The final field of PGA Tour stars is set for next week's Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, but there's one spot left open for the winner of another tournament happening this weekend on the North Course.
Willie Mack is just one of the professional golfers competing in the APGA Farmers Insurance Invitational, where the "A" stands for Advocates. The organization has a non-profit mission to add diversity to the game of golf through tournaments like the annual event at Torrey Pines. Mack has been a regular in recent years and has twice played with the main field in the Farmers Insurance Open.
"Most tournaments, they're not going to give you an opportunity to play on the PGA Tour, that's for sure," Mack said.
Marcus Byrd, the reigning APGA Player of the Year, is also competing for the coveted spot.
"This is what any player would ask for as a professional golfer, having the opportunity to play on the PGA Tour. I'm just really excited, really looking forward to playing a great golf course that's in great shape. I really look forward to starting my year here," Byrd told ABC 10News.
This weekend, the stakes are much higher than in recent years. The APGA tournament previously took place at the end of the Farmers Insurance Open. This time, it's happening a week early, with the winning golfer adding his name to the FIO field with a chance to win some of the $9.6 million prize purse.
"It's always good to be able to have that PGA Tour opportunity, so hopefully, whoever plays well this week...hopefully it's me... you'll have some momentum going into next week," Mack said.
While only one golfer can win their way into the Farmers Insurance Open, every player on the APGA Tour gets to keep working on their dream of a successful pro golf career.
"Just learning as much as we can and continuing to get better, that's all that we can do," Byrd said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
