• Loading stock data...
Friday, September 12, 2025
Tuned In is Almost Sold Out! Limited Tickets Remain!

Golf Influencers Are the New Currency for PGA Tour and LIV

The PGA Tour’s third Creator Classic tees off Wednesday. LIV has already staged its own version, with some of the same personalities.

Fat Perez reacts after hitting his shot on the 16th tee during the WHOOP Shot at Glory on the 16th hole at TPC in Scottsdale on Feb. 5, 2025.
Cheryl Evans/Imagn Images
Exclusive

FanDuel TV Renews Michelle Beadle’s ‘Run It Back’

‘Run It Back’ will return for a fourth season.
Read Now
September 10, 2025 |

YouTube golf is big business, and content creator events contested by some of the biggest personalities are becoming common on the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. The one-day productions take place just before the pro tournaments, generate millions of views, and even add fuel to the ongoing divide. 

The first PGA Tour iteration took place last August at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta on the eve of the 2024 Tour Championship. Then, in February, the 2025 Creator Classic Series was announced: three tournaments—before The Players, the Truist Championship, and the Tour Championship—streamed on the Tour’s YouTube channel.

Under a new format for Wednesday’s Creator Classic at the Philadelphia Cricket Club ahead of the Truist, the field of 12 is divided into four teams, each comprising two golf-adjecent creators and one non-golf content creator, like TikTok star and BFFs podcast host Josh Richards, Dude Perfect’s Tyler Toney, Paige Spiranac, and Philadelphia 76ers guard Kyle Lowry. 

In March, LIV announced The Duels: six two-man teams made up of content creators and LIV pros competing for a $150,000 first-place prize. Just two weeks after YouTube star Grant Horvat won the PGA Tour’s Creator Classic at TPC Sawgrass, LIV announced The Duels would air exclusively on his 1.2 million-subscriber YouTube channel—and that he’d headline the event.

Both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf have found success with creator events, albeit with different strategies. The two Creator Classics have averaged more than 600,000 live viewers across various streaming and cable platforms, and generated tens of millions of post-event views on the YouTube channels of the PGA Tour and participating creators. (The Players Championship also saw a 14% increase in attendance on the day of the Creator Classic, compared to the Wednesday before the tournament in 2024.)

Chad Mumm, an executive producer of Netflix’s Full Swing, is a cofounder of Pro Shop, the media company that produces the Creator Classic. Last year Pro Shop closed a $20 million Series A funding round with investments from the PGA Tour.

The Duels did not air live but garnered 1.4 million views in the first 24 hours, and has since climbed to 2.3 million views.


As with anything involving the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, success around content creator events hasn’t come without some drama.

Most notably, the PGA Tour suspended Wesley Bryan, a Tour member since 2017, for competing in The Duels. In addition to playing professionally, Bryan and his brother, George, run a YouTube channel, Bryan Bros Golf, that has more than half a million subscribers.

They each played in the first two Creator Classic events, as did Luke Kwon and Fat Perez. So it was notable when the field was released for Wednesday’s event and didn’t include any of those five creators. 

Despite appearances, though, playing in a LIV creator event doesn’t mean getting blacklisted from future PGA Tour creator events. 

The PGA Tour is not opposed to having Horvat, Kwon, and Perez back for a future event. “They were all invited, as well, and we intend to keep inviting those guys,” Mumm tells Front Office Sports

The future of the Bryan brothers is less clear. Wesley’s suspension comes with its own circumstances, and the PGA Tour did not want to comment about George’s future in Creator Classics. However, one source with knowledge of the situation tells FOS that George is not expected to be banned.

PGA Tour SVP of media Chris Wandell told FOS that the plan for the three Creator Classics this year was to “mix it up as much as possible,” which could help explain the diverse field.


Friendly partnerships with creators will be key for both tours moving forward.

Starting with Wednesday’s event, creators will be able to simulcast the livestream of the Creator Classic on their own YouTube channels, which opens the door for millions of new subscribers to watch.

