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The PGA Tour’s Next Big Media Bet: Creator Competitions

alex weprin
·2-min read

Can YouTube creators drive more interest in PGA Tour events? The Tour sure thinks so.

The PGA Tour and its production partner Pro Shop are planning a series of golfing competitions this year that they are calling the creator series, which will pit popular gold content creators against each other at events connected to Tour competitions.

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The competitions will take place at The Players Championship in March, The Truist Championship in May, and at the Tour Championship in August, and will stream on the PGA Tour YouTube Channel, ESPN+, Peacock, and PGA Tour free streaming channels.

The PGA Tour and Pro Shop experimented with the idea last year with what they called The Creator Classic at the Tour Championship. The series will extend that idea farther.

“It started out as an experiment. We did this test run event at Tour Championship last year with the bet that we could put on an event that both creators would get a lot out of, and PGA Tour fans would get a lot out of, and by every single metric, it was a massive success,” says Chad Mumm, the co-founder of Pro Shop, who adds that the Tour’s model could become a blueprint for other sports leagues to follow. “I just think it’s amazing how much they’ve leaned in and the success that’s followed.”

The PGA Tour says that it expects more than 20 creators to participate, including some that will return from last year’s event.

“The inaugural Creator Classic served as a valuable testing ground as we look at new ways to connect with fans and creators,” says Chris Wandell, PGA Tour senior VP of Media, adding that “we are pleased with how the initial concept unfolded at the 2024 Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club.”

The Tour is the latest league to lean on creators to try and build a relationship with Gen Z and Gen Y consumers that may not be watching events on traditional linear TV. The NFL, for example, has a partnership with YouTube that gives creators access to games to produce content, while the NBA and MLB also partner with creators to encourage them to make sports-adjacent content that connects to their sports, and the NBA has a Creator Cup where basketball creators compete on NBA courts.

A creator competition, on the same course as the pros, however, is a new path forward in that genre, with the PGA and NBA leaning in.

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