DALLAS, Texas (October 27, 2026) – To say It’s been a good run of late for 24-year-old professional golfer Nathan Petronzio might be an understatement. The past five days have yielded not only his best round ever, but also his first tournament title on the Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA) Tour.
After commanding national attention for carding a 59 and going on to place second in a PGA TOUR Qualifying School First Stage event last week at University of New Mexico's Championship Course in Albuquerque, Petronzio rode that momentum into the inaugural APGA at Cedar Crest this week.
On Tuesday, the Austin, Texas native outlasted fourth-year APGA professional John-Baptiste Hakizimana in a one-hole, sudden-death playoff with a birdie on the par-4 10th hole at Cedar Crest Golf Course to secure a victory in his first APGA Tour event.
While Petronzio is not an APGA member, each of the three tournaments in the APGA Farmers Insurance® Fall Series were open to all professional men’s golfers regardless of APGA Tour membership. Petronzio earned a $10,000 prize for winning the APGA at Cedar Crest, the last of three events in the fall series.
“I’m pretty ecstatic right now. Anytime you can win, it’s a great feeling,” said Petronzio, who added the APGA at Cedar Crest title is “pretty high up” on his list of achievements in golf.
“My Dad found (the APGA at Cedar Crest) online. I was looking for events to play. He mentioned something about it so I was like, 'Great, let’s take the opportunity and play.’ Really grateful for this week and happy to get it done.”
Petronzio and Hakizimana, a Hobe Sound, Florida resident, each finished 36 holes of regulation at 8-under-par 132. Hakizimana and Petronzio traded birdies and bogeys on Nos. 17 and 18, and it was Hakizimana who forced a playoff when his birdie on the par-4 18th hole came in tandem with Petronzio’s bogey at the end of regulation.
A crowded leaderboard at the turn of the final round had APGA Tour golfers Hakizimana, Joey Stills and Andrew Walker and non-APGA pros Petronzio, Nick Freis and Justin Burrowes sharing the lead at 4-under. Hakizimana and Petronzio emerged from that pack, pulling away as each played the last 10 holes in 4-under on the strength of five birdies apiece.
Petronzio graduated from Lake Travis High School in Austin and played in the 2019 U.S. Amateur Championship, then collegiately at Southern Methodist University from 2020-23 before transferring to the University of Texas for his senior season in 2023-24.
Petronzio has made four PGA TOUR starts between 2022-26 and played six tournaments on PGA TOUR Americas in 2025. He is no stranger to elite competition at the college and pro tiers, and his first experience with the APGA Tour made a good first impression on him.
Said Petronzio: “John played phenomenal today. We had a good back and forth on the back nine. He made a clutch birdie to send it into the playoff.
“I got to meet some new guys that I will hopefully connect with in the future. It was fun to be a part of. I’d like to play in more (APGA) opens in the future. Everyone’s got a really good game out here. The competition level is very high, and it’s a very good test for your game.”
Petronzio held a one-stroke lead over Hakizimana after carding a 5-under 65 in Monday’s first round. He sprinkled in five birdies around an eagle on the par-4 eighth hole. Hakizimana sandwiched an eagle at the par-5 seventh hole with birdies at Nos. 6 and 8 on the way to a first-round 4-under 66.
Hakizimana, the 2025 Jefferson Health APGA Classic champion who immigrated to the U.S. from Rwanda at age 6, returned to his homeland a month ago to play the Sunshine Tour’s Rwanda Open and placed in a tie for 25th. He finished T6 in last week’s Billy Horschel Invitational Presented by Cisco.
“It was a moment,” Hakizimana said. “They (the tournament) sent me the invitation … I was, like, almost crying when they sent it; how good is this to be able to go back home and be able to compete? My people back home are so proud with what I did. They see what I’ve been doing on the APGA and they are so proud to see me be able to compete in the States on the APGA Tour. My last two tournaments on the APGA Tour, I did an amazing job, so I’m so proud where I’m moving.”
For the first time in the six-year history of the APGA Farmers Insurance Fall Series, all three of this year’s full-field events were open to any professional men’s golfer regardless of APGA Tour membership status. During the Fall Series in September, APGA veteran Kevin Hall won the APGA at Mission Hills, and APGA rookie David Kim won the APGA at El Dorado.
Founded in 2010, the Advocates Professional Golf Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring an inclusive future through the game of golf.
The APGA Tour concludes its 2026 season of 15 nationwide tournaments November 16-19 with the 54-hole Cisco Invitational, hosted at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina.
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 15 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.
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