Landon Lyons topped two-time Advocates Pro Golf Association Tour winner Tim O’Neal on the first playoff hole on Monday to claim the APGA Tour at TPC Deere Run title.
Lyons birdied the first playoff hole to earn his second APGA Tour title in three years. He trailed O’Neal by two strokes with two holes to go but Lyons birdied 17 and then chipped in for birdie on 18 to get to 5 under and force a playoff.
“It was one of the best finishes I’ve ever had,” said Lyons. “I knew I needed something special to happen. It was a true roller coaster.”
Willie Mack, the APGA Tour Lexus Cup Player of the Year in 2019,
finished third, two strokes back at 3 under. Florida A&M’s Mulbe Dillard was the top amateur finisher with a 2 over, good for T-7.
TPC Deere Run is home to the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic but that event was among those canceled this year due to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic.
Next up, the APGA Tour is in Los Angeles for a one-day event on Aug. 30 at Montebello Golf Course. Then it’s the APGA Tour Championship Presented by Lexus, Sept. 1-2 at Pacific Palms Resort in City of Industry, California. The season wraps up in October with the APGA Tour Salute to African American Golfers at Chester Washington Golf Course in Los Angeles.
The APGA Tour Presented by Lexus has a mission of bringing greater diversity to the game of golf by developing Black athletes and other minority groups for careers in golf. TPC Deere Run is one of several TPC courses hosting events as part of the APGA’s partnership with the PGA Tour.
On Jan. 21, 2020, the PGA Tour and the APGA announced significant enhancements to the existing strategic partnership between the two organizations, including 2020 tournaments hosted by TPC properties and funded by the PGA Tour, access and instruction at the PGA Tour Performance Center at TPC Sawgrass and additional financial assistance.
