Flint’s Willie Mack III Earns Korn Ferry Tour Card

Flint’s Willie Mack III Earns Korn Ferry Tour Card.

Flint, Michigan native Willie Mack III has earned his Korn Ferry Tour card after ten years of playing mini tours, while often literally sleeping in his car.

Earlier this October, Mack finished at 13 under par in the 72 hole Qualifying Tournament. That tie for 14th place left him one shot inside the line.

Mack has won more than 70 times on the mini tours, while also making five PGA TOUR starts. In 2021, he made his first PGA TOUR cut at Detroit’s Rocket Mortgage Classic.

He also made the cut at the John Deere Classic.

That’s good karma.

In 2011, Mack won the Michigan Amateur, becoming the first African American to do so.

In 2018, Mack lost his car, clothes, hats, golf balls, shoes and many other belonging when his 2012 Kia Optima caught fire on a highway in Florida. Mack escaped from the car, somehow managing  to save his clubs.

Mack in recent years has been playing on the APGA (Advocates Pro Golf Association), which is a mini tour created to foster opportunities for minority golfers. That organization has grown from seven events with $200,000 in prize money in 2020 and 14 events with over $400,000 in prize money in 2021, to 18 events with over $900,000 in prize and bonus money in 2022.

Willie Mack III recently won the APGA’s Butterfield Bermuda APGA Championship — his third title this year.