LA JOLLA, Calif. – One year after playing in the PGA TOUR’s Farmers Insurance Open® as a sponsor’s exemption and nearly making the cut, Michael Herrera returned to Torrey Pines Golf Course for the 2024 APGA Tour Farmers Insurance Invitational and earned a one-stroke victory over John-Baptiste Hakizimana and Kamaiu Johnson. Herrera followed an opening-round 72 on the Torrey Pines Golf Course North Course with a 74 on the difficult South Course to claim his fourth career APGA Tour win.
In addition to the $30,000 winner’s check, Herrera will also have all expenses associated with PGA TOUR Qualifying School covered by Farmers Insurance and the APGA Tour in 2024.
As a child, Herrera and his family frequently drove by the Cottonwood Golf Center, a nine-hole municipal golf course less than 90 miles from Torrey Pines, on their way to, and from, their local shopping mall. Each time passing the facility, Herrera pestered his father, Hugo Leonel Herrera, to let him give golf a try. Once his father gave in, Michael instantly fell in love with the game and flourished as part of the First Tee program. After competing in the Farmers Insurance Open last year as a sponsor’s exemption, Herrera was once again surrounded by family and friends as he earned a hard-fought victory at the Farmers Insurance Invitational.
“It meant so much to have my family here cheering me on down the stretch, the Farmers Insurance Open was the first PGA TOUR tournament I ever came out to watch so to win here at Torrey Pines is so special,” Hererra said. “When I made birdie on 14 and saw I had a two-stroke lead I knew I had a little cushion, but it’s a tough golf course so I knew anything could happen. But I was able to get it to the house and made a solid par on 18 to close it out.”
The support of the APGA Tour and its players are part of an ongoing effort from Farmers Insurance to advance its commitment to growth in the game of golf. The national insurer supports the APGA Tour and APGA Foundation to help provide assistance for players at all stages of their journey.
“Farmers Insurance has been such an amazing supporter of the APGA Tour,” Herrera said. “They have done so many positive things for all of us out here, it’s truly a blessing.”
This year’s event marks the fifth staging of the Farmers Insurance Invitational, which takes place in conjunction with the PGA TOUR’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course. For the past several years, Farmers® has also provided an APGA Tour player with an exemption into the Farmers Insurance Open, with Marcus Byrd receiving a spot in the field in 2024.
About 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 awarding close to $1 million in prize and bonus money in 2024, 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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