Winner will earn an exemption into the PGA Tour’s 2025 Rocket Classic (June 26-29); Final round of SHIPPEN will be open to fans with complimentary admission and parking
DETROIT – The stage is set for the fifth annual THE JOHN SHIPPEN Men’s Invitational Presented by Rocket, to be played June 21-22 at Detroit Golf Club. Tournament organizer Intersport announced today an outstanding 17-player field of top professional and amateur Black male golfers who will battle for an exemption into the PGA TOUR’s 2025 Rocket Classic June 26-29.
Notable players competing in the 36-hole stroke play tournament include defending champion Willie Mack III and 2023 champion Chase Johnson.
The final round of THE JOHN SHIPPEN Men’s Invitational will be open to fans, with complimentary admission. Free parking will also be offered at University of Detroit Mercy with shuttle service to and from Detroit Golf Club. No ticket is required.
“We are excited to welcome a terrific field of the top professional and amateur golfers for THE JOHN SHIPPEN Men’s Invitational Presented by Rocket,” said Brittany Jeanis, Vice President of Intersport Golf and Tournament Director, Rocket Classic. “Through the first four years of this event we have seen some tremendous play and crowned four incredible champions. We look forward to welcoming fans to join us for the final round on Sunday and to cheer on our champion as he represents THE JOHN SHIPPEN while competing in the Rocket Classic.”
Mack III captured THE JOHN SHIPPEN Men’s Invitational last year by two strokes and earned a spot in the 2024 Rocket Classic field. The Flint, Michigan, native opened plenty of eyes with his opening round, carding 10 birdies for a 9-under-par 63. Going into Sunday’s final round with a five-shot lead, Mack III struggled on the front nine with four bogeys, but picked it up on the back nine and birdied the 12th, 13th and 18th holes. In 2023, Johnson became the first SHIPPEN winner to make the cut at the Rocket Classic.
Players with Michigan ties in the THE JOHN SHIPPEN Men’s Invitational field include: Mack III (Flint); Andrew Walker (Battle Creek/Michigan State); Troy Taylor II (Michigan State); Joe Hooks (Commerce Township/Wayne State), and Julian Thompson (Ferndale/Plum Hollow Golf Club).
“We are proud to support THE JOHN SHIPPEN Men’s Invitational presented by Rocket and award this year’s champion with an exemption into the Rocket Classic,” said Bill Emerson, President of Rocket Companies and the Rocket Giving Fund. “It was an incredible moment last year to watch Chase Johnson become the first SHIPPEN winner to compete through the tournament weekend. Championing diversity in golf is core to our mission of building a tournament that reflects the spirit of Detroit. We are excited to welcome this year’s SHIPPEN champion to the Rocket Classic and showcase the rising talent in our community.
Intersport, a leading Chicago-based sports marketing and media agency, partnered with Woods & Watts Effect in 2021 to create THE JOHN SHIPPEN – a series of competitions created to provide playing opportunities on the LPGA Tour and PGA TOUR for the nation’s top Black women and men golfers.
THE JOHN SHIPPEN was created to identify historical barriers, expand Black representation in golf, and address the lack of Black representation in business and leadership roles within the golf and larger sports industry for people of color. The events are named after John Shippen, Jr., who was both the first American-born golf professional and the country’s first Black golf professional.
“This year’s field for THE JOHN SHIPPEN Men’s Invitational Presented by Rocket includes many familiar names, as well as five players who will make their SHIPPEN debuts,” said Sommer Woods, tournament lead for THE JOHN SHIPPEN. “We’re excited to get the competition underway to see who comes out on top. We appreciative the support that Rocket has provided since Day 1 to help provide opportunities for many of the best Black professional and amateur golfers to compete for an opportunity to play in the Rocket Classic.”
Since 2021, more than 100 of the nation’s best Black women and men golfers have competed in THE JOHN SHIPPEN. THE JOHN SHIPPEN has awarded 19 playing opportunities on the PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour, and donated more than $300,000 to local charities, scholarships and fellowships. SHIPPEN alumni continue to see success beyond the National Invitational through player-earned memberships on the PGA TOUR Champions, PGA TOUR Americas and Ladies European Tours.
In 2022, Women’s Invitational champion Sadena Parks paired with 2021 winner Uwadia at the Dow Invitational and finished tied for 36th, becoming the first SHIPPEN champions to make a cut after securing a start in an event based on their results at THE JOHN SHIPPEN.
