The PGA Tour is expanding its Creator Classics series in 2025, following the success of the event at the Tour Championship in 2024. The series will now include three events, with the addition of the Players Championship, Truist Championship, and Tour Championship. These events will feature over 20 popular golf influencers and will be held in major cities in the American Southeast and Northeast. The Creator Classics will be broadcast live on YouTube, ESPN+, and Peacock, produced in partnership with Pro Shop, where the Tour has a minority ownership stake.
The specific participants for the 2025 Creator Classics have not been announced yet, but it is expected that some will be from the PGA Tour’s Creator Council. This council consists of golf content creators who are advising the Tour on modernizing its media offerings. The event format, player field, and name for each Creator Classic will be unique to each iteration. The 2024 Creator Classic was successful in terms of viewership, with over 2.5 million views on YouTube and a large live audience on Peacock. However, there are still challenges in merging traditional golf broadcasts with the style of content creators.
Good Good Golf founder Garrett Clark and creative producer Max Putnam noted that the Creator Classics need to find a balance between traditional golf broadcast style and YouTube creation style in order to be successful. The PGA Tour has been making moves to modernize its product in the digital age, including investments in TV broadcasts, YouTube presence, social media, and engaging younger fans who follow golf through social media creators. The Tour recently launched a new production facility in Ponte Vedra Beach, signaling its commitment to these efforts.
The Creator Classic series is just one of the flashy investments the Tour is making to appeal to a wider audience. The series will provide an opportunity to see if the audience responds positively to the new format at the upcoming Players Championship in March. Overall, the PGA Tour is focused on expanding its reach and engaging with fans through innovative events like the Creator Classics, showcasing golf influencers and bringing a new dynamic to the sport.
