pga tour pro drivers

What Driver is Most Used On the PGA Tour? Top 100 Player Analysis (2023 update)

Written by Graeme Hay | Last Updated: 21/05/2024

The driver is almost always the most talked about golf club in everyone’s bag.

And a good part of the reason for that is the average golfer often watches with wonder as the best players on the PGA Tour smash the ball seemingly endless distances down the middle of the fairway.

It seemed not that long ago that the 300 yard mark was the benchmark for the very long drivers on tour but now it appears you need to be hitting the ball 400 yards every now and then to be truly considered one of the game’s ‘big hitters’.

So what drivers are the pros using to achieve these huge distances?

We took a look at the top 100 players on the PGA Tour and analysed in detail the driver each of them carries to try and find what is the most common driver set up among the top pros.

Titleist’s TSR3 is the most used driver among the top 100 PGA Tour pros with 16 choosing it, including Justin Thomas and Max Homa. PING’s G430 LST is the next most popular model with 13 playing it while TaylorMade’s Stealth Plus and Callaway’s Paradym Triple Diamond drivers rank equal 3rd with 9 pros each using them.

The make and model of any driver only tells us so much though and when we looked at the drivers being used by this elite group it was fascinating to see the variance in lofts and also the multitude of different shafts being used.

It was also very interesting to note what has changed since we last carried out this detailed analysis two years ago!

Most Played Driver on PGA Tour? Titleist Are Getting More Popular!

The amount of equipment available to PGA tour players is clearly on a different scale to anything that mere mortal amateurs can aspire to.

If a Tour pro wants to test out a new driver, shaft or set up it’s immediately made available to them and they are able to swap out drivers as often as they want from tournament to tournament or even practice session to practice session.

It’s no surprise therefore that we discovered 24 different models of driver being used by the top 100 pros on the PGA Tour but the big brands of Titleist, PING, TaylorMade and Callaway very much dominate accounting for 90 out of the 100 drivers in play.

What was interesting to note though was that Titleist’s dominance among the big manufacturers has grown since the last time we did this in-depth study a couple of years ago.

Titleist drivers are the most played by the top 100 PGA Tour pros with 33 using them. PING models are the next most popular with 22 picking them. Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods’ driver brand of choice, TaylorMade is used by 19 pros. Callaway drivers are chosen by 16 of this group with Srixon drivers being used by 6 of them.

Compared to two years ago this means an extra 6 out of the top 100 PGA Tour pros (33 in 2023 vs. 27 in 2021) now consider Titleist to be the best drivers for them therefore further reducing the market share of the other big brands among this elite group.

What also becomes very apparent once again when you look in detail at the drivers used by the PGA Tour pros however is the huge number of different set ups and each driver is clearly custom fitted to a very exact extent for each player.

For example even though 13 out of the top 100 use a PING G430 LST driver you can bet your last dollar when you look closely that there will be a unique set up for each player whether that be achieved through an adjustment to the loft, set up or shaft.

It is noticeable also that not all the players are in a rush to move immediately to the latest model of their preferred brand of driver and do continue to play with older drivers.

So to give the full picture of how many and which pros are using which brand and model of driver here is the complete breakdown of the drivers used by the top 100 players on the PGA Tour in order of popularity.

What Degree of Driver Do the Pros Use? It Starts With a 9 Most of the Time

Once upon a time a driver used to come with one loft option and players were stuck with it.

Modern golf technology has obviously moved on hugely since then and the loft options available to golfers now, and especially at the elite PGA Tour level, are incredible.

The Titleist SureFit Hosel system for example features a sleeve and ring set up each with 4 settings and as a result enables 16 unique loft and lie angle combinations with a precision of up to 0.75 degrees between different options.

The players on the PGA Tour are the best in the business and when it comes to the degree of driver they use it seems clear that the exactness with which they approach it and their overall driver set up is part of the reason they are so successful.

9 degrees is the most used driver loft among the top 100 PGA Tour pros with 32 setting up with it, including Rory McIlroy. 14 of this group play a 9.5º loft. The next most played degree of driver is 10.5º chosen by 8 pros with 8º and 10º used by 7 each. 6.5º is the lowest driver loft in the top 100 and 12.1º is the highest.

It is common also for the top pros to change the loft of their driver occasionally depending on what the course they are playing demands but below is the current breakdown of driver lofts played by the top 100 PGA Tour players.

What Driver Shaft is Most Used on the PGA Tour? There’s Weight Too!

PGA Tour pros are incredibly precise when it comes to the setup of their drivers and nowhere is that more evident than when it comes to the shafts that they choose to use with the biggest club in their bag.

When we carried out our analysis of the driver shafts being used by the top 100 players on the PGA Tour two years ago we found 70 different models being used and that number has now increased to 73 in 2023.

Fujikura’s Ventus Black 6X is still the most used driver shaft among the top 100 PGA Tour pros with 7 choosing it. The Ventus TR Blue 6X is the next most popular chosen by 5 players. Graphite Design’s Tour AD DI 6X and Fujikura’s Ventus Black 7X shafts are the third most common with three pros each picking them.

That almost every one of the top 100 pros is using a shaft that is unique to them however shows how must care the best players in the world take when it comes to making their choice and that attention to detail is again clearly evident when it comes to the driver shaft weights they use.

The most popular driver shaft weight used by the top 100 PGA Tour pros is 65g with 14 players selecting it, including Jordan Speith. 10 each use heavier shafts of 68g or 76g with 69g shafts the next most common weight being used by 7 pros . 56g is the lightest driver shaft among the top 100 with 90g the heaviest.

Interestingly while our analysis of the shafts the best pros on Tour use across all their clubs (which you can see here ) shows that True Temper is the shaft choice amongst the irons used by the top 100 this is not the case with driver shafts.

