The inaugural Creator Classic, featuring 16 golf influencers, has ended with Luke Kwon taking the title at East Lake.
The tournament was played over the back nine at the venue for the Tour Championship, with personalities including the Bryan Bros, Good Good members Garrett Clark, Brad Dalke and Sean Walsh, and Paige Spiranac in the field.
The players teed it up in four groups of four for eight holes of strokeplay, with the top four sure of progressing to a one-hole playoff.
Wesley and George Bryan, Tyler Toney and Gabby DeGasperis, aka 'Gabby Golfgirl,' were the first to test their abilities on the newly restored course. However, while they all made steady starts, Garrett Clark, a player in the second group to go out, set the early pace with a birdie on the 10th.
Birdie on No. 1 for @GM__Golf 👏He leads the Creator Classic. pic.twitter.com/wVT9F73TiGAugust 28, 2024
Soon, Clark fell back into the pack, and at the 12th (his third), Wesley Bryan took advantage with his first birdie of the day to move into a one-shot lead over brother George, Brad Dalke, Roger Steele and Sean Walsh.
Bryan had an eagle chance to go three-under on the par 5 13th as he found the green with his second shot. His 35-foot putt looked promising, but it fell short, leaving him to tap-in for birdie and move to two-under, one ahead of Steele.
Immediately afterwards, DeGasperis had her own eagle chance but, like Bryan, settled for birdie to move to one over.
All the while, at the other end of the leaderboard, Tyler Toney’s struggles with the rough had left him at five-over by the fifth hole. He would eventually finish bottom of the leaderboard on 10-over.
Back on the 12th, Luke Kwon moved within two of the lead with his second birdie in succession to remain in contention. Then, on 13, Amiee Cho moved level with Steele at one-under with a beautiful chip-in for birdie.
Buckets! @GolfWithAimee chips in for birdie at The Creator Classic 💪 pic.twitter.com/X8sJGsYEFtAugust 28, 2024
At the same hole, Steele had a birdie putt to draw level with Bryan, but his effort lipped out to leave him one off the lead. That was quickly followed by a successful Walsh birdie putt as he joined Cho and Steele in a tie for second. Soon after, on the 14th, Dalke made a birdie to join the group.
Dalke then had a birdie putt to move level with Bryan on the island green 15th, but it drifted just right as he remained in the chasing pack. Bryan nearly dropped back with them on the 16th, but he came up clutch to save par, while back on the 14th, Micah Morris also moved to one-under with a birdie.
On the 17th, a wonderful second shot from Wesley Bryan almost moved him to four-under for eagle, but it missed by inches. He then missed his birdie putt to finish the strokeplay section on two-under, but more than enough to reach the playoff.
Wesley Bryan led for much of the way
Peter Finch was looking to become one of the other three to make the extra hole. He'd been solid throughout to move to one-under, and he made a crucial par putt on the 15th to remain in the running.
Roger Steele then produced the moment of the tournament with a superb 55-foot birdie putt on the 16th to tie the lead. Meanwhile, dragging himself into contention at one-under was Kwon, with three birdies in five holes. Finch then fell back to even with a bogey on the 16th, while Steele finished his strokeplay section with a bogey to move back to one-under.
For birdie from 55 FEET! @RogerSteeleJr drains it to tie the lead at The Creator Classic 💪 pic.twitter.com/MEoAA4Y5f3August 28, 2024
With the final group about to tee it up on the 17th, Bryan, Steele, Walsh and Kwon held the four playoff spots, with only Kwon of the four yet to finish. In the end, he faced a nine-foot putt to make par and reach the playoff - he holed it.
With Bryan, Steele, Walsh and Kwon in the playoff, Bryan's tee shot at the 18th found the 10th fairway (which wasn't declared internal out of bounds for the event, unlike the Tour Championship). Walsh and Kwon followed suit, while only Steele decided to reach for the 18th fairway.
Roger Steele was one of 16 golf influencers competing
With his second shot from the rough to the left of the fairway, Steele stayed out of trouble with the newly extended lake to the right, as the others headed back towards the 18th green from the 10th fairway.
Steele then agonizingly rolled back off the green with his third, Bryan left himself a long putt for birdie, Walsh putted onto the green to leave himself a similar distance and Kwon hit his wedge shot to around six feet.
A delicate chip brought Steele to within a foot for his par, but it ultimately wasn't enough. Walsh left his birdie putt inches short and made par, Bryan missed his birdie putt left for the same result, but Kwon made no mistake to take the honors and become the first winner of an enthralling Creator Classic.
The putt that won The Creator Classic for @LKwonGolf 🏆(Presented by @CocaCola) pic.twitter.com/pPVKGrKQTLAugust 29, 2024
Creator Classic Final Leaderboard
- 1 Wesley Bryan -2
- T2 Roger Steele -1
- T2 Sean Walsh -1
- T2 Luke Kwon -1 (winner of playoff)
- T5 Brad Dalke - E
- T5 Micah Morris - E
- T5 Peter Finch - E
- 8 George Bryan +1
- 9 Paige Spiranac +2
- 10 Gabby DeGasperis +3
- T11 Mason Nutt +4
- T11 Aimee Cho +4
- 13 Fat Perez +5
- 14 Garrett Clark +6
- 15 Mac Boucher +7
- 16 Tyler Toney +10
