A longtime supporter of the Advocates Professional Golf Association and its mission to inspire an inclusive future through the game of golf, Eaves will host the tournament for the first time this summer
NEW ORLEANS – The Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA), a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring an inclusive future through golf, is excited to announce the inaugural APGA Michael Eaves Classic and Celebrity Pro-Am, hosted by ESPN SportsCenter anchor and longtime APGA supporter Michael Eaves, July 27-29 at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, Louisiana.
Eaves will be joined by several of his friends from the worlds of professional sports and entertainment, including former Major League Baseball All-Stars Torii Hunter and Matt Kemp, and Emmy Award-winning media personality Jemele Hill, with additional celebrity participants to be announced soon.
Eaves, a seven-time Emmy award winner, serves as an anchor on ESPN’s flagship program, SportsCenter, and as part of ESPN’s golf coverage at The Masters and the PGA Championship. He has been with the network since 2015 and has provided coverage for the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, Super Bowl, NBA Playoffs, the Rose Bowl and other major sporting events.
“I am thrilled to host the APGA Michael Eaves Classic and Celebrity Pro-Am for the first time this summer,” Eaves said. “Golf can be a terrific vehicle to drive positive change, and I feel fortunate to be in the position to bring together some of my friends in the media, sports and entertainment worlds to support the APGA and its mission to inspire inclusivity in golf.”
Brief celebrity participant bios are below:
- Torii Hunter – Five-time All-Star, nine-time Gold Glove winner and two-time Silver Slugger winner during a 19-year career with the Twins, Angels and Tigers.
- Matt Kemp – Three-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove winner and two-time Silver Slugger winner during a 15-year career with the Dodgers, Padres, Braves, Rockies and Reds.
- Jemele Hill – Host of the Spolitics podcast and contributing writer for The Atlantic; Co-host of the Flagrant and Funny Podcast on iHeart Women’s Sports Radio; Former ESPN reporter and studio host; Emmy Award winner; Host of the NAACP original series Image Unscripted;.
Following Monday’s pro-am, the APGA’s top players will compete in a 36-hole, 54-player tournament on July 28 and 29. The event is the eighth of 12 tournaments in the 2026 APGA Tour season and features a $25,000 purse, with $8,000 going to the winner.
“We are extremely appreciative to Michael for the time and effort he is putting into hosting this event,” said Solomon Hughes, the APGA’s Chief Operating Officer. “Having someone of Michael’s stature lend his name to one of our events speaks to his commitment to furthering our mission, which is so important to our current players and the junior players whom we reach through the work of the APGA Foundation.”
Last year’s APGA tournament at TPC Louisiana, the APGA Two-Man Classic, was played under a team format. Luis Gagne and Willie Mack III won with a 36-hole score of 11-under-par 133. The APGA Tour season runs from January through November with 12 tournaments from coast to coast.
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About the APGA Tour
The APGA Tour was established in 2010 as a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring an inclusive future through the game of golf. The APGA Tour Board of Directors works diligently 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. In addition to conducting 12 tournaments awarding more than $1 million in prize and bonus money in 2026, the APGA has organized a Player Development Program to aid golfers as they work to chase their professional golf goals.
About Michael Eaves
Michael Eaves stands among the most distinguished and nationally recognized sports journalists of his generation, with an impressive career spanning over three decades. His reporting has consistently placed him at the center of the world’s most watched and historically significant sporting events, including the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, the Super Bowl, the NBA Playoffs, the Masters and the PGA Championship, and the Rose Bowl. Michael grew up playing competitive golf and made history in 1990 while a student at South Hopkins High School, becoming the first Black golfer to qualify for the Kentucky High School State Golf Championship.
NOTE: Photos available here.
Media Contacts
Greg Ball
BZA Public Relations
apga@bzapr.com
The post Former baseball stars Torii Hunter and Matt Kemp, Emmy Award-winning media personality Jemele Hill set to join ESPN SportsCenter anchor Michael Eaves at TPC Louisiana July 27-29 for the APGA Michael Eaves Classic and Celebrity Pro-Am appeared first on The Golf Wire.