THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Golf Invitational Presented by Rocket Mortgage Invites the Nation’s Top Black Male Professional & Amateur Golfers to Compete July 23-24 at Detroit Golf Club; Event to Air on CBS in Advance of the PGA TOUR’s Rocket Mortgage Classic
The Field Will Compete for an Exemption into the Rocket Mortgage Classic
DETROIT – Intersport today announced the men’s field of players committed to compete in THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Golf Invitational presented by Rocket Mortgage. The 36-hole stroke play competition for Black male professional and amateur golfers will be held July 23-24 at Detroit Golf Club in Detroit, Michigan. A one-hour TV special about THE JOHN SHIPPEN will air on CBS leading into final-round coverage of the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Sunday, July 31.
The winner of the event will earn an exemption into the Rocket Mortgage Classic (July 28–31). Eleven of the 22 men in the field for the 2022 THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Golf Invitational presented by Rocket Mortgage are SHIPPEN alumni, including defending champion Tim O’Neal.
THE JOHN SHIPPEN, designed to showcase Black amateur and professional golfers, is named after John Shippen, Jr., who was the first American-born golf professional and also the country’s first Black golf professional. Shippen was bestowed PGA of America membership posthumously in 2009.
To ensure that any financial barriers are removed, THE JOHN SHIPPEN will cover all travel costs (airfare and hotel) for participating players.
“Intersport is thrilled about the men’s field commitments for THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Golf Invitational presented by Rocket Mortgage said Jason Langwell, Executive Vice President of Intersport and Executive Director of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. “THE JOHN SHIPPEN is a vehicle to provide opportunities that can fundamentally increase diversity in golf on a national scale. The strength of this year’s men’s field solidifies our confidence that THE JOHN SHIPPEN is the right platform for these deserving players to compete, and combat the imbalance of access, opportunities and equity for Black golfers that has long existed in the golf industry.”
THE JOHN SHIPPEN NATIONAL GOLF INVITATIONAL PRESENTED BY ROCKET MORTAGE
(Players Listed in Alphabetical Order)
MEN’S FIELD
Name / Age / Status / College / Hometown
RYAN ALFORD (25) – Professional (Louisiana Tech) – Shreveport, Louisiana
– 2021 THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Golf Invitational
– 2022 Farmers Insurance Open (PGA TOUR) participant
– Two-time APGA Champion
DANIEL AUGUSTUS (34) – Professional (Paine College) – Bermuda
– 27 professional wins (eight in 2021)
– Four top 5s & three top 10s in the last nine APGA Tour events
– 2019 qualified for Butterfield Bermuda Championship (PGA TOUR)
– 2012 Bermuda Open champion
AARON BEVERLY (27) – Professional (Sacramento State) – Vallejo, California
– 2021 THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Golf Invitational
– 2022 Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption (PGA TOUR)
– 2022 PGA Tour Canada (Mackenzie Tour) member
– 2021 APGA Tour Fall Series Finale champion
MARCUS BYRD (24) – Professional (Middle Tennessee State) – Ann Arbor, Michigan
– 2021 THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Golf Invitational
– Champion of APGA TPC Louisiana in 2021 (First start)
– 2020 U.S. Amateur participant
– 2019 Conference USA Player of the Year
KEVIN HALL (39) – Professional (The Ohio State University) – Cincinnati, Ohio
– 2021 THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Golf Invitational
– Won the 2004 Big Ten Championship by 11 shots
– Earned conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour for the 2018 season
– Four-time APGA Tour winner
MICHAEL HERRERA (24) – Professional (Riverside City College) – Los Angeles, California
– 2021 THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Golf Invitational
– Two professional wins
– Five professional top 5s
JOE HOOKS (27) – Professional (Wayne State University) – Detroit, Michigan
– 2022 APGA Tour T3 TPC Harding Park
– 2022 APGA Tour T2 TPC Las Vegas
– 2020 seven Top 10s on APGA Tour and 4 Top 5s
CHASE JOHNSON (26) – Professional (Kent State University) – Barberton, Ohio
– Korn Ferry Tour member 2020 and 2021 seasons
– Solo second finish at the 2020 TPC Colorado Championship (Korn Ferry Tour)
– 2017-2018 All American honorable mention
KAMAIU JOHNSON (28) – Professional – Tallahassee, Florida
– 2021 THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Golf Invitational
– Four PGA TOUR starts
– Three-time winner on the APGA Tour
WILLIE MACK III (32) – Professional (Bethune-Cookman University) – Flint, Michigan
– Five PGA TOUR starts
– Four Korn Ferry Tour starts
– Three PGA TOUR Latinoamérica starts
– 70 professional wins
SAMBA NIANG (33) – Professional (Senegal) – Dakar/Senegal
– Senegal’s number one professional
– 23 professional wins in West Africa
TIM O’NEAL (49) – Professional (Jackson State) – Savannah, Georgia
– Champion 2021 THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Golf Invitational
– Three-time winner on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica
– Ten-time winner on the APGA Tour
– Qualified for 2016 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay
– 16 collegiate wins
TOKS PEDRO (26) – Professional (Rutgers University) – Bowie, Maryland
– Five professional wins on the Minor League and Moonlight Golf Tours
– Member of the APGA Tour
– First Nigerian citizen to qualify for the U.S. Amateur (2018 at Pebble Beach)
– First Nigerian citizen to qualify for a PGA TOUR-sanctioned tour (PGA TOUR China 2019)
– Captain of the Rutgers golf team
XAVIER PROCTOR (21) – Amateur (Livingstone College) – Shelby, North Carolina
– One collegiate win
– Three college top 5 finishes
QUINN RILEY (22) – Amateur (Duke University) – Minneapolis, Minnesota
– One collegiate win (2022 Stitch Intercollegiate Championship)
– Three collegiate Top 10s
– 2022 Ranked #1 APGA Rankings
– First African-American golfer in Duke University program history
MARCUS SMITH (20) – Amateur (Eastern Michigan) – Temple Hills, Maryland
– One collegiate win
– Two collegiate top 10s
KRISTOPHER STILES (19) – Amateur (San Jose State University) – Palmdale, California
– Two collegiate top 10s
– 2021 Academic All-Mountain West and Mountain West Scholar Athlete.
