Event series featuring prominent YouTube Creators tees off on March 12 at TPC Sawgrass

SAN FRANCISCO and PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The Creator Classic Series, a season-long series of events and content featuring fan-favorite YouTube golf content creators, has announced YouTube as its presenting sponsor. The first of three events begins Wednesday, March 12, with the Creator Classic at TPC Sawgrass, the evening before the PGA TOUR’s flagship event, THE PLAYERS Championship, with confirmed participation from the Bryan Bros, Fat Perez from "Bob Does Sports," Gabby Golf Girl, Roger Steele, Grant Horvat, Kyle Berkshire, Tisha Alyn, Soly from "No Laying Up" and a "Barstool" personality who will be determined via qualifier.

Each iteration of the Creator Classic Series presented by YouTube will be streamed on the PGA TOUR’s YouTube channel and several other platforms. Following the first event before THE PLAYERS Championship, the Creator Classic at Philly Cricket will be contested on Wednesday, May 7, prior to the Truist Championship, and conclude with the Creator Classic at East Lake on Wednesday, Aug. 20, ahead of the season-ending TOUR Championship. The series, open to Wednesday ticket holders, is one of the many examples of the TOUR working to deliver fans more of what they want and enjoy.

“Creators are redefining what must-see sports content looks like and fans today are seeking more than just live coverage — they want immersive, interactive experiences with their favorite creators,” said Angela Courtin, vice president of YouTube Marketing for Connected TV and Creative Studios. “Over the past year, sports living room watch time on YouTube has grown more than 30 percent and the PGA TOUR’s Creator Classic golf tournament series is a prime example of this evolution. Together we’re blending top-tier competition with creator-driven content that makes the sport more accessible and exciting for a new generation of fans. As YouTube continues to be the home for sports storytelling, we’re excited to see how golf creators and the PGA TOUR innovate and shape the future of the game on our platform.”

Added Chris Wandell, PGA TOUR senior vice president, media: “Many of the creators participating across the Creator Classic Series credit the power of the YouTube platform for lifting their voices and introducing themselves to their legions of fans. That natural connection made YouTube an obvious sponsor and promotional partner in this endeavor, and we are delighted to introduce their community of billions of users worldwide to these dynamic golf creators and the PGA TOUR’s iconic venues.”

Last year’s inaugural event was staged the day before the season-ending TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club, the finale to the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup Playoffs, with 16 of the most dynamic YouTube creators competing in an individual stroke play tournament. The event garnered more than 2.7 million views on YouTube and was the No. 2 trending video following the competition, which engaged nearly 60 million golf fans across all social media platforms during a four-week period.

Pro Shop Studios, the entertainment division of Pro Shop and the production company behind the Netflix hit series “Full Swing” and “Happy Gilmore 2,” will partner with PGA TOUR Studios to run on-ground and broadcast production. The competitions will be streamed live via the PGA TOUR’s YouTube channel as well as GOLF Channel, ESPN+, the PGA TOUR channel on Pluto TV, Roku, Samsung TV Plus, Prime Video, Fire TV, Tubi, Xumo Play and LG Channels. The Creator Classic Series presented by YouTube will be produced to the quality of a premium broadcast, featuring live ShotLink powered by CDW scoring/data, Trackman shot tracing – including tracing via drones – and rich, on-screen graphics.

“Pro Shop’s vision to unite golf and culture aligns perfectly with YouTube’s mission to empower all types of creators from every corner of the globe,” said Chad Mumm, co-founder and president of Pro Shop. “We are eager to collaborate with YouTube on this project and look forward to delivering three exciting, unique events to fans throughout the year with the Creator Classic Series presented by YouTube.”

Viewers globally watch more than 1 billion hours on average of YouTube content on their TVs every day. There are localized versions of YouTube in more than 100 countries across the world in 80 languages, with more than 500 hours of content uploaded every minute of the day.