This college golfer became the first amateur to win on the APGA Tour

Kieron van Wyk made history Sunday.

The senior at College of Charleston became the first amateur to ever win on the Advocates Professional Golf Association Tour, capturing the title at the APGA Farmers Insurance Invitational at Torrey Pines. The South African native made par on the closing par-5 18th to get into a playoff, then he birdied the same hole twice in a three-man, sudden-death playoff that went two holes.

“I’m proud of myself and how I did,” van Wyk said. “I played well yesterday, and I just struggled a little bit mentally on the greens. I knew I had the game to compete and win out here coming off a good season I had last semester. Yeah, I’m proud of myself. Only good things can come from this.”

Van Wyk made the most of his first visit to Torrey Pines, signing for 3-over 75 on the North Course during Saturday’s first round before shooting 1-under 71 Sunday on the South Course. He bogeyed the 17th hole but rebounded with the par on 18 to get into the playoff, and then he topped Luis Gagne and Chase Johnson to make history.

No amateur has won on the APGA Tour since it began in 2010. Now, van Wyk has that honor all to himself.

Van Wyk earned his spot in the APGA Farmers Insurance Invitational as the top player in the 2024-2025 Bridgestone APGA Collegiate Ranking as of Oct. 30, 2024. By virtue of winning the White Sands Bahamas Men’s NCAA Golf Invitational last fall, he secured an exemption into the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open this March. He’s ranked fifth in the NCAA Golf Rankings heading into the spring season.

“The APGA is doing really good stuff,” van Wyk said. “As a young professional or soon-to-be professional, you need as many opportunities as you can. It’s tough out here to play as a pro. You need those opportunities to get yourself going and familiarize yourself with the environments and everything that it has to offer. I’m truly grateful for all that they do and the opportunity that they’ve given me this week.”

According to the tour’s website: The mission of the APGA Tour is to bring greater diversity to the game of golf by developing African Americans and other minorities for careers in golf.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Amateur Kieron van Wyk wins APGA’s Farmers Insurance Invitational