Could a golf influencer be set to qualify for Pga tour?

“The Q at Myrtle Beach” is a 16-man qualifying event on March 4 where eight golf content creators are among those looking to earn a spot at the PGA Tour’s inaugural Myrtle Beach Classic; Watch the PGA Tour throughout the season live on Sky Sports

The worlds of golf and social media regularly mix, but could we see an influencer get the chance to tee it up in a PGA Tour event this season?

The first-ever Myrtle Beach Classic by the PGA Tour is being held at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club in South Carolina from May 9-12, and can be watched live on Sky Sports.

The tournament includes a unique qualifying event to determine one of the spots in the competition.   

“The Q at Myrtle Beach”, an 18-hole competition, was launched by organizers on Monday March 4.

The event featured eight of the sport’s leading golf content creators and eight professionals competing for a PGA Tour exemption.   

All professional and amateur competitors must adhere to PGA Tour regulations for sponsor exemptions, including maintaining a USGA handicap of 0.0 or lower.   If they meet these requirements, they are eligible to compete on the PGA Tour. 

The influencer-half of the field includes George Bryan of Bryan Bros Golf, Luke Kwon of Good Good Golf and former Good Good members Micah Morris and Grant Horvat, whose have huge presences on YouTube and TikTok respectively.

Nick Stubbe, better known as Fat Perez from the YouTube profile Bob Does Sports, appears, as does UK-based golf influencer Peter Finch and journalist Dan Rapaport.

A 90-minute video about the event will be released on Play Golf Myrtle Beach’s YouTube page on April 23, with creators then posting content on their respective channels documenting their experiences.

A good move or a marketing gimmick?

The decision to have such a limited qualifying event divided opinion on social media, although bunkered.co.uk editor Michael McEwan told the Sky Sports Golf podcast why he supports the PGA Tour’s move.

“It’s an absolutely brilliant idea,” McEwan said. “They’re not taking a spot away from anybody. There’s a certain number of places in the field and there’s always only a certain number of players who get in through their rankings or whatever.

There are typically a few spots reserved for tournament invites.   This follows the same idea as the Ryder Cup – if you are not selected for an automatic spot, you cannot be upset when you do not receive a wildcard invitation.   

One can earn a spot by consistently playing well in golf, which will lead to moving up in the rankings without relying on invitations.  

By playing well over time, a player can secure their own place and not take away from someone else.  

 

The PGA Tour has demonstrated awareness of the growing popularity of golf content on YouTube. Many individuals have channels dedicated to golf on the platform, with larger followings than most professional golfers.   

The tour requires more attention and a new audience due to facing an unprecedented threat, making it seem like a brilliant move to me.