AUSTIN, Texas – Chase Johnson continued his monster 2023 season on the APGA Tour with a playoff victory over Ryan Ellerbrock at the APGA Farmers Insurance Austin. The win was his third of the year and marked the eighth time in nine starts in which the 27-year-old has finished either first or second, including victories at the APGA Farmers Insurance Cincinnati and the APGA Ascension Classic. As the winner of the first two APGA Farmers Insurance® Fall Series events, Johnson has opened up a sizable lead in the APGA Farmers Insurance Fall Series standings.
Johnson’s finishes on the APGA Tour this year:
| Event | Finish |
| APGA Farmers Insurance Austin | 1st |
| APGA Cisco Invitational at Pebble Beach Resorts | T2 |
| APGA Farmers Insurance Cincinnati | 1st |
| APGA Mastercard Tour Championship | 2nd |
| APGA Ascension Classic | 1st |
| APGA at Valhalla | T5 |
| APGA at TPC Deere Run | 2nd |
| APGA at TPC Scottsdale | 2nd |
| APGA at Port St. Lucie | 2nd |
After finishing tied at 9-under-par in the 36-hole event, Johnson defeated Ellerbrock on the first playoff hole by rolling in a six-foot bogey putt after both players found the water off the tee. Aaron Beverly and Rovonta Young finished one shot out of the playoff and shared third place.
“My game was really scrappy this week, I’m proud of the way I grinded without my best stuff,” Johnson said. “The way my dad taught me to play golf was to just figure out how to get the ball in the hole, and that’s definitely what I did this week. I hung in there and probably made about 200 feet worth of putts today.”
The APGA Farmers Insurance Fall Series is a three-event series designed to further the APGA Tour’s mission of bringing greater diversity to the game of golf and to provide additional playing and earning opportunities to APGA Tour. The fall series concludes with the APGA Farmers Insurance Fall Series Finale @ Tustin Ranch Golf Club Nov. 7-9.
“All of the players on the APGA Tour are already incredibly grateful to Farmers for supporting these three events at a crucial time of the year. Many of us are teeing it up at Q-school so it’s great for us to have this level of competition to stay sharp and have a chance to earn money to set us up for success in 2024,” said Johnson. “After winning both events in the Fall Series, I’m probably the biggest fan of Farmers Insurance out on this tour!”
Johnson’s strong season has also included opportunities to test his skills on the PGA TOUR. With his APGA Ascension Classic victory, Johnson earned an exemption into the World Wide Technology Championship later this year on the PGA TOUR. It will be Johnson’s second PGA TOUR start of the calendar year after earning an exemption to the Rocket Mortgage Classic by winning the 2023 John Shippen Invitational. Johnson, who spent the 2021 season on the Korn Ferry Tour, made the cut at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
The APGA Farmers Insurance Austin included a diverse field of 51 golfers playing for a $25,000 purse and allowed players to establish position in the Farmers Insurance Fall Series bonus pool.
Tournaments in the APGA Tour Farmers Insurance Fall Series:
- September 3-5 – APGA Farmers Insurance Cincinnati – $25,000 purse, $7,500 to the winner
- October 2-4 – APGA Farmers Insurance Austin – $25,000 purse, $7,500 to the winner
- November 7-9 – APGA Farmers Insurance Fall Series Finale – $45,000 purse
- The top performing players from the three events will receive additional money from the Fall Series Bonus Pool with the winner receiving $15,000
Jeff Dailey Award – In January 2023, the APGA Tour announced that the top player at the end of the season will receive the Jeff Dailey APGA Tour Player of the Year award. This honor will be given to the APGA Tour member who earns the most combined points in APGA Tour competition throughout the Lexus Cup season, the APGA Farmers Insurance Fall Series, and two Cisco Invitational events. The award, which is named after former Farmers Insurance CEO Jeff Dailey in recognition of his long-time support of the APGA Tour, will include a $25,000 bonus for the winner. Thanks to his four victories on the APGA Tour this season, Marcus Byrd currently leads the Jeff Dailey Award standings, but the victory on Tuesday helped Johnson close the gap slightly.
“We launched the APGA Tour in 2010 thanks to a $10,000 contribution that came from Farmers Insurance and through the support of Jeff Dailey,” said APGA Tour CEO Ken Bentley. “The APGA Tour has made incredible progress over the years and Jeff has been a catalyst of our momentum and success. As we look at the future, we want to make sure that his impact on our Tour isn’t forgotten. Having this award in his name is fitting and will serve as a reminder that with the sustained help of dedicated and passionate supporters, change can happen.”
APGA TOUR 2023 SCHEDULE/RESULTS
| Date | Tournament | Winner |
| Jan 28-29 | APGA Farmers Insurance Invitational | Marcus Byrd |
| Feb 26-28 | APGA Black History Month Classic | Kevin Hall |
| March 20-21 | APGA Florida @ St. Johns Golf & Country Club | Marcus Byrd |
| April 9-11 | APGA Las Vegas @ TPC Las Vegas | Wyatt Worthington II |
| May 1-2 | APGA at PGA Golf Club | Kevin Hall |
| May 7-9 | APGA Scottsdale @ TPC Scottsdale | Kamaiu Johnson |
| May 28-30 | APGA Deere Run @ TPC Deere Run | Marcus Byrd |
| July 23-25 | APGA at Valhalla | Marcus Byrd |
| July 30-Aug 1 | APGA Two Man Classic @ TPC Louisiana | Christian Heavens & Quinn Riley |
| Aug 8-10 | APGA Ascension Classic | Chase Johnson |
| Aug 13-15 | APGA Mastercard Tour Championship | Varun Chopra |
| Sept 2-4 | APGA Farmers Insurance Cincinnati | Chase Johnson |
| Sept. 16-19 | APGA Cisco Invitational @ Pebble Beach Resorts | Wyatt Worthington II |
| Oct. 2-4 | APGA Farmers Insurance Austin | Chase Johnson |
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 an expected 18 tournaments awarding close to $1 million in prize andbonus money in 2023, the APGA has organized a Player Development Program to aid young minority golfers as they work to chase their goals in professional golf.
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