florida, and has an award named after him called the
Together, they saw firsthand the barriers holding minorities back in golf like limited finances and scarce coaching. Determined to make a difference, they launched a tour inspired by the UGA Tour’s mission to counter the PGA Tour’s “Caucasian Only” era and create professional scope for people of color who truly desire.
At APGA, diversity doesn’t just mean complexion. Many Black and Brown women have also been invited to this inclusion, and surprisingly, the complete lineup is far more diverse than you’d think. According to Kenneth Bentley, in 2022, 65% of the tour’s players were African American, 15% Latino, 15% white, and 5% from Asian or Indian descent. This colorful tournament has birthed many events, played around the year on (much to Stills and Bentley’s happiness) premier courses.
The role of Farmers Insurance Invitational in APGA’s evolution
The first of the seventeen APGA Tour events has already set a strong tone. Kieron van Wyk set a record-breaking note as the first amateur golfer to win an APGA event! He expressed his gratitude towards the exposure from APGA. “You need those opportunities to get yourself going and familiarize yourself with the environments and everything that it has to offer. I’m truly grateful for all that they do and the opportunity that they’ve given me this week,” said Kieron van Wyk post-matchplay. As an important fragment, Farmers Insurance plays a critical role in equipping players throughout their golfing journey.
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The event itself has had its fair share of milestones. When aired for the first time in 2023, it was a historic moment for Bentley who was in the Farmer’s tent. Conveying his glee, he said, “We had to kind of pinch each other because this was just an unbelievable experience.” Starting from Rogers Park, an inner-city golf course in Tampa, to being at Torrey Pines on live television was just an amazing journey for our guys,” he added.
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Starting with the Farmers Insurance Invitational at Torrey Pines in San Diego from January 24-26, the Tour will continue with the Cisco APGA Black History Month Classic at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, FL from February 17-19. In March, the APGA moves to TPC San Antonio for the first week of March for the APGA AT. With more to fill the remaining months, the year wraps up with the APGA Bermuda Invitational in South Hampton, Bermuda in November. Its charm was evident at the 2025 Farmers Insurance Invitational.
This proves that it is not merely a company with strong values but a platform laid on the foundations of suppressed history, beaten-down courage, and limited references. Nobody had done it before and if they did, only a few were successful, and still, not remotely close to the stance APGA has taken today. Now, the APGA is set to expand members for long-term careers within the sport, marking a major step forward for both the players and the future of the tour. its mission to bring greater diversity to golf is surely being taken to the greatest of lengths. Along with Bentley, Stills’s influence is still present as there is also an award in the APGA named after him, “APGA Adrian Stills Award.”