The PGA Tour is leaning more into YouTube golf this year with the announcement that the Creator Classic will return in the form of three new 'Creator Series' events.
The Creator Classic saw 16 of golf's biggest YouTubers play a nine-hole tournament on the Wednesday of Tour Championship week, with former PGA Tour China winner Luke Kwon emerging victorious.
Kwon then received two invites into the LIV-backed International Series, which is part of the Asian Tour, with golf's circuits looking to use influencers to help increase the reach of their tournaments.
The Creator Classic had over 2.6m views and is said to have 'engaged' almost 60 million fans across social media during a four-week period.
The 2024 Creator Classic field
For 2025, more creator events have been confirmed to take place at The Players Championship the Truist Championship, which is a $20m signature event and formerly known as the Wells Fargo Championship.
The Tour Championship will once again feature a creator event. All three will take place on the Wednesday of tournament week and have their own format, name and field. They will be streamed on YouTube as well as other platforms and will also be produced to the usual quality of PGA Tour broadcasts with elements like ShotLink data, shot tracing and on-screen graphics.
The PGA Tour says that over 20 'fan-favorite creators' will participate across these three events, with some original Creator Classic contestants set to return.
PGA Tour Creator Series schedule 2025:
- THE PLAYERS Championship, PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass: Wednesday, March 12
- Truist Championship, Wissahickon Course at The Philadelphia Cricket Club: Wednesday, May 7
- TOUR Championship, East Lake Golf Club: Wednesday, August 20
It's growing evidence of the PGA Tour leaning more and more into the YouTube and influencer market, having introduced the Creator Council in November, which features many of golf's biggest creators to help the tour with fan engagement and collaborations.
The group behind the Creator Series is Pro Shop Studios, which was co-founded by Netflix Full Swing producer Chad Mumm.
“The inaugural Creator Classic served as a valuable testing ground as we look at new ways to connect with fans and creators,” said Chris Wandell, PGA TOUR SVP, Media.
“We are pleased with how the initial concept unfolded at the 2024 TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club and are excited to offer fans even more creator-driven content this year across three iconic PGA TOUR venues, including TPC Sawgrass, home of THE PLAYERS Championship, and Philadelphia Cricket Club, the 2025 host of the Truist Championship.”
“This announcement marks an exciting next step in Pro Shop’s mission to unite golf and culture in fresh, innovative ways,” said Mumm, co-founder of Pro Shop.
“Building on the success of the Creator Classic, this series expands our partnership with the PGA TOUR as we showcase the unique power of digital creators to engage new audiences and cement golf’s growing presence in the cultural mainstream.”
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