News & Tours
Cisco partners with APGA Tour in long-term effort to promote golf diversity and inclusivity
Aaron Beverly became one of four APGA Tour golfers to sign an endorsement deal from Cisco.
Leon Halip
Cisco and the APGA Tour announced Tuesday that they have partnered in a wide-ranging effort to create and promote diversity and inclusivity efforts in golf. The main priority of the alliance is to provide players with diverse backgrounds at all levels the tools they need to succeed on and off the golf course.
Since its founding in 2010, the APGA Tour has aimed to give minorities greater opportunities to play pro golf.
As part of the announcement, four tour members—Kevin Hall, Aaron Beverly, Troy Taylor and Olajuwon Ajanaku—have been named to Cisco’s team of sponsored players. They join Viktor Hovland, Brendon Todd, Keith Mitchell, Chez Reavie and Maverick McNealy on the PGA Tour side and current APGA member Kamaiu Johnson. Nelly Korda, Jessica Korda and Danielle Kang continue to be LPGA ambassadors.
“We are proud to expand our commitment to the sport of golf and work together with the APGA towards a shared vision of fostering greater inclusivity in the game we all love,” said Mark Patterson, SVP and chief of staff to the chair and CEO at Cisco. “We are thrilled to welcome Kevin, Aaron, Troy and Olajuwon to Team Cisco and to support them as they work to achieve their goals both on and off the course.”
Other aspects of the partnership:
• Cisco continues as presenting sponsor of the Billy Horschel APGA Invitational, an event which begins Wednesday at TPC Sawgrass’ Stadium Course. This event boasts the largest purse in APGA Tour history: $125,000.
• The APGA Tour’s event at New Jersey’s Baltusrol Golf Club (Aug. 11-13) will be named the Cisco Invitational at Baltusrol.
• The APGA is launching a four-event Junior Series, with Cisco providing support. The series will help provide opportunities for boys and girls, along with resources for those who wish to play junior golf at a young age.
• Cisco and the APGA are creating the Adrian Stills Award to honor the tour’s co-founder. Stills was one of the last Black golfers to advance through PGA Tour Qualifying School onto the PGA Tour. The first award will be given at the end of the year to the player who best exemplifies character and sportsmanship.
“Cisco has shown a true passion for helping create opportunities for players from diverse backgrounds and making an impact on the game as a whole,” said APGA Tour CEO Ken Bentley. “We are grateful for their support of the APGA with two headline events that will benefit our players from a competitive standpoint and will help them develop as people as well. With their additional support of youth in the game as well as recognizing the work our players are doing from a community impact perspective, Cisco is creating programs that showcase how the APGA Tour is creating change in the sport.”