The 2023 season was another historic one for THE JOHN SHIPPEN, as, for the first time in the event’s history, the Men’s champion, Johnson, made the cut at the PGA TOUR’s Rocket Classic.
Last year, Women’s Invitational champion, Georgia Oboh, teamed with Lakareber Abe to finish tied for eighth at the Dow Championship, the best finish in an LPGA Tour or PGA TOUR event for a SHIPPEN winner. The 2024 season was also a notable one for a former SHIPPEN winner, as Tim O’Neal, the 2021 Men’s Invitational champion, secured his first victory in a PGA TOUR Champions event, winning the Dominion Energy Classic. It marked the first victory for a former winner of a SHIPPEN event on one of professional golf’s top tours.
For updated information on THE JOHN SHIPPEN, please visit www.TheJohnShippen.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram (@TheJohnShippen) and Twitter (@TheJShippen). For information about sponsorship opportunities or how to get involved, please email us at [email protected].
THE JOHN SHIPPEN Men’s Invitational Presented by Rocket, 2025 Player Field
(Players Listed in Alphabetical Order)
Michael Alunga
AGE: 27
STATUS: Amateur
COLLEGE: Livingstone College (Salisbury, North Carolina)
RESIDENCE: Fort Portal, Uganda / Salisbury, North Carolina
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Winner of 2024 Kenya Amateur Matchplay Championship
- Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association all-conference team in 2023
Aaron Beverly
AGE: 30
STATUS: Professional
COLLEGE: California State University-Sacramento
RESIDENCE: Vallejo, California
HIGHLIGHTS:
- 2022 Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption into The Genesis Invitational
- Two-time Big Sky Player of the Year
- Two-time winner on the APGA Tour
Xavier Bighaus
AGE: 22
STATUS: Amateur
COLLEGE: Colorado Christian University (Lakewood, Colorado)
RESIDENCE: Melissa, Texas
HIGHLIGHTS:
- 2025 Pathway Player into the Collegiate Showcase at The Genesis Invitational
- Led Colorado Christian to its first-ever NCAA Division II national championship
- 2025 DII PING All-American
Michael Bradham
AGE: 37
STATUS: Professional
COLLEGE: Prairie View A&M (Prairie View, Texas)
RESIDENCE: San Antonio, Texas
HIGHLIGHTS:
- 2025 winner of the APGA at Magnolia Grove in Mobile, Alabama
- 2024 APGA Adrian Stills Award winner
Aaron Grimes
AGE: 29
STATUS: Professional
COLLEGE: Cal State University Northridge
RESIDENCE: Compton. California
HIGHLIGHTS:
- 2024 Long Beach Open champion, becoming just the third Black player in the event’s 67-year history to claim the title
- 11 Top-10 finishes during the 2024 APGA season
Kevin Hall
AGE: 42
STATUS: Professional
COLLEGE: Ohio State University
RESIDENCE: Cincinnati, OH
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Four-time THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Invitational competitor (2021-2024)
- Earned conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour for the 2018 season
- Seven-time APGA Tour winner
- Represented the U.S. at the 2025 Deaflympics
- 2017 Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption into The Genesis Invitational
Joe Hooks
AGE:
STATUS: Professional
COLLEGE: Wayne State University (Detroit, Michigan)
RESIDENCE: Commerce Township, Michigan / Scottsdale, Arizona
HIGHLIGHTS:
- 2011 graduate of University of Detroit Jesuit
Chase Johnson
AGE: 29
STATUS: Professional
COLLEGE: Kent State University (Kent, Ohio)
RESIDENCE: Barberton, Ohio
HIGHLIGHTS:
- 2025 U.S. Open qualifier
- 2023 THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Invitational champion; Became first SHIPPEN winner to make the cut at the Rocket Classic
- Three-time THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Invitational competitor (2021–2023)
- Eight PGA TOUR starts
- 2024 Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption into The Genesis Invitational
Willie Mack III
AGE: 36
STATUS: Professional
COLLEGE: Bethune-Cookman University (Daytona Beach, Florida)
RESIDENCE: Flint, Michigan
HIGHLIGHTS:
- 2024 THE JOHN SHIPPEN Men’s Invitational winner
- Four-time THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Invitational competitor (2021-2024)
- 2024 U.S. Open qualifier
- 2023 Korn Ferry Tour member
- 10 PGA TOUR starts
- 80 professional wins
Gregory Odom Jr.
