The Creator Classic Suffers Its First Dud

When Luke Kwon won the inaugural Creator Classic a year ago, there were more than 118,000 people watching live on the PGA Tour’s YouTube channel as he sunk the winning putt.

This year? Only 27,000 people were streaming live on the Tour’s channel as Brad Dalke claimed the title with a birdie on the first playoff hole.

That dramatic decrease in live viewership underscores how the Creator Classic will have to continue evolving in order to hold our collective attention.

I was a big fan of the first edition we saw in 2024, writing that my impressions were overwhelmingly positive. The format was cool and there seemed to be a lot of positive energy around the event given a star-studded field of creators.

The second showing at TPC Sawgrass, won by Grant Horvat, was also a strong showing. I noted how there were still some tweaks to be made in order to keep things fresh—but the Creator Classic had a solid formula and plenty of buzz.

With the third edition at Philadelphia Cricket Club, the Creator Classic used teams for a creative format that was light on star power but still interesting overall.

The fourth one is the first time you can say the Creator Classic laid an egg.

There was no energy in this one

The field did not include Horvat, the Bryan Bros. or anyone from Bob Does Sports.

That wasn’t a good omen as just 12 players teed it up for individual stroke play. Several players had no shot right from the opening hole, so the competition came down to a few of the top players who have consistently been threats to win these.

Dalke was clearly the best player the whole day and easily won the four-man playoff.

The format was fun last year but didn’t deliver much of anything this year. It raises the question why this event has everyone competing on their own ball with no handicaps. It cuts half the field out of contention immediately.

But the weaker field and boring competition wasn’t the only contributor to the lack of energy. There were very few fans in attendance, which didn’t help. The stream itself seemed to labor as the Tour still insists on having too many cooks in the kitchen when it comes to announcers.

What makes YouTube golf great is that it’s just commentary from the players. I don’t know why the Creator Classic is determined to make this look like any other PGA Tour event when it’s supposed to look like a YouTube golf match.

All we need is one or two announcers. Let the golf speak for itself.

The live streaming aspect can be a benefit when the vibes are good, but it can also be a detriment when things are slower. I think moving to an edited version of the event could be a good decision.

The Creator Classic has been a successful experiment so far, but it can’t keep going to the same well on repeat moving forward. This is not a serious competition. Mix up the format and do whatever is necessary to add some juice.

There was a novelty to the first few editions. That novelty has faded.

What will the next Creator Classic look like? Hopefully something fresh and exciting.

Final leaderboard

For those of you who are interested, here are the final standings from the fourth Creator Classic.

Dalke, Sean Walsh, Micah Morris and Luke Kwon all qualified for the playoff (two current Good Good members and two former Good Good members).

In the end, Dalke was too much for everyone. The former U.S. Amateur runner-up shot 3-under on the nine holes (when you include the playoff birdie), which is impressive given the thick rough and fast greens of East Lake.

He won $100,000 for the victory.

Brad Dalke*	-2
Luke Kwon	-1
Sean Walsh	E
Micah Morris	+2
Garrett Clark	+3
Tisha Alyn	+3
ShortGameKing	+4
GabbyGolfGirl	+5
Sabrina Andolpho	+5
Roger Steele	+7
Chris Solomon	+8
Peter Finch	+9

*won four-man playoff with birdie on first extra hole

Top Photo Caption: Brad Dalke won the Creator Classic and the $100,000 winner’s check. (GETTY IMAGES/Kevin C. Cox)

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