Once again when it came to driver shafts we found Fujikura models are the most popular driver shaft brand increasing their share among the top 100 PGA Tour pros from 28 two years ago to 34 in 2023.

Mitsubishi driver shafts, including the Tensei and Diamana series, remain the second most used in this elite group with 25 golfers using them.

True Temper shafts meanwhile are only the 3rd most popular in the drivers of the top 100 PGA Tour pros with 15 choosing them and all opting for shafts within the Project X HZRDUS range

Graphite Design driver shafts by comparison are the choice of 13 of this group.

Before you go ….

Knowing what drivers the top pros are using to hit the ball as far as they do is one thing but how much does their equipment explain the huge distances they hit the ball both off the tee and with seemingly every club?

Read our next article to find out the key reasons why the pros hit the ball as far as they do, including how much of a role their clubs play, and how you can potentially add 20 to 30 yards to your own drives!

How Do Pros Hit the Ball So Far?

[Note – Just so you know, and we are upfront as an affiliate program participant, Golfing Focus, at no cost to you, earns from qualifying purchases made through links on this page.]

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• What Putters Do the Pros Use? Top 100 PGA Tour Player Guide
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Golf 2024 Drive Distance Leaders

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Most Popular Drivers Played on Tour

Which Driver brands and models are the most popular with the pros?

Most Popular Driver Brands Played on Tour:

Most Popular Driver Models Played on Tour:

• Brentley Romine ,

• Nicole Auerbach ,

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2023 pga tour in review: rory mcilroy was pga tour’s longest driver; who joined him in top 10 top 10 shortest.

• Brentley Romine

Rory McIlroy was the PGA Tour’s longest driver in 2022-23 after leading the circuit in average driving distance. It was the first time McIlroy had led the Tour in that category since 2018, when he averaged 319.7 yards per drive. Cameron Champ and Bryson DeChambeau had each led the Tour for two seasons since.

No, this isn’t the top 10 in SI’s pro golf ranking, but rather here are the 10 longest players on the PGA Tour during the 2022-23 season – and the shortest, too:

AVERAGE DRIVING DISTANCE LEADERS 1. Rory McIlroy, 326.3 yards 2. Peter Kuest, 321.7 yards 3. Brandon Matthews, 321.3 yards 4. Cameron Champ, 317.9 yards 5. Nicolai Højgaard, 317.7 yards 6. Ludvig Åberg, 317.1 yards 7. Cameron Young, 315.7 yards 8. Byeong Hun An, 315.6 yards 9. Vincent Norrman, 314.2 yards 10. Matti Schmid, 314.1 yards

AVERAGE DRIVING DISTANCE (SHORTEST 10) 1. Brian Stuard, 271.5 yards 2. David Lingmerth, 278.5 yards 3. William McGirt, 280 yards 4. Zac Blair, 281.6 yards 5. Brendon Todd, 282 yards 6. Austin Cook, 282.3 yards 7. Ryan Armour, 283.6 yards 8. Paul Haley II, 284.1 yards 9. Aaron Baddeley, 284.5 yards 10. Andrew Putnam, 284.7 yards

Trackman Tour Averages

At Trackman, we're dedicated to providing the most accurate and up-to-date data to enhance your golfing experience. That's why we're excited to announce the release of our new Tour Averages, reflecting the latest insights from leading professional golf tours.

How We Gathered the Data

Our team has been hard at work collecting data from a wide range of pro players, utilizing Trackman technology to capture every swing and shot with precision.

Explore the New Tour Averages

Discover the latest numbers for both PGA and LPGA Tours, now presented in a redesigned format for easy reference. To see how the game has progressed over time, check out this link to see what’s changed compared to the last Tour Averages.

What's Changed Since Last Time

Since Trackman last revealed the Tour Averages, certain areas of the game have changed. When driving, for instance, players are now hitting further, with greater ball speed and less spin rate. See how your figures compare to the pros.

The Impact of Trackman

Trackman's role in driving performance gains cannot be understated. From influencing club manufacture to revolutionizing training methods and making data more accessible, Trackman continues to shape the future of golf. Additionally, integrating Trackman technology with advanced golf simulators offers players an immersive experience, allowing them to practice and improve their skills in a virtual environment.

Stay Informed

Whether you're a seasoned pro or a weekend warrior, Trackman is here to help you reach new heights on the course. So stay tuned for more updates and insights from Trackman as we continue to push the boundaries of golf technology.

Get the New Tour Assets

The updated Tour Averages data is available for download here in various formats (incl. in meters or yards), whether you're a coaching professional or simply want them handy on your phone when you're on the range.

Key Insights:

Male data is captured across 40+ different events and 200+ different players.

Data is captured at both PGA TOUR and DP World Tour events with majority coming from PGA TOUR events.

Female data is captured across 30+ different events and 150+ different players.

Data is captured at both LPGA and LET events with majority coming from LPGA events.

Averages are based on data from competition as well as on the range.

There are multiple processes in place to eliminate shots hit with a non-driver during competition.

There could be a small number of non-driver shots in the dataset (less than 0.5 percent).

Official stat holes are picked going in opposite directions to reduce any effects from wind.

How Far PGA Tour Players Carry Their Drives

What's the average carry of a PGA Tour player's drive, and how might that change in the future?

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The driving distance debate is one that stubbornly refuses to go away… although that’s something governing bodies the USGA and The R&A are probably hoping will change within a few years.

That’s because they have confirmed golf ball rollback plans that will see driving distances reduced at every level of the game, starting in 2028 in the professional game and from 2030 elsewhere. But how far do PGA Tour players currently carry their drives, and how will the changes affect the numbers?

Carry distance is an important stat to know, but why? Well, it’s one thing to know how far your drives have travelled after the ball has come to a stop, but if you’re weighing up potential problems ahead from the tee box, such as water, bunkers or rough, carry distance is the priority.

