By Steve Griffith
PORT ST. LUCIE, FLA — Longtime APGA Tour standout Kevin Hall finished off a sizzling round of 64 with birdies on the last two holes to claim a two-stroke victory in the APGA at PGA Golf Club Tuesday, capturing his second title of the young 2023 season.
It was Hall’s sixth APGA Tour triumph and the second time he’s won twice in a single season, matching his accomplishment in 2016 when he was the APGA Tour Player of the Year. The victory vaulted Hall to first place in the Lexus Cup Point Standings with 1,498 points after four regular-season events. He moved ahead of APGA Tour star Marcus Byrd, who has a sponsor exemption for the PGA TOUR’s Wells Fargo Championship starting Thursday in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The 40 year-old from Cincinnati is renowned in professional golf for overcoming complete hearing loss resulting from a childhood case of H-flu meningitis. He went on to become the first African American to play on the golf team at Ohio State, winning the 2004 Big Ten Individual Championship. His 74-64-138 earned him the winner’s check of $7,500 from the purse of $25,000.
A four-way tie for second included Chase Johnson of West Palm Beach, Florida, Varun Chopra of Champaign, Illinois, Salvador Rocha Gomez of Houston and Andrew Fernandes of Cerritos, California, who finished at 140, four-under at the 7,221-yard par 72 course owned and operated by the PGA of America. Ryan Ellerbrock from Chula Vista, California, Mulbe Dillard from Orlando and Aaron Beverly from Roseville, California, tied for sixth with final totals of 141, three under par. Fernandes was the first-round leader with a six-under par 66 on Monday.
Hall started the day eight strokes back and proceeded to go four-under after five holes, highlighted by a 10-foot putt for eagle on the 495-yard fifth hole. He birdied the par-5 17th with a three-footer after laying up and then dropped a 25-footer for birdie on the par 4 finishing hole.
“My mindset is always the same, but I’m more consistent now. My putter has awakened,” stated Hall through his mother, Jackie Hall, following the round. “I knew I had to go get it, make as many birdies as I could. After the hot start, I told myself, ‘No stupid mistakes.’”
Hall now heads to APGA at TPC Scottsdale next week and then back to Cincinnati for the U.S. Open Championship Local Qualifier at Coldstream Country Club on May 15. His plans include playing the rest of the APGA Tour schedule along with some Korn Ferry Tour Monday qualifiers.
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.
APGA at TPC Scottsdale May 7-9 in Arizona is the sixth event of the 2023 season with APGA at TPC Deere Run to follow May 28-30 in Silvis, Illinois.
See scores – https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/9388137797996540424
Be the first to comment