The Ponte Vedra Beach bore witness Rory McIlroy bagging one of the eight players to claim victory at the ‘fifth major’ more than once. McIlroy who beat J.J. Spaun in a thrilling three-hole playoff, had earlier won the tournament in 2019.

The PLAYERS, a flagship event on the PGA Tour, was a well-received affair and the fanfare started a day before the event started on Thursday. On Wednesday, several YouTube golf influencers competed in the Creator Classic, the second edition of its kind. This was after the first edition, before the 2024 Tour Championship was a roaring success. Ten content creators participated in an eight-hole competition, and Grant Horvat won the competition with a 15-foot birdie, beating Chris Solomon of  “No Laying Up” and George Bryan IV of the “Bryan Bros Golf” in a playoff. It was not pretty, but it was still a very popular event. Then, trick-shot maestro Mac Boucher stole the show, launching a jaw-dropping 225-yard shot with an upside-down right-handed driver—golf wizardry at its finest!

While the general public finds the event very interesting, there are a few big names that do not feel excited by the concept. Rory McIlroy was very open about his thoughts. “It’s important for them, that’s good. Again, I don’t feel like I’m of the generation, but I can obviously see the intrigue and the — look, I think it’s cool for some people, but I don’t think it’s quite for my generation.” McIlroy revealed.

Johnson Wagner agrees with Rory McIlroy’s thoughts

This was also a huge point of discussion on the Wagyu Filet Show, as hosts Brendon de Jonge and Johnson Wagner dissected the Influencer tournament. De Jonge echoed Rory McIlroy’s thoughts and expressed, “I watched it and I tried my best to go in with an open mind.” Jay Monahan can be all ears now.

He does not mind the concept but he thinks that it needs to be packaged and put out for the public in a better way. “I think it is one of those things, that needs to be recorded, needs to be edited, and needs to be put out there and you could put it out there before the PLAYERS Championship and that’s fine. But I don’t think live TV works for this.” Brendon de Jonge explained his idea.

And surprisingly, Johnson Wagner, despite being a very vocal critic of McIlroy, seems to agree with the Northern Irish golfer. He felt the tournament should stay true to what made YouTube Golf easily viewable. Good conceptual editing and moments worth watching for on repeat. Which is hard to get on live television. “They shoot it. They spend two weeks editing. Maybe it takes them three hours to play seven or eight holes, and they cut it down to 45 minutes to an hour and a half product. It is very easy to consume.” He further added, “It is not a live television product. It is too many people. It takes too long.” This echoed de Jonge’s concept as well.

The PLAYERS, often hailed as golf’s “fifth major,” thrives on prestige, but Wagner believes the Creator Classic waters it down. He feels the PGA Tour is trying too hard to hype up the event, instead of letting its legendary status speak for itself. Wagner argued that for decades, they’ve pushed for The PLAYERS to be seen as a major, but Wednesday night kind of was like “a massive step backward.”

The 2024 Creators Classic before the Tour Championship drew 2.7 million viewers and trended No. 2 online, prompting the PGA Tour to expand the series to three events in 2025, including the recent one before The PLAYERS Championship. But, according to Wagner, the Tour is doing more for the content creators with the exposure they give compared to the eyes the influencers bring in for the Tour. The quid pro quo concept only works when there is equity in the rewards. “But the problem I have is that these are the two biggest tournaments that the PGA Tour owns. And it feels like the PGA Tour is doing more for these content creators than the creators are doing for the product,” the PGA Tour pro professed.

With two more Creator Classics lined up for the 2025 PGA Tour season, Wagner’s and McIlroy’s words will serve as a hanging warning for Jay Monahan and Co.

The upcoming Creator Classics

This initiative teams up with top golf creators to hook younger, new fans, signaling a digital power play to grow the game’s reach. The second will take place before the Truist Championship at the Philadelphia Cricket Club on May 7th. The third and final edition of the 2025 PGA Tour season will go back to East Lake, right before the season-ending 2025 Tour Championship.

The first edition last year at East Lake was a huge success. The event, which saw Luke Kwon emerge as a victor had 60 million fans engaged across all social media platforms across a four-week period. The event which featured 16 players, had the likes of Paige Spiranac, Aimee Choo, Mason Nutt, and Tyler Toney taking part. Kwon won the event after a thrilling four-player playoff, triumphing over Wesley Bryan, Roger Steele, and Sean Walsh.

Do you think that the Creator Classic should be voided or does it make the Tour more entertaining and captivating for the general audience?