According to figures released by Trackman, which also show how far PGA Tour players hit every club in the bag , players on the circuit carry their drives an average 275 yards. 

That's over nine yards more than in 2007, when the PGA Tour began keeping carry distance records. Back then, the average carry distance was 265.7 yards. As with driving distances on the PGA Tour , that has increased over the years, but it won't stay on that trajectory indefinitely, because of the changes coming in 2028. 

That will see the game’s longest hitters lose between 13 and 15 yards of their total driving distance. However, the average elite male player will not be as affected and can expect a reduction of between nine and 11 yards. Naturally, this will have an effect on carry distance, too. 

Of course, the very longest hitters and average elite players are all part of the overall Trackman average, but it’s probably safe to assume that the average carry distance after the rollback will be around 10 yards shorter, or approximately 265 yards - in other words, somewhere close to the 2007 level.

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But what about the biggest hitter? After all, the further a player drives the ball, the more distance he will lose after the rollback. According to the PGA Tour website, Rory McIlroy , a key figure who supports the change , is at the top of the list for the 2022/23 season with an average driving distance of 326.3 yards.

Rory McIlroy supports the golf ball rollback plan

Let’s say that average comes down by the top figure given by the governing bodies once the change comes in – 15 yards. That will reduce his average driving distance to 311.3 yards, or a 4.5% hit.

McIlroy’s average carry distance for the same season is 307.4 yards and 4.5% of that is 13.8 yards. That means his carry distance could come down to around 293.6 yards after the rollback.

How Far PGA Tour Players Carry Their Driver

• Club speed (mph): 113
• Attack angle (deg): -1.3
• Ball speed (mph): 167
• Smash factor: 1.48
• Launch angle (deg): 10.9
• Spin rate (rpm): 2686
• Max height (yards): 32
• Land angle (deg): 38
• Carry (yards): 275

Numbers: Trackman

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories. 

He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game. 

Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course. 

Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.

Scottie Scheffler leads the way at the start of FedEx Cup finale the Tour Championship, and he's grouped with Xander Schauffele in the first round at East Lake

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REVEALED: PGA Tour average CARRY DISTANCES - how do YOURS compare?!

How far do you hit each of your clubs? See how you compare to the average PGA Tour pro.

Ever wondered how far the average PGA Tour pro carries the ball with each of the clubs in their bag? Well you're in luck as the table below gives you the latest numbers from the circuit. 

Okay, not everyone hits the ball as far as the likes of Bryson DeChambeau - who incredibly once carried a drive last season 400 yards - but the below list at least gives you a broader idea as to how far the average PGA Tour pro is carrying their golf ball in 2021. 

I know for one that GolfMagic Equipment Editor Alex Lodge, who plays off a low single-figure handicap, can hit the below numbers for fun - so some of you guys and girls out there may also be in the same boat. 

Personally speaking, as a 14-handicap hacker, my total distances equate to the current carry distances of the average PGA Tour pro. But with a dodgy back and a few grey hairs starting to appear now, I will take that. 

See how your carry numbers compare to the world's best on the PGA Tour in the table below, starting with the driver and moving down to the pitching wedge. 

PGA TOUR AVERAGE CARRY DISTANCES 2021

DRIVER - 275 YARDS

3 WOOD - 243 YARDS

5 WOOD - 230 YARDS

HYBRID - 225 YARDS

3 IRON - 212 YARDS

4 IRON - 203 YARDS

5 IRON - 194 YARDS

6 IRON - 183 YARDS

7 IRON - 172 YARDS

8 IRON - 160 YARDS

9 IRON - 148 YARDS

PW - 136 YARDS

Stats: GOLFTV

How do your carry numbers compare to the averages on the PGA Tour? Come and share your thoughts over on our social media channels - Facebook, Instagram and Twitter - or head over to our YouTube channel.

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Will the pga tour regularly return to denver (and will peyton manning help the cause), share this article.

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — Blue skies, gentle breezes, and balmy temperatures made for a glorious week of golf in the Colorado Rockies. Fan support at the BMW Championship ? It was off the charts. Some of the crowds on pro-am day at Castle Pines Golf Club looked as if Tiger Woods was approaching the green even if it was actually Tommy Fleetwood.

“Denver showed out great,” said hometown hero Wyndham Clark , the 2023 U.S. Open champion. “I would love for us to come back at least every few years or every other year or every year. It would be great to be able to come back here. I hope we do, and hopefully that happens.”

Showed out, they did. Ticket sales, with crowds of upwards of 35,000 a day, sold out for three of the four rounds, and it was the earliest sell-out for weekend tickets in BMW Championship history. Hospitality sold out in record time too. More than twice the number of volunteers that were needed had signed up within two days.

More: Wyndham Clark’s long winding road to playing a home game at the BMW Championship

Ten years of pent-up demand will do that – the PGA Tour was last in the Mile High City in 2014 at Cherry Hills for that year’s edition of the BMW – but Denver is a city that lives for its sporting events.

Nearly two decades had passed since the state’s only regular Tour event, The International, ceased to exist at Castle Pines after a 21-year run. It was a beloved event with its unique modified Stableford scoring format. Pros raved about the milkshakes and the club’s hospitality. Members, dressed in green jackets, modeled their event as “the Masters of the West.”

Fortunately, the absence of this popular summer staple had been lessened by an incredible run of high-profile events visiting the Rockies. The Broadmoor in nearby Colorado Springs hosted U.S. Senior and Women’s Opens. Colorado Golf Club in Parker, Colorado, approximately 25 minutes southeast of Denver, was the venue for the 2010 Senior PGA Championship and the setting for the 2013 Solheim Cup. In addition to the BMW, Cherry Hills hosted the 2012 and 2023 U.S. Amateur, which produced record crowds.