JOEY STILLS (25) – Professional (University of West Florida) – Orlando, Florida
– Two professional wins
– Finished third in the 2022 APGA Billy Horschel Invitational Championship
– Finished T2 at the 2018 PGA Works Collegiate Championship
TROY TAYLOR II (22) – Amateur (Michigan State) – Westerville, Ohio
– 2021 THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Golf Invitational
– One collegiate win
– Three collegiate top 5s
TREY VALENTINE (24) – Professional (University of South Florida) – Biloxi, Mississippi
– 2021 THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Golf Invitational
– Big East Freshman of the Year
– Two collegiate wins
– Five years APGA Player Development Program
EVERETT WHITEN JR. (22) – Amateur (Howard University) – Chesapeake, Virginia
– Two collegiate wins
– Howard record holder for lowest 18- and 54-hole total
– MEAC champions 2022 (two-time All MEAC Team)
WYATT WORTHINGTON (35) – Professional (Methodist University) – Columbus, OH
– 2021 THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Golf Invitational
– 2016 PGA Championship participant (Baltusrol)
– 2022 PGA Championship participant (Southern Hills)
– First African-American to win Ohio Section Championship 2021
– Two APGA top 5s
Intersport collaborated with Woods and Watts Effect to design THE JOHN SHIPPEN as a vehicle to fundamentally increase diversity in golf and to create opportunities for young men and women of color in sports on a national scale.
A National Invitational committee was formed to help lead the recruitment and evaluation of players. The committee consists of more than a dozen leaders who support the advancement of Black golfers and includes coaches from HBCU schools, leaders from golf governing bodies and from men’s and women’s national golf events. The National Invitational committee is responsible for identifying the top Black professional and amateur golfers and recommending that group to the Selection Committee, which includes representatives from Intersport, the PGA TOUR, the LPGA, Woods & Watts Effect, Rocket Mortgage, Meijer and Dow. Any male or female professional or amateur golfer who identifies as Black can also submit their profile to info@thejohnshippen.com.
“We are excited to welcome the men who have accepted our invitation to participate in THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Golf Invitational presented by Rocket Mortgage,” said Sommer Woods, Co-Founder of Woods and Watts Effect, Tournament Lead for THE JOHN SHIPPEN and Volunteer Vice Chair of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. “We are delighted that THE JOHN SHIPPEN continues to provide these players the access to get to the next level and advance their golf careers in a way that has never existed for them.”
Tim O’Neal won the inaugural THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Golf Invitational presented by Rocket Mortgage in 2021, carding a final-round four-under-par 68 en route to a tournament total five-under-par 139 and a historic victory.
Later this year, THE JOHN SHIPPEN Sports Business Summit will take place to create national awareness and opportunities for high school and college students of color interested in pursuing careers in the business of sports. The summit will take place in person September 23-24 in Detroit.
For updated information on THE JOHN SHIPPEN, please visit www.thejohnshippen.com/and follow us on Facebook and Instagram (@TheJohnShippen) and on Twitter (@TheJShippen). For information about sponsorship opportunities or how to get involved, email us at THEJOHNSHIPPEN@intersportnet.com.
About Intersport
Since 1985, Intersport has been an award-winning innovator and leader in the creation of sports, lifestyle, culinary and entertainment-based marketing platforms. With expertise in Sponsorship Consulting, Experiential Marketing, Hospitality, Customer Engagement, Content Marketing, Productions and Sports Properties, this Chicago-based Marketing & Media Solutions Company helps their clients to create ideas, content and experiences that attract and engage passionate audiences. To learn more about Intersport, visit www.intersport.global, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
About Woods & Watts Effect
Woods & Watts Effect is an equity and inclusion consulting firm of transformation engineers, co-founded by Sommer Woods and Michele Lewis Watts, Ph.D. They are a solutions-driven team that adeptly designs programs that assess a company’s strengths and areas for improvement relative to inclusion and social equity. Woods & Watts Effect is innovative in their thinking, their engagement and their execution. Through a bold, non-traditional and engaging approach, they produce viable and actionable solutions for sustainable change. More information is available at WoodsWattsEffect.com.
About Rocket Mortgage
Detroit-based Rocket Mortgage, the nation’s largest home mortgage lender and part of Rocket Companies (NYSE: RKT), enables the American Dream of homeownership and financial freedom through its obsession with an industry-leading, digital-driven client experience. In late 2015, it introduced the first fully digital, completely online mortgage experience. Rocket Mortgage closed $351 billion dollars of mortgage volume across all 50 states in 2021.
Rocket Mortgage moved its headquarters to downtown Detroit in 2010. The company generates loan production from web centers located in Detroit, Cleveland and Phoenix and operates a centralized loan processing facility in Detroit. Rocket Mortgage ranked highest in the country for customer satisfaction for mortgage servicing by J.D. Power the past eight straight years, 2014 – 2021.
Rocket Companies, Rocket Mortgage’s parent company, ranked #7 on Fortune’s list of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” in 2022 and has placed in the top third of the list for 19 consecutive years.
For more information and company news visit RocketMortgage.com/PressRoom.
