ST. LOUIS, Missouri – Xavier Bighaus knew what he had to do down the stretch Thursday at the APGA Daugherty Foundation Championship at Glen Echo Country Club in St. Louis: trust his game.
The Melissa, Texas native delivered a stellar final round, posting just one bogey on hole two while carding multiple birdies and pars. Climbing up the leaderboard, Bighaus passed 18-time APGA Tour winner Willie Mack III to secure his first APGA title, finishing at 7-under-206 (70-70-66).
“This win means a lot and gives me a lot of confidence moving forward,” Bighaus said. “I’m so thankful to be playing at this venue with amazing competitors and the people who support us.”
In winning the fourth tournament of the 2026 APGA season, Bighaus claimed a $13,500 winner’s check from a $45,000 purse and earned 500 points toward the Cisco Cup Series and the APGA’s Jeff Dailey Player of the Year standings.
“I thought when I came out of college, I was a mature golfer, and I can say that I wasn’t looking back on it. I’m learning how to control my emotions and understand that the last shot has nothing to do with the next shot,” said Bighaus, who finished second in the APGA Collegiate Ranks in 2024-25. “The APGA Bridgestone program has done a really good job bridging the gap between college golf and professional golf. It’s definitely a difficult transition, but having a place to play immediately out of college is a safe feeling.”
The sixth-annual APGA Daugherty Foundation Championship was the first 54-hole event of the 2026 APGA Tour season, featuring an extra (third) round of competition at this event for the first time. Eighteen players in the 54-player field made the 36-hole cut (two-over-par 144) after Wednesday’s second round.
Mack III, a Flint, Michigan native and Orlando, Florida resident held a three-stroke lead over Bighaus heading into Thursday’s final round. However, three bogeys in the final five holes during the second round, where he shot even-par 71, dropped Mack III two shots back.
Meanwhile, Michigan native, Joe Hooks used a four-under 67, buoyed by four birdies from holes four-12 and an eagle on the par-four fifth hole, to vault 11 spots up the leaderboard following his opening-round 71. The only other golfers under par through 36 holes were Bighaus, Troy Taylor II, David Kim, and Jonathan Nielsen – all square at two-under 140.
Bighaus grew up with six younger siblings, playing basketball, football, and running track before discovering golf. His uncle won four state national titles, and his grandfather also played professional golf. Bighaus captured two district titles and earned All-State honors at Melissa High School. He continued his success into collegiate golf, leading the Colorado Christian golf team to the university’s first NCAA National Championship in 2024.
Trey Rusthoven – a St. Peters, Missouri resident, Fort Zumwalt East High School alumnus and three-time Missouri High School Class 4 State Medalist – carded a four-under 67 and stood in third place after round one. The second-year APGA player finished with a bogey-free back nine and birdies on Nos. 10, 13 and 16. Rusthoven wound up finishing four-over-217 (67-75-75).
Following Tuesday’s first round, the APGA Foundation held a youth golf clinic for about 160 kids from St. Louis-area organizations such as Access Point, Boys & Girls Club of Greater St. Louis, Big Brothers Big Sisters of St. Louis, Glen Echo Country Club, LM39 Foundation, and the Ferguson Florissant and Normandy school districts. APGA pros serving as clinic instructors included Rusthoven, John-Baptiste Hakizimana, Logan Batiste, Mahindra Lutchman, Mack III, Cameron Riley, and Troy Taylor II, Willy Deus, Rashon Williams, and Jordan Bohannon.
Founded in 2010, the Advocates Professional Golf Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring an inclusive future through the game of golf.
The APGA Tour tees up its fifth event of its 2026 season at the APGA at TPC Scottsdale, in Arizona, from June 1-3, and the season runs through November with 12 tournaments from coast to coast.
About the APGA Tour
The APGA Tour was established in 2010 as a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring an inclusive future through the game of 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 12 tournaments awarding more than $1 million in prize and bonus money in 2026, the APGA has organized a Player Development Program to aid golfers as they work to chase their professional golf goals.
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