“But it was what we had out here for Tuesday for the practice rounds,” said George Solich, the president and chairman of Castle Pines.

When Solich was asked if he could envision Castle Pines hosting an event more regularly than once every 10 years, he smiled and said, “We don’t want to call the victory before the clock runs out. And so I think it’s important that we really look at this week and see how the players like it, see how the sponsors like it, and see how the PGA Tour likes it. What are some of the things we can do better? But you know, short answer is we would love to have PGA Tour golf here more often.”

More : The best public-access and private golf courses in Colorado, ranked

Billy Horschel, who won the 2014 BMW, suggests that Castle Pines and Cherry Hills rotate hosting the Tour and make a play for being in the BMW’s rota, which already is slated to bounce to Caves Valley near Baltimore next year, Bellerive in St. Louis in 2026 and Liberty National in Jersey City, New Jersey in 2027. (The BMW hasn’t been held at the same venue in consecutive years since 2011.)

An effort is underway to lure prominent events back to Cherry Hills. A source at the Tour tells Golfweek that club member Peyton Manning has been enlisted to assist efforts. Cherry Hills officials attended the U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine two weeks ago to meet with members of the USGA.

Golfweek also has learned that Cherry Hills is seeking to bring a significant championship there and eyeing 2035, which would be the 75 th anniversary of Arnold Palmer’s iconic victory there. That Open is already spoken for with anchor site Pinehurst No. 2, but anniversaries such as these do resonate with the USGA and perhaps Pinehurst, which has ’29, ’41 and ’47 on the books would agree to move dates. Conversations with the PGA of America about a PGA Championship, which Cherry Hills hosted in 1941 and 1985, and a Ryder Cup are under consideration too.

In pictures: Peyton Manning’s golf life

Castle Pines passed its test from an operational standpoint and shouldn’t have to wait another decade for the Tour’s return.

“My last comment to the Tour was let’s sit on it a little bit and then go talk about what the art of the possible is,” Solich said.

Either Cherry Hills or Castle Pines would be a worthy Presidents Cup site but the first open date for a home venue? 2034. That would be another decade from now. Denver — and Colorado for that matter — deserves better.

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Xander schauffele has the points for pga player of the year. but the award no longer exists.

Doug Ferguson

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Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Xander Schauffele hits off the second tee during the third round of the BMW Championship golf event at Castle Pines Golf Club, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, in Castle Rock, Colo. (AP Photo/Matt York)

ATLANTA – Winning two majors in a year used to be a shoo-in for earning the points-based award for player of the year presented annually by the PGA of America since 1948. Xander Schauffele was in line to get at least one award this year.

A major is worth 30 points. Two majors comes with a 50-point bonus.

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Schauffele, the PGA Championship and British Open champion, effectively clinched the award last week when Scottie Scheffler did not win the BMW Championship . Schauffele would have had 148 points — two majors, the bonus and 19 points each for being second in scoring average and money. Even if he won the Tour Championship, Scheffler would have had only 140 points.

There's just one problem — the PGA award no longer exists.

In a decision that was not announced at the time, the PGA of America two years ago quietly chose to end its awards for PGA Tour players — player of the year and the Vardon Trophy.

“We are no longer presenting the PGA Player of the Year and Vardon Trophy awards because similar awards are being given by the PGA Tour,” the PGA of America said Tuesday in a statement.

The last PGA of America awards went to Rory McIlroy (Vardon) and Cameron Smith (player of the year) in 2022.

The PGA Tour's award for player of the year is decided by a vote of the players, and this could go in any direction. Scheffler has been nothing short of astounding this year with the Masters , The Players Championship , four titles in signature events, an Olympic gold medal and the lowest scoring average since Tiger Woods.

But a number of players lean toward multiple majors, the most meaningful titles in golf. It could come down to one of them winning the FedEx Cup.

The PGA Tour award — named after Jack Nicklaus — dates to 1990. The only player who captured two majors and did not win the award was Nick Faldo that year and for good reason: He was not a PGA Tour member and thus was ineligible for the award.

The PGA of America had been regarded as little more than a footnote for several years, mainly because so much in week-to-week golf revolves around the PGA Tour.

But with a player-only vote comes the problem of who actually votes. Scheffler wasn't sure how many times he submitted his ballot and said he wouldn't vote for himself.

The greatest example of voter turnout was 2010, when the award for rookie of the year came down to Rickie Fowler and Rory McIlroy. Neither reached the Tour Championship. Their records were very similar except that McIlroy won at Quail Hollow. The vote went to Fowler.

The day after it was announced, Dustin Johnson was asked what he thought about the rookie award. He replied, “Man, that's a tough one. I'm not sure who I'm going to vote for.” Just a hunch, but he probably forgot to vote.

The curious decision was ending the Vardon Trophy, which dated to 1937. The PGA Tour basically copied that award — the adjusted scoring average — with the Byron Nelson Award. The only difference was the Vardon required 60 rounds, while only 50 rounds were required for the PGA Tour version.

The winner typically was referenced as winning the Vardon, not the Nelson. But no more.

Nelly Korda and the majors

Nelly Korda won the first LPGA major of the year and tied an LPGA record in the process with her fifth consecutive victory. The rest of the majors were memorable for other reasons.

She took a 10 on her third hole of the U.S. Women's Open at Lancaster, shot 80 in the opening round and missed the cut. She was one off the lead after one round of the Women's PGA at Sahalee and shot 81 in the second round to miss the cut.

More painful was the Women's British Open at St. Andrews, where she had a two-shot lead until taking double bogey on the par-5 14th, and then failing to get up-and-down from the Road Hole bunker on the 17th. She finished two behind Lydia Ko .