AGE: 24
STATUS: Professional
COLLEGE: Howard University (Washington, D.C.)
RESIDENCE: Memphis, Tennessee
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Two-time APGA winner in 2024
- American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team
- 2023 Ben Hogan Award Watch List
- Leader in the 2023-24 Bridgestone APGA Collegiate ranking (PGA TOUR’s Pathway to Progression
- Seven collegiate tournament wins
- Won the 2021 PGA Works Collegiate Championship
Marcus Smith, Jr.
AGE: 23
STATUS: Amateur
COLLEGE: Howard University (Washington, D.C.)
RESIDENCE: Rockford, Illinois
HIGHLIGHTS:
- One collegiate win
- Two collegiate top 10s
- Top 10 at Mountaineer Invitational 2021
- T6 at Boilermaker Invitational 2022
- T5 at APGA Tour @ TPC Deere Run 2022
- T3 & Low Amateur in the 73rd Illinois Open Championship. 2022
- T2 at USF-Howard Intercollegiate 2022
- T3 at Carpet Bagger Intercollegiate 2023
- T6 at NEC Conference Championship
Troy Taylor III
AGE: 25
STATUS: Professional
COLLEGE: Michigan State University (East Lansing, Michigan)
RESIDENCE: Westerville, Ohio
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Four-time THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Invitational competitor (2021-2024)
- Low amateur in the 2023 THE JOHN SHIPPEN
- One Korn Ferry Tour start
- Overall champion of the APGA Farmers Fall Series in 2024
- 2024 Florida Professional Tour Annual Ocala Open T19
- 2024 Florida Professional Tour Wildwood Open T11
Julian Thompson
AGE: 33
STATUS: Professional
COLLEGE: Adrian College (Adrian, Michigan)
RESIDENCE: Ferndale, Michigan
HIGHLIGHTS:
- PGA Director of Golf at Plum Hollow Golf Club
- Former Assistant Golf Professional at Detroit Golf Club
Kieron van Wyk
AGE: 22
STATUS: Amateur
COLLEGE: College of Charleston (Charleston, South Carolina)
RESIDENCE: Ruimsig, South Africa
HIGHLIGHTS:
- 2025 winner of the APGA’s Farmers Insurance Invitational; first amateur golfer to win an APGA event
- Played in two PGA TOUR events in 2025, the Puerto Rico Open and Valspar Championship (T4 in Puerto Rico Open)
- Named to the Haskins Award Watch List and finished No. 1 in the Bridgestone APGA Collegiate Rankings.
- 2024 Co-CAA Individual Champion
Matthew Vital
AGE: 19
STATUS: Amateur
COLLEGE: Temple University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
RESIDENCE: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
HIGHLIGHTS:
- 2023 Pennsylvania State Junior Amateur Champion
- 2019 Drive Chip and Putt National Champion (Boys 12-13)
Andrew Walker
AGE: 26
STATUS: Professional
COLLEGE: Michigan State University (East Lansing, Michigan)
RESIDENCE: Battle Creek, Michigan
HIGHLIGHTS:
- 2024 APGA Ascension Classic Champion
- Made PGA TOUR debut at the 2024 World Wide Technology Championship
- Youngest African-American to ever qualify for U.S. Amateur at the age of 14
Everett Whiten, Jr.
AGE: 24
STATUS: Professional
COLLEGE: Howard University (Washington, D.C.)
RESIDENCE: Chesapeake, Virginia
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Inaugural Bridgestone APGA Collegiate Ranking Invitational Champion in 2024
About Intersport
Intersport is an award-winning agency and leader in the creation of ideas, content and experiences that attract and engage passionate audiences. Its industry-leading team offers expert insights in content marketing, customer engagement, experiential marketing, hospitality, production and sponsorship consulting. The Chicago-based agency also owns and operates events across the professional and collegiate sports landscape, including basketball, football, golf, pickleball and volleyball. In addition to launching and operating the PGA TOUR’s Rocket Classic, Intersport is the proud operator of other world-class, ground-breaking golf properties such as The Jackson T. Stephens Cup, THE JOHN SHIPPEN National Golf Invitational and the World Champions Cup. Intersport has been headquartered in Chicago since its inception in 1985, with additional offices in Boston, Detroit and New York. Learn more at www.intersport.global/ and on social media (LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook).
MEDIA CONTACTS: Greg Ball, 760-271-9183, [email protected]