LIV chief marketing officer Adam Harter tells FOS that future editions of The Duels will rotate and be hosted on different content creator channels. 

Perhaps the biggest golf content creator LIV could land is one of its most famous players, Bryson DeChambeau, whose YouTube channel has nearly two million subscribers, but did not play in The Duels.

[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] May 4, 2025; Incheon, SOUTH KOREA; Bryson DeChambeau reacts to making a putt during the final round of play at LIV Golf Korea at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club
Kim Soo-Hyeon/Imagn Images

“We talk to Bryson about YouTube on a daily basis,” Harter said. “A lot of the changes that we made to the format and the approach were informed by consulting with Bryson.
We really respect his opinion and the success he’s had in the space, so he helps guide us and provide input.”

Given this new media landscape, in which creators have access to a largely untapped audience for traditional golf, could it be that leagues like the PGA Tour and LIV Golf need creators more than those content stars need them?

“I think that there should be an alliance, a friendship,” Jess McAlister, founder of golf marketing firm Catalyst9, tells FOS. “I think there needs to be a business understanding.” McAlister represents several content creators, including Tisha Alyn, who participated in March’s Creator Classic. “These people are their own business,” she said. “Their names are their brand; their brand is a media platform.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

FanDuel, Jaguars Reach $5M Deal Over Employee Theft

A Jaguars employee stole $20 million and gambled much of it with FanDuel.
Sep 8, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (22) runs to first base during the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

The $339 Million Mets Are in Jeopardy of Missing the Playoffs

The Mets’ wild-card lead is 1.5 games with 15 remaining in the regular season.
opinion

19 Rising Stars in Sports Media

Who are sports media’s rising stars? Here’s an inside look.
Sep 10, 2025; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Connecticut Sun forward Aaliyah Edwards (8) fights to keep the ball in-bounds during the second half against the Atlanta Dream at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Connecticut AG Demands Documents From WNBA About Sun Sale Process

The WNBA reportedly prefers to move the team to Houston.

Featured Today

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Could Set More NFL Ratings Records

Fox will nationally televise Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
September 10, 2025

ESPN’s ‘MNF’ Ratings Up 8% As NFL Surges to Strong Start

ESPN posts its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” audience.
Sep 7, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills fans react during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium.
September 9, 2025

As Bills Ascend, Their Next Frontier Lies in Canada

Buffalo and the powerful Canadian entity MLSE come together in a new pact.
opinion
September 9, 2025

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from NFL’s Week 1 Broadcasts

Many viewers decried the addition of ads to “NFL RedZone.”
Sep 11, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) dribbles past Golden State Valkyries forward Janelle Salaun (13) in the second half at Target Center.

As WNBA Grows, Engelbert Says Its Playoff Field Won’t for a While

Eight of thirteen WNBA teams made the playoffs this year.
Jun 27, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; A view of a Wilson basketball and the Dallas Wings logo during the game between the Wings and the Indiana Fever at the American Airlines Center.
September 11, 2025

Democratic Women’s Caucus Urges WNBA to End CBA Stalemate

The league and WNBPA must reach an agreement by Oct. 31.
September 12, 2025

UEFA Delays Overseas Matches Ruling As LaLiga Miami Game Looms

Barcelona-Villarreal is scheduled for late December at Hard Rock Stadium.
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
Feb 15, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks in a press conference during All Star Saturday Night ahead of the 2025 NBA All Star Game at Chase Center.
September 11, 2025

Silver Says Free Highlights Are an Issue As NBA Begins $77B Deal

Silver called basketball a “highlight-based sport.”
September 11, 2025

Greg Norman Leaves LIV As Golf World Continues to Shift

Norman relinquished the league’s CEO role in January.
September 11, 2025

Trump’s Golf Empire Grows With 5th Big Tournament in 2 Years

The DP World Tour is heading to Trump International Golf Links Ireland.
September 11, 2025

Kaprizov’s Record Contract Rejection Highlights NHL’s New World

The declined contract would have set records for overall and annual value.