Ryan Ruffels Has Been Garnering Attention At The Myrtle Beach Classic... But Why?
Ruffels finds himself in contention going into the weekend of the Myrtle Beach Classic, and if he were to win it would be an interesting story
After earning a spot in the field for the Myrtle Beach Classic following his win at The Q, a qualifying event made up of other influencers, Ryan Ruffels now finds himself in contention for another title - and it would surely trump anything he's done on YouTube.
That a social media influencer can earn a place in a professional event won't sit well with everyone, but the 28-year-old looks determined to make the most of the opportunity.
And it's actually Ruffels' 121st start in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event, so he obviously has a fair bit of talent.
"There was way more people out there today. People supported me and people yelling Ruff and all that sort of stuff," he said after a second-round 70.
"Really cool to be a part of this. Really cool to make the weekend. Yeah, I guess I can have a free swing at it this weekend."
The Australian was the last man standing after a 36-hole qualifier that began with match play contests at Rivers Edge Golf Club.
The 16-man field was then whittled down to four with Ruffels rising to the top during a dramatic showdown at Pawleys Plantation Golf & Country Club.
Should the Australian win, he will earn a two-year exemption (through the end of 2028), which could give him a bit of a headache as to whether to continue his YouTubing, although with over 70,000 subscribers, he's doing pretty well on and off the course.
Ruffels has 20 career PGA Tour starts to his name, the most recent coming at the 2022 Shriners Children’s Open.
After struggling with the high financial costs of competing on tour and losing his status, he turned to YouTube to help fund his playing ambitions.
"It's a weird position that I'm in where I feel like I've got 'YouTube Golf' on my back or something like that, proving that we're good players and we can play good golf," he said.
"Grant [Horvat] nearly beat me to get here, and here I am in a good position after two days.
"There's a lot of good players in YouTube Golf. A feel a lot of the fans that watch us are really in my corner and want me to do well, which is awesome to see.
"Overall, though, I'm just proud of myself that I played two good rounds on the PGA Tour. I get two more cracks at it to see if I'm any good or not."
Ruffels, who shot a first-round 67, may have led the tournament at one stage, but he now finds himself five shots behind leader PGA Tour winner Aaron Rai.
Ruffels comes from a talented family. His parents, Ray Ruffels and Anna Maria Fernandez, were professional tennis players.
Ray reached the Australian Open singles semifinals three times, and with Billie Jean King as his partner, he reached the mixed-doubles finals at Wimbledon and the US Open in 1978.
Meanwhile, his mother won five WTA doubles titles.
Ruffels may be better known for his YouTube content, but he appears capable of holding his own on the PGA Tour.
Those who have followed his career won't be too surprised to see him playing well, for he showed a lot of promise at amateur level, winning the boys' 15-17 division title at the 2014 World Junior Championships at Torrey Pines GC.
He was also the 2014 Australian Boys' Amateur champion and represented Australia at the 2014 World Amateur Team Championship in Japan, with teammates Lucas Herbert and Geoff Drakeford.
On YouTube, he regularly plays matches with other content creators, such as Sam Heung Min and Brad Dalke, and his head-to-heads attract thousands of views.
Whatever happens in South Carolina this weekend, his channel is sure to get a boost.
