Golf is having a moment right now in the creator space. Pro golfer and on-the-rise YouTuber Bryson DeChambeau just played a round of golf with Donald Trump (video below), the PGA Tour just signed a deal with Reddit to cater behind-the-scenes content to its users, and outlets like Barstool Sports and Golf.com are noticing more and more people–especially younger people–getting involved in golf because of content creators and livestreams.
Clearly this moment is top of mind for the PGA Tour: It’s holding the first-ever Creator Classic featuring YouTubers like Tyler Toney of Dude Perfect (he’s already PGA Tour master, sort of, since he’s an official character in its video game), the Bryan Bros, Fat Perez from Bob Does Sports, and Good Good‘s Garrett Clark, Brad Dalke, and Sean Walsh.
These creators (and nine more still to be announced) will face off the night before the PGA Tour’s biggest event of the year, the Tour Championship. They’ll all play nine holes at Atlanta’s newly restored East Lake Golf Club, and then the top four competitors will face off in a final round.
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The Creator Classic is being produced by folks familiar with our industry. PGA Tour has partnered with Pro Shop, a golf-focused media company founded earlier this year by Vox Media Studios‘ Chief Creative Officer Chad Mumm, Puck Media CEO Joe Purzycki, and PGA Tour lead media lawyer David Miller. It previously produced Netflix‘s golf reality series Full Swing.
“Golf is in the middle of an explosion in popularity and, for many young people, some of the biggest stars have emerged on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok,” Mumm said in a statement. “The Creator Classic will bring the brightest of these new stars to the biggest stage in golf, giving them a chance to compete in a real PGA TOUR environment in front of fans both on site and all over the world. The combination of these creators, who have millions of loyal fans, and the PGA TOUR’s unparalleled competitive atmosphere, production value and massive reach promises to deliver a landmark golf event unlike any other.”
PGA Tour and Pro Shop are pushing this things as wide as they can get it, too. Viewers will be able to tune in Aug. 28 on the PGA Tour’s YouTube channel, Peacock, and ESPN+, as well as the PGA Tour channel on PlutoTV, Roku, Samsung TV Plus, Tubi, and XUMO. It’s clear they want as many eyeballs on this as possible (and are racking up sponsorships to, presumably, make money off those eyeballs, including lead sponsor Blackstone).
“The realm of YouTube golf has not only emerged as a formidable player in sports entertainment but has also carved out its own unique genre,” PGA Tour said in a statement. “The Creator Classic is bridging the gap between conventional golf tournaments and the world of social media, providing an engaging experience for a diverse audience.”
More participating creators will be announced as the competition date draws closer. For now, you can get your fill of already-announced participants’ golf shenanigans by checking out their channels, linked above.
