Standout players Kevin Hall, Willie Mack III and Kamaiu Johnson are also honored for their success on the APGA Tour and beyond
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan and Golf Digest senior editor Tod Leonard were honored for their commitment to growing the game through their ongoing support of the Advocates Professional Golf Association during the APGA Cisco Black History Month Awards Ceremony on Friday.
Additionally, the Chuck Robbins Scholarship, named in honor of Cisco Chair and CEO Chuck Robbins, was awarded to Joshua Mitchell, an Atlanta native and a sophomore on the men’s golf team at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University.
Top APGA players Kevin Hall, Willie Mack III and Kamaiu Johnson were celebrated for their accomplishments on the APGA Tour and beyond.
The APGA Cisco Black History Month Awards Ceremony celebrates leadership, excellence and service in golf, while honoring individuals whose work advances opportunity and inclusion within the game. In partnership with Cisco, the evening recognizes award recipients, scholarship honorees and leaders whose impact aligns with the mission of the APGA Tour. The Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring an inclusive future through the game of golf.
The ceremony preceded the Cisco APGA Black History Month Classic, set to played Thursday and Friday at TPC Sawgrass Dye’s Valley Course. The APGA’s second tournament of the 2026 season features a field of 54 players competing for a $25,000 purse.
“I am thrilled to announce these incredibly deserving honorees at the APGA Cisco Black History Month Awards,” said Ken Bentley, Co-Founder and Chairman of the APGA.
Jay Monahan was honored with the Ken Bentley Leadership Award, presented in recognition of visionary leadership and an unwavering commitment to driving meaningful change in golf and beyond.
Monahan has served as the Commissioner of the PGA TOUR since 2016, just the fourth person to serve in that role. Under Monahan’s leadership, the partnership forged between the PGA TOUR and APGA for more than a decade has reimagined a pathway to the top of the professional game for golfers from underrepresented communities by opening doors to top-level golf courses, encouraging financial investment and sponsorship and creating long-term impact. APGA players and alumni have earned more than 200 entries into PGA TOUR events. Each year, select APGA Tour events are played at TPC Network properties that host PGA TOUR-sanctioned events, and the APGA Collegiate ranking system provides opportunities for top college players to further their pursuit of making it to the game’s top level.
“Commissioner Monahan has been a staunch supporter of the APGA and an advocate for our mission to inspire an inclusive future through the game of golf for his entire tenure at the PGA TOUR, and we wouldn’t have been able to achieve what we have without the PGA TOUR’s support,” Bentley said.
Tod Leonard was honored with the APGA Media Award, presented to a member of the media whose work elevates the visibility, credibility and mission of the APGA Tour. Leonard, a senior editor at Golf Digest, has reported on golf for more than 25 years, first at a number of top California newspapers and now at one of America’s most respected golf publications. He has covered more than 70 major championships. Leonard has written about the APGA regularly since 2020, charting the tour’s rise while highlighting many of its top players.
“Tod is one of the most trusted voices in golf media and has spent countless hours getting to know our players and telling their stories to the world,” Bentley said. “His dedication to chronicling the APGA’s growth has made a significant impact in so many ways.”
Joshua Mitchell was presented with the Chuck Robbins Scholarship, which is awarded to a student whose academic achievement, leadership and personal story reflect the values of opportunity, access and advancement supported by Cisco’s partnership with the APGA. The scholarship is named in honor of Cisco Chair and CEO Chuck Robbins, whose visionary leadership combined with Cisco’s commitment to diversity and inclusion continue to create meaningful opportunities within the world of golf.
Mitchell was introduced to the game by his grandfather and played two years of varsity golf at Riverwood International Charter School in Atlanta before continuing his academic and athletic pursuits at Florida A&M. He is a business administration major and a member of the Scholars of Finance Club. Mitchell has interned with First Tee of Metro Atlanta, where he supported youth development programs and helped introduce young players to the game of golf.
“We are thrilled to present Joshua Mitchell with a scholarship bearing Chuck Robbins’s name,” Bentley said. “Chuck and his team at Cisco have made a long-lasting positive impact on the APGA through their sponsorship of the APGA TOUR and a number of our top events, and supporting a promising young golfer such as Josh will only extend that impact.”
Kevin Hall was honored with the APGA Tour Award, presented in recognition of outstanding achievements in tournament competition on the golf course, both on and outside of the APGA Tour. Hall has played on the APGA Tour since its debut in 2010. The 43-year-old Cincinnati native secured his eighth APGA Tour victory last fall and was the recipient of the 2025 APGA Adrian Stills Award presented by Cisco.
In addition to his successes in APGA events, Hall has also made a name for himself elsewhere on the golf course. The only deaf golfer on the APGA Tour, Hall earned a silver medal competing at the 2025 Deaflympics in Tokyo. Inducted into the African American Golfers Hall of Fame in 2022, Hall was one of seven APGA players to advance to the second stage of PGA TOUR Q School in December. The St. Rita School for the Deaf graduate has made seven PGA TOUR starts, most recently at the 2021 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and as the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption recipient at the 2017 Genesis Open.
Kamaiu Johnson and Willie Mack III were each honored with the APGA Chairman’s Award, presented to individuals who, through their achievements and sacrifices, have meaningfully advanced the mission and long-term impact of the APGA Tour.
Johnson is an eight-time APGA winner who secured two victories in 2025 – at the APGA Juneteenth Classic in Los Angeles and the APGA at TPC Scottsdale in Arizona. A Tallahassee native and Oviedo, Florida resident, Johnson has made five starts on the PGA TOUR, all between 2021 and 2023.
Mack III is the APGA’s winningest active player with 17 APGA Tour titles. He is also one of its foremost veterans, having played with the APGA annually since he turned pro and debuted in 2011, one year after the APGA’s founding. Mack III, a native of Flint, Michigan who live in Orlando, has played in 10 PGA TOUR events, including the 2024 U.S. Open.
“The accolades that Kevin, Kamaiu and Willie have collected on the golf course, and their contributions to the APGA Tour speak volumes about their commitment and character,” Bentley said.
ABOUT THE APGA TOUR:
The APGA Tour was established in 2010 as a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring an inclusive future through the game of golf. The APGA Tour Board of Directors works diligently 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 16 tournaments awarding more than $1 million in prize and bonus money in 2025, the APGA has organized a Player Development Program to aid golfers as they work to chase their professional golf goals.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Greg Ball
BZA Public Relations
Apga@bzapr.com
