YouTube golf has taken centre stage at East Lake as the Creator Classic gets underway, and world number two Xander Schauffele has had his say on the event.
The nine-hole tournament, which Bryson DeChambeau wanted invited to, will see YouTube’s finest take on East Lake’s revamped back nine.
After holes 10 through 17 have been completed, the best four scores will compete in a one-hole playoff to determine the winner.
Schauffele, however, admitted he was a little bit out of touch with the YouTube scene when asked about the competition during his pre-tournament press conference ahead of the Tour Championship.
Xander Schauffele drops Creator Classic verdict ahead of East Lake event
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When asked about the rise of golf influencers, Schauffele shared an honest response.
“Probably the wrong person to ask for that question, to be completely honest,” Schauffele admitted. “As I get older, I’ve sort of learned that I’m a little more traditional, maybe more blue-collar.
“I’m not really big on social media. I’m a big fan of sort of — it’s just not my jam. I think influencers work really hard to create content, and I could never do it personally. My message was always in the dirt, and for them, it’s pumping out content, putting their face out there, and doing their thing. I know it’s a lot of work, and it’s tiring.”
The American, however, suggested that added attention could only be a good thing. “But if it’s going to bring more eyeballs to golf, I think it’s a good thing, but the whole sort of social media influencer thing, I’m going to leave it to everyone else that’s my age or a little younger because they’re just way better at it,” Schauffele added.
PGA Tour cause Creator Classic drama before the event
On the eve of the event, the PGA Tour caused drama after posting a ‘Power Rankings’ piece on their X account – and Wesley Bryan took exception.
Bryan, a PGA Tour professional, claimed that his brother George’s ranking of seventh was massively incorrect. Bryan then went on to slam the PGA Tour’s media team for making the post.
Hopefully, this minor incident doesn’t overshadow what should be an excellent event. Peter Finch, Garrett Clark and Luke Kwon are the other big names set to battle for the inaugural East Lake crown.
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