Documentary follows APGA Tour’s Kamaiu Johnson as he wins inauguralMastercard APGA Player Achievement Award and exemption on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica
NEW YORK CITY – Skratch and Mastercard today announced a two-part series documenting the journey of APGA Tour Player of the Year Kamaiu Johnson – who won the inaugural Mastercard APGA Player Achievement Award in 2022 and with it an exemption to play on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, beginning in December. Over six episodes, ‘Relentless Pursuit’ will follow Johnson as he competes on the APGA for the award, prepares for PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and eventually finds out whether he is able to keep eligibility status or qualify for the Korn Ferry Tour and continue the path to the PGA TOUR.
“This past season on the APGA Tour was a dream come true and I’m incredibly grateful to have received the Mastercard APGA Player Achievement Award, giving me the opportunity to compete on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica,” remarked Johnson. “I’ve worked extremely hard to have an opportunity like this and I’m excited to share my story through the ‘Relentless Pursuit’ series. Support like this is incredibly important to all of us out on the APGA Tour as we hope to share our stories and provide inspiration to the next generation of minority golfers.”
The APGA Tour was established in 2010 as a non-profit organization with a mission to bring greater diversity to the game of golf. The Mastercard APGA Player Achievement Award is an initiative to promote the top performer from the APGA Tour’s World Wide Technology Player Development Program, a 12-member subset of the APGA Tour focused on developing minority golfers who have shown success on the APGA Tour and who support its mission.
Johnson earned the award after winning the 2022 Mastercard APGA Tour Championship to earn the top spot in the Player Development Program in 2022. He also captured a $50,000 first place prize from the event’s $150,000 purse, each the largest in APGA Tour history. The 29-year-old has four APGA titles in the last three years and has competed in events on the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour.
The Mastercard APGA Player Achievement Award will provide Johnson with financial support to play on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, which tees off December 1-4, 2022 at the 116 Visa Argentine Open presented by Macro in Buenos Aires, Argentina followed by the Neuquen Argentine Classic in Chapelco, Argentina before moving to Santiago, Chile from December 15-18 for the Scotia Wealth Management Chile Open presented by Volvo.
“Mastercard is focused on creating an equitable and inclusive society, including a commitment to increasing diverse representation,” said Rustom Dastoor, Executive Vice President, Marketing & Communications, North America at Mastercard. “Together with the APGA and Skratch, we are proud to highlight the stories of APGA players, in addition to providing unforgettable opportunities and resources to support their personal and professional development.”
A teaser for the first season was released earlier today on Skratch’s social channels including YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. The first episode will launch tomorrow, Thursday, Oct. 20 and will feature Johnson winning the 2022 Mastercard APGA Tour Championship followed by the release of the second episode on November 2 which will include an appearance from 2022 PGA TOUR Rookie of Year Cameron Young. Season 2 will be released in 2023.
“We are excited to work with Mastercard to launch this series and highlight the incredible stories of the individuals playing on the APGA Tour,” said Skratch General Manager Sam Raeburn. “Skratch strives to support diversity in golf, attract a millennial audience and reach a more diverse fan base and we believe this series will do just that.”
About Mastercard
Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart, and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments, and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all. www.mastercard.com.
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 conducting up to 18 tournaments awarding more than $800,000 in prize money and nearly $100,000 in bonus money in 2022, the APGA has organized a Player Development Program to aid young minority golfers as they work to chase their goals in professional golf.
About Skratch
Skratch is a golf focused media brand that provides its audience with an irreverent look at the game of golf, showcasing the passion points of the golf lifestyle. Launched in 2014 in coordination with the PGA TOUR, Skratch has grown to be a premium content producer of original video programming and social, shareable content, that is viewed over 12 million times monthly, reaching 100 million sports fans across Skratch social channels in 2018 alone. You can find Skratch content by following the brand on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and subscribing to its channel on YouTube.