Korda has enjoyed a stellar season with six wins and a major, and she is not one to make excuses about the rough times. St. Andrews was no exception.

“Listen, it’s golf,” Korda said. “I’m going to mess up and unfortunately I messed up over the weekend twice in two penalizing ways coming down the stretch. Theoretically that’s what kind of cost me the tournament. But I played well. I played solid. I even fought after that. I’m going to take that into the next coming events.”

There's something else she looks forward to the rest of the year after coping with high wind at the home of golf.

“It will be interesting to see when I don’t play in 30, 40 mph wind what my ball flight is going to be like, finally seeing it go straight," she said.

The last new test for Ludvig Aberg

Ludvig Aberg turned pro in June 2023 after his senior year at Texas Tech and has spent the last 15 months learning a lot of new course. The three he had played before were Bay Hill, the TPC River Highlands (Travelers) and the Renaissance Club (Scottish Open).

The toughest for him to learn was Riviera.

“It's so good because it’s stood the test of time. But it’s still really tricky when the greens are firm and you’re really working the angles,” Aberg said. “I think once you have played there a few times, you kind of know where you can’t go and where you should have the pitches from and the putts from. I’m definitely looking forward to coming back there next year and giving it another shot.”

Summer days and long drives

The father of Keegan Bradley watched him win on the PGA Tour for the first time at the BMW Championship. Before that, it was mostly amateur events, and Mark Bradley singled out the Wyoming State Amateur. His son won it in 2005 when he was 19.

What was a New England kid doing in Wyoming? His father was the pro at Jackson Hole, and Bradley used to drive 2,100 miles (3,400 miles) out there from college at St. John's in the summer.

“I would play in the Wyoming State Amateur and the Wyoming Open. I was out there for three summers, I believe,” Bradley said. “So I would get done with school in Queens, get in my Ford Focus and drive for three days to Jackson and work all summer, play golf and fish and play in those local tournaments, and it was great.”

Three PGA Tour players from the top 25 in the world ranking did not reach the Tour Championship — Brian Harman (17), Tom Kim (22) and Max Homa (23). ... Shigeki Maruyama will be at the Presidents Cup as an assistant captain to Mike Weir. Maruyama played on the last International team that won, in 1998 at Royal Melbourne. He went 5-0 that week ... Royal Dornoch in Scotland has been selected to host the Curtis Cup in 2028. ... Francesco Molinari (Continental Europe) and Justin Rose (Britain and Ireland) will be captains of the Team Cup on Jan. 10-12 in Abu Dhabi. The event is played during Ryder Cup years. ... Matt McCarty won his third Korn Ferry Tour title this year and earned instant promotion to the PGA Tour.

Stat of the week

The BMW Championship at Castle Pines was only the third non-major that Scottie Scheffler failed to break 70 over four rounds. The others were Muirfield Village and Shadow Creek, both in 2020 during his rookie season.

“These are things that I could have never imagined because they were just too good to be true.” — Lydia Ko, who won the Olympic gold medal and the Women's British Open at St. Andrews in a span of 16 days.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Fully Equipped mailbag: What’s the average driver shaft length on the PGA Tour?

Welcome to another edition of the  Fully Equipped mailbag , an interactive GOLF.com series in which our resident dimplehead (a.k.a. Jonathan Wall, GOLF’s managing editor of equipment) fields your hard-hitting gear questions.

Is there an average driver shaft length on the PGA Tour? And if so, how does it compare to what I might find at retail? — Luis Restrepo

The average driver shaft length on Tour is roughly 44.75 inches, give or take a half-inch in either direction depending on preference. Contrary to what some might think, there isn’t a run on longer shafts as a way to chase more distance. Drivers are optimized to where every possible yard is being squeezed out of the head and shaft.

Of course, there are outliers. Rickie Fowler is a notable name who uses something well under 44.75 inches. Back in 2017, Fowler chose to cut down his Cobra driver to 43.5 inches to pick up some accuracy; he went on to win the Honda Classic that season, which pretty much validated the gear tweak.

I don’t think it’s necessary to completely copy Fowler if you’re struggling off the tee, but there are some benefits to be had by going shorter. For starters, you’ll likely find more fairways by eliminating the wild misses that tend to come with longer shafts. The general rule of thumb is you trade accuracy for a slight dip in distance when giving a shaft a haircut.

But don’t think that means you’re going to go from hitting it 275 yards to 250 yards. In some cases, players have seen an increase in distance by going shorter. Earlier last season, Tony Finau, at the suggestion of Ping Tour rep Kenton Oates, went from 45.25 inches to 44.75 inches and produced a higher ball speed — 182-183 mph versus 180-182 mph — with more consistent center face contact. That’s the best of both worlds.

Even if you don’t have Finau speed, there’s no reason to think those results are impossible to attain. What it comes to giving shorter a shot, it’s necessary that you eliminate the preconceived notion that a shorter shaft means short drives.

With regards to how the Tour’s average shaft length stacks up against what’s commonly found at retail, the driver currently in your bag is likely longer by about one inch. Standard retail length is around 45.5 inches, but with so many custom options available, it’s very possible to get the shaft cut down before you walk out the door.

Some manufacturers have even started adding special shaft lengths as retail offerings. Cobra recently added a 44.5-inch “Tour length” offering based specifically on Fowler’s move into a shorter shaft a few years back.

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And if you’re considering going down in length, just remember that altering the overall swing weight can significantly effect how the club is delivered.

“If you chop an inch off your driver, it’s going to change the swing weight,” said Tim Briand, True Spec’s senior vice president, on a recent episode of Fully Equipped. “That’s the balance of the club. Why is that important? Your ability to hit the ball in the center of the face, with a square face, has to do with your perception of where the club head is when you’re swinging it. And swing weight is a feature that’s directly tied to your perception of that head.”

