Golf Industry Veteran to Lead the Organization’s Growth Alongside APGA Co-Founder and Board Chairman Ken Bentley
LOS ANGELES – Officials from the Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA) Tour, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering African American and other diverse golfers to excel in professional golf, announced today that golf industry veteran Solomon Hughes has been hired as the company’s Chief Operating Officer.
Hughes joins the APGA from Intersport, where he served as Director of Marketing and Development. During his tenure, the Ohio native was responsible for the growth and success of THE JOHN SHIPPEN, a pre-eminent black golf platform, and the Jackson T. Stephens Cup, as well as the World Champions Cup, a new PGA TOUR Champions event that debuted in 2023. Previously, he served in various positions within the golf industry, including as a Regional Director for the American Junior Golf Association.
“We are eager to welcome Solomon to our team,” said Ken Bentley, the APGA’s Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board. “The APGA has experienced considerable growth in the past few years. The COO role will be an important one as we continue to build on that success and provide more opportunities for our players.”
Hughes, who holds a business administration degree from the University of Cincinnati, has a passion for championing diversity in golf that aligns with the APGA’s mission.
“I am thrilled to join the APGA. Throughout my career in the golf industry, I have tackled the diversity issue head on and have seen great progress achieved in making the game more accessible to those who have not traditionally had access and opportunity,” Hughes said. “I care deeply about the APGA Tour’s mission to bring greater diversity to golf, and I have long admired the work that Ken Bentley and the rest of the APGA staff have been doing for the past 15 years to achieve that goal. I’m grateful to Ken and the rest of the board of directors for entrusting me with this opportunity. As I begin to lead this great organization, I look forward to helping the APGA increase its impact on golf and the individual athletes who make up our tour.”
The APGA opens its 2025 schedule with the APGA Farmers Insurance Invitational on Saturday, January 25, and Sunday, January 26 at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, California. The 36-hole event will feature 18 of the APGA’s top players battling it out on the North Course (Saturday) and South Course (Sunday), with final-round coverage on Golf Channel for the fourth consecutive year from 1:30–4 p.m. PT.
About the APGA Tour
The APGA Tour was established in 2010 as a non-profit organization with the mission to bring greater diversity to 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 18 tournaments awarding more than $1 million in prize and bonus money, the APGA has organized a Player Development Program to aid young minority golfers as they work to chase their professional golf goals.
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