Remember when Jay Monahan and Co. decided to bring in their Creator Council to mix things up a bit? The idea was to bring in some big-name social media stars like Bob Does Sports, Bryan Bros Golf, Erik Anders Lang, Fore Play/Barstool Sports, No Laying Up, Paige Spiranac, Roger Steele, and Tisha Alyn to help with content creation and fan engagement. After all, social media is important now.  Indeed it was a cool move, but there was one major name missing from that list: Rick Shiels.

Well, turns out, Shiels. wasn’t left behind for long. He’s just signed on with LIV Golf! Yes, the YouTube star with 2.92 million subscribers is now officially a LIV ambassador. The reason why this is shocking is that Sheils is closely associated with the PGA of America. He is certified by the authority to train golfers. And if you’re wondering what exactly he’ll be doing for the Saudi-funded league, it’s simple: creating content, something he is best at.

“I am super excited. It has been in conversation for a while. We started conversations last year, potentially to even launch this last year, but we wanted to make sure it was all nailed on and make a big bang in 2025.[The deal] is the first of its kind. No YouTube golf pro has ever signed with a league or a tour so excited to be first. I’ve been making content for 13 years now and to partner in this capacity is huge for the space. Golf YouTube has been growing so fast. It is really being taken seriously now and this is a showcase of that,” Shiels told Mirror.

His fans will be wondering what all of this means for his channel, but the good thing is it won’t impact his personal content creation, “We will be making exclusive content for LIV Golf channels. The majority of what we produce will be sitting on my channel as well. It is very similar to the content we have made already, just better. Better production, better venues, incredible guests, some of the guests are just out of this world.”

Hinting the kind of content he’ll make, he said, “I’m proud and excited about the incredible content coming your way. We’re going to be having 10 shot challenges, being filmed at every single event on the LivGolf schedule. Plus, two versus two. We’re having two players from one team versus two players against another team, head-to-head, nine holes match play. I’m going to be the host. I can’t wait for that content. It’s going to be epic.” 

Honestly, this sounds like a big play by LIV to really amp up their content game. Even Phil Mickelson is on board with this new collab, as Lefty reposted Shiels’s announcement video on his X handle, captioning, “Awesome.”

He has already filmed a video with Brooks Koepka, and Jon Rahm, and is very excited for it to release. It all feels surreal, sure. “If you would have said to me when stood in a cold Trafford golf centre making my first videos that I would be saying those words of having someone like Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka on the channel. We have had conversations with all the teams and the players and they are excited at the opportunity,” said the YouTube star.

Seems like Mickelson, and Shiels are pretty excited, but not everyone feels the same.

Fans don’t share same thrill as Phil Mickelson

While Shiels’s excitement to join LIV is palpable, golf fans don’t seem that thrilled with the news. A lot of them didn’t even recognize who he was. One person straight up asked, “Who?” while others chimed in with their assumption asking, “Is he a caddie?” Well, no he is not. He’s a YouTube sensation with nearly three million subscribers. Before he became famous with his golf instruction and equipment reviews video, Shiels was a teaching pro in England.

Of course, not all the reactions are positive. One user threw a pretty harsh jab, calling it “A match made in 2nd tier heaven!” Ouch. Another fan seemed to mock the whole thing with, “Man we’re gonna miss… (checks notes)… Rick Shiels.”

Well, not everyone is clueless about him. One fan even suggested that Mickelson team up with Shiels for a YouTube collab, saying, “You’d make a good video with him!” Well with Mickelson’s fan following and Shiels’s popularity, fans may get good content out of their collab. Lefty has previously collaborated with YouTube star Grant Horvat. They even made a bet with each other wherein a 6x major winner had to wear Primo Golf at the 2024 Open Championship. 

So, what do you think? Is Rick Shiels a good fit for LIV, or are the critics onto something?