In other words, you’ll need to figure out a way to add the lost weight back to get close to your original swing weight. That could be with a heavier shaft, lead tape or the more common Tour practice of adding RAT glue to the head.

To hear more gear insights from  Jonathan Wall  and True Spec’s  Tim Briand , subscribe and listen each week to  GOLF’s Fully Equipped  podcast:  iTunes  |  SoundCloud  |  Spotify  |  Stitcher

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Castle Pines Golf Club

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Tour Championship picks 2024: Tommy Fleetwood's golden opportunity

Whether you’re a fan of the FedEx Cup’s format or not, the fact of the matter is: This is our last chance to bet the PGA Tour before the season is over. Our Golf Digest expert panel is heating up at the end of the season , and they have identified several best bets for the Tour Championship at the restored East Lake Golf Club . So add some golf bets to your college football cards for the weekend, and sweat out some golf for the last time in the 2023-’24 season.

RELATED: Here's the FedEx Cup prize money payout for each golfer at the 2024 Tour Championship

The Golf Digest betting panel is comprised of a caddie reporting anonymously from the grounds of East Lake, Pat Mayo of Underdog/Mayo Media Network, Brandon Gdula of numberFire/FanDuel, Andy Lack of RunPureSports.com, your two authors and Keith Stewart, the CEO of Read The Line. Stewart, our newest member of the panel, is our new betting content partner as well.

Scroll down for our complete betting analysis of the 2024 Tour Championship.   

Tour Championship picks 2024: Our Experts’ Outright Predictions    

Anonymous Caddie Picker of the week : Ludvig Aberg, with starting strokes (22-1, FanDuel) — The talented Swede came up just shy last week, but if you look closer at his play, his sloppy bogeys were really a result of some poor club choices playing at altitude. That’s not the case this week at East Lake. He’s essentially a better approach-playing version of Rory McIlroy right now, and you get some very good odds for the talented rookie to lift the FedEx Cup trophy and cement himself as one of golf’s biggest stars.

RELATED:  Ludvig Aberg is looking to move because his landlord, a fellow PGA Tour pro, 'is kind of tired of me'

Pat Mayo, Underdog/Fantasy National, Mayo Media Network analyst : Tommy Fleetwood, without starting strokes (20-1, FanDuel) — Unsurprisingly, Tommy Lad rebounded from a career-worse mark, losing eight strokes/putting in Memphis back into the positives at the BMW. The driving and irons remained as steady as ever. So, now, Tommy has a chance to pull a full Tommy: Win the 72-stroke play tournament without coming close to actually winning the overall.

Brandon Gdula, FanDuel/numberFire managing editor : Tommy Fleetwood, without starting strokes (20-1, FanDuel) — Fleetwood’s playing better golf than people probably realize, especially with his irons trending up of late. His putting has been hot and cold, and while he’s starting at just 1-under, he has a real shot to post the best four-round score at a course where he has played solidly.

Keith Stewart, Read The Line: Xander Schauffele, without starting strokes (+470, FanDuel) — In seven trips to East Lake, Xander Schauffele has finished with the low gross score three times! Strokes or no strokes, Schauffele has never finished worse than seventh. I know the course has changed, but that will only favor Xander more. Firm greens favor his scrambling ability. Grainy Bermudagrass never works well for Scottie. Two majors and a FedEx Cup, let the Player of the Year argument begin!

Watch the below video for Read The Line's breakdown of the 2024 Creator Classic:

Stephen Hennessey, Golf Digest dep. managing editor : Sam Burns, without starting strokes (16-1, DraftKings) — Xander and Scottie are talking about fatigue heading into this week, but you don’t hear Sam Burns complaining about it. He came up just shy last week with his Sunday 65, and now he gets the type of Bermuda test where he thrives. He needs to drive it straighter than his baseline, but give us his ball-striking performance from last week, and he can chase down the big guns.

Christopher Powers, Golf Digest senior writer : Sam Burns, without starting strokes (16-1, DraftKings) — Bermuda Burns is scorching hot right now, finishing T-12 or better in three straight starts. He’s fresh off a final-round 65 at Castle Pines, his sixth round of 67 or lower in his last 14 rounds on the PGA Tour. That kind of birdie-making ability is what you’re going to need to hit a winner in the without starting strokes market. Burns will start six back of his best bud at East Lake, so he’ll need to be firing at flags out of the gate.

Andy Lack, Run Pure Sports and Inside Golf podcast : Tommy Fleetwood, without starting strokes (20-1, FanDuel) — I feel a lot better about Tommy Fleetwood in any situation where he doesn’t have to win the actual tournament, and he is one of my favorite plays in the Without Starting Strokes market. Fleetwood is coming off another top-five finish at the BMW Championship, and now he returns to Bermuda-grass, where he has experienced considerable success over the course of his career.

More from Golf Digest

Past results: The panel is SCORCHING hot. Brandon Gdula picked up his first outright win of the year at the FedEx St. Jude, correctly predicting Hideki Matsuyama’s victory at 25-1. The week before that, Stephen Hennessey and Christopher Powers both nailed Aaron Rai’s win at the Wyndham at 35-1, giving them each three outright winners in 2024. Before that, it was Pat Mayo cashing in on Scottie Scheffler’s gold medal at the Olympics (+400) for his third outright this year.

Listen to Golf Digest's weekly betting podcast, "The Loop," (above) where we interview the industry's leading experts (and sometimes tour pros) to help you make your bets and pick your fantasy lineups. And be sure to subscribe to "The Loop" wherever you get your podcasts!  

East Lake Golf Club

Atlanta, ga, united states.

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• Best In State

Tour Championship picks 2024: Sleepers/Dark Horses Who Could Win  

Caddie: Billy Horschel, without starting strokes (33-1, FanDuel) — We know Billy loves this course, having lifted a FedEx Cup trophy in the past. And he might be playing the best golf of his career since that title. He’ll be super-motivated this week, knowing a great week gets him on the Presidents Cup team.

Mayo : Tom Hoge, without starting strokes (65-1, FanDuel) — It’s been months since Hoge put together elite approach weeks in a row. Yet after leading all players in Denver, backing Hoge feels actionable again at a course where irons and putting win the day. Of concern, Hoge’s dropped strokes with his putter in five straight, but he’s now back on Bermuda. Hoge’s been marginally positive on Bermuda greens over the past two years. And he did gain four strokes/putting in his only appearance at East Lake.

Gdula: Patrick Cantlay, with starting strokes (45-1, FanDuel) — Cantlay is starting at 4-under and has to run down a few big names, but we have seen someone win the Tour Championship from 4-under before, and his game is solid overall. The underlying data for him is still quite good, and he has a high ceiling even without playing to his peak potential of late.

Stewart: Sam Burns, without starting strokes (25-1, Bet365) — Sam Burns finished 13th at 3M, a very difficult driving course. Burns then finished fifth at the FedEx St. Jude, a Bermudagrass putting test. Last week, Sam was the BMW runner-up when he shot 65 on Sunday. A total test of golf in Denver, Burns gained over eight shots on the field. Bring him to another Bermudagrass playground in great form, and he’ll take home the gross title.

Hennessey, Golf Digest: Justin Thomas, without starting strokes (29-1, FanDuel) — It would be a perfect narrative after last year coming up one shy of making the playoffs ... he was the last man into the Tour Championship this year. He doesn’t have much to lose and can play free and loose, knowing a big week can ensure a spot on the Presidents Cup team.

Powers, Golf Digest: Sam Burns, with starting strokes (40-1, DraftKings) — I mean, why the hell not? Scheffler seems to be limping into the Tour Championship, and him already showing disdain for the end-of-year format tells me the thought of losing the FedEx Cup (again) has already entered his head. Burns will be one of many trying to chase him down early on Thursday, and if Scheffler starts off slow, it’s anybody’s tournament again. Let’s go for the double winner.

Lack: Billy Horschel, without starting strokes (33-1, FanDuel) — Billy Horschel has already won a Tour Championship at East Lake, and he is coming off another strong performance at the BMW Championship where he gained strokes in both ball-striking categories. Horschel has been known to heat up at this time of year, and he has now gained three strokes ball-striking in four straight starts.

RELATED: Here's where all 30 players begin with the Tour Championship's staggered-start format

Tour Championship picks 2024: Players We’re Fading  

Caddie: Hideki Matsuyama (12-1, FanDuel) — Last week might’ve been a cautionary WD from Hideki, but he’s clearly not 100 percent, and that’s reason enough to believe one of the other stars will get it done.

Mayo : Scottie Scheffler, with strokes (+110, FanDuel) — Of course he can figure it out, but in four starts at East Lake, Scheffler has never gained on the greens, losing on average 1.25 strokes putting per round over his past 12 rounds.

Gdula: Hideki Matsuyama (12-1, FanDuel) — Hideki was good to me at TPC Southwind, but I just don’t see enough value here to account for his back injury and WD last week.

Stewart: Scottie Scheffler, without starting strokes (+470, FanDuel) — For the third year in a row, Scottie Scheffler arrives in Atlanta as the favorite to win the FedEx Cup. East Lake has not been a happy place for Scheffler. Some believe changes to the course might help him, but I think that will only make the task of winning harder. Scottie is a not a good Bermudagrass putter. These brand-new greens will be some of the grainiest surfaces he has seen all year. Much like Pinehurst, East Lake will provide a ton of unpredictable bounces. Scheffler is on record stating how much that frustrates him. A combination of changed characteristics still lead me to believe Scottie will be second for the third year in a row.

Hennessey, Golf Digest: Scottie Scheffler, without starting strokes (+470, FanDuel) — I'll echo Stewart’s sharp analysis above. It’s tough to get excited about these awful odds with Scheffler.

Powers, Golf Digest: Hideki Matsuyama (12-1, FanDuel) — It’s been confirmed that Matsuyama won’t be 100 percent this week. Knowing him, he’ll probably win now, but it’s still too risky at 11-1.

Lack: Hideki Matsuyama (12-1, FanDuel) — Tracking down Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele when all players are starting even is a difficult enough task. I don’t have a lot of confidence that Hideki Matsuyama in sub-optimal health has the fire power to come back and steal this tournament. I’ll gladly pass at this number

Tour Championship picks 2024: Matchups    

Caddie: Billy Horschel (+140) over Tommy Fleetwood (FanDuel) — I understand Tommy’s playing great golf, but so is Horschel, so I don’t think the Florida Gator should be this much of an underdog.

Mayo : Xander Schauffele (+150) over Scottie Scheffler (Bet365) — Sure, he starts a stroke behind, but East Lake has been one of Xander’s best all-time courses where Scottie has just never figured out these greens.

Gdula: Taylor Pendrith (-120) over Chris Kirk (FanDuel) — Pendrith has the edge both in iron play and putting in recent rounds. That leads to a large overall skill gap when factoring in all four strokes-gained facets.

Stewart: Shane Lowry (-120) over Sahith Theegala (DraftKings) — Sahith Theegala qualified for the Presidents Cup team on points. He has no reason to push in Atlanta, and that’s good. Theegala has been battling an arm injury and could use the rest. He’s here to play, but I don’t believe he will try to aggravate it. Shane Lowry fits East Lake’s design. An accurate driver, Lowry also excels on approach. A solid Bermudagrass putter, Lowry can go low on courses like this where after a bad bounce or two, he can get up and down to save par.

Hennessey, Golf Digest: Xander Schauffele (+150) over Scottie Scheffler (Bet365) — I’m following Mayo on this one—I have a ton more confidence in Xander’s putting and record at East Lake here.

Powers, Golf Digest: Patrick Cantlay (-140) over Wyndham Clark (DraftKings) — Wyndham has certainly been better of late and almost rode the home crowd’s energy to a top 10 in Colorado, but the approach game still isn’t all the way back yet. Cantlay, meanwhile, has gained strokes ball-striking in five straight events, and he’s finished T-7 or better at East Lake three consecutive years.

Lack: Byeong Hun An (-120) over Akshay Bhatia (DraftKings) — Byeong Hun An is coming off a 13th-place finish last week at the BMW Championship, where he gained over three strokes off the tee and three strokes putting, and he possesses all of the tee-to-green skill necessary to succeed at the revamped version of East Lake. Akshay Bhatia, on the other hand, is coming off his worst iron performance of the season at Castle Pines, where he lost a whopping 11.4 strokes on approach.

Matchup Results from the BMW Championship: Lack: 1 for 1 (Hovland (+105) over Matsuyama); Gdula: 1 for 1 (Pendrith (-115) over Eckroat); Hennessey: 1 for 1 (Schauffele (+125) over Scheffler); Stewart: PUSH (Rai (-120) over Young); Caddie: 0 for 1; Mayo: 0 for 1;

Matchup Results from this season (Wins-Losses-Pushes): Lack 21-11-2 (up 7.61 units); Caddie: 20-13-0 (up 5.29 units); Gdula: 19-12-3 (up 4.7 units); Hennessey: 18-12-4 (up 4.7 units); Powers: 16-15-2 (up 0.66 units); Mayo: 17-16-1 (up 0.61 units); Stewart: 13-19-2 (down 6.96 units)

Tour Championship picks 2024: Top 10s  

Caddie: Keegan Bradley (-150, FanDuel) — You’ll need savvy touch with your approach play with these ultra-firm greens this week at East Lake, and that’s exactly the type of formula Keegan used to win last week.

Mayo : Sam Burns (+100, DraftKings) — Top 5s in both playoff events to date, beyond his scorching flat stick, Burns in the midst of his most consistent approach stretch since last summer. He’s gaining over two strokes per event with his irons over these past four starts. That’s not likely enough for someone to win, but eclipsing six strokes on the greens is well within his purview at the moment. That can cover up non-elite tee-to-green totals.

Gdula: Russell Henley (+180, FanDuel) — Henley starts at 2-under, so he’s within shouting distance of the top 10 already. But he’s an accurate driver who putts well on Bermuda, and in recent rounds (the last 50 for each golfer), he ranks fifth in strokes gained/approach through putting.

Stewart: Billy Horschel (+275, BetRivers) — Who’s better on grainy Bermudagrass than Billy Horschel? Horschel has been on a heater since his runner-up finish at the Open Championship. Motivated to earn one of those coveted captain's picks on the Presidents Cup team, Billy will grind his way to Royal Montreal. Horschel is gaining an average of six strokes on the field in his past five starts and carries an incredible edge this week. A past FedEx Cup Champion, he knows what it takes to win at East Lake. On a week where there will be wild bounces and grainy greens, take the tour’s toughest competitor at the Tour Championship.

Hennessey, Golf Digest: Sungjae Im (+150, DraftKings) — This is a great fit for Sungjae, who has proven East Lake is his jam.

Powers, Golf Digest: Sungjae Im (+150, DraftKings) — Plus money on a top 10 for a guy who is literally starting the week T-11 is not something I’m passing up. Last week marked Im’s ninth finish of T-12 or better in his last 12 starts.

Lack: Sungjae Im (+150, DraftKings) — Sungjae Im continues to play some rock solid golf in the back half of the season, and he is coming off an 11th-place finish at the BMW Championship where he gained over a stroke in both ball-striking categories. Im already has a runner-up under his belt at East Lake, and he possesses a long track record of success at Southeastern Bermuda courses.

Top-10 results from the BMW Championship: Caddie: 1 for 1 (Ludvig Aberg +162); Everybody else: 0 for 1

Top-10 results from this season: Hennessey: 11 for 34 (up 66.35 units); Mayo: 6 for 34 (down 6.5 units); Powers: 6 for 34 (down 6.6 units); Caddie: 7 for 33 (down 5.93 units); Stewart: 6 for 34 (down 9.42 units); Gdula: 5 for 34 (down 9.9 units); Lack: 6 for 34 (down 13.55 units)

More From Golf Digest

About our experts  

Pat Mayo is an award-winning video host and producer of long and short-form content, and the host of The Pat Mayo Experience daily talk show. Mayo helped create the golf stats and research website Fantasy National along with the Race for the Mayo Cup One and Done contest. Mayo won the 2022 Fantasy Sports Writing Association Daily Fantasy Writer of the Year and is a finalist for three FSWA Awards in 2023 (Best Podcast, Daily Fantasy Writer of the Year, Golf Writer of the Year). His 27 FSWA nominations lead all writers this decade and are second-most all-time. Follow him on Twitter: @ThePME . 

Brandon Gdula , managing editor and analyst for numberFire, a FanDuel daily-fantasy analysis company, recently won the 2018 FSWA Golf Writer of the Year. Gdula also co-hosts the DFS Heat Check podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @gdula13 . 

Keith Stewart is a five-time award-winning PGA professional, a betting contributor for Golf Digest and founder of Read The Line, the premier on-site live golf betting insights service covering the LPGA and PGA TOUR. Subscribe to Read The Line’s weekly newsletter here and raise your golf betting acumen. Keith's winning content can also be found on Sports Grid, Bleacher Report and The Sporting News. Follow him on Twitter @readtheline_ .

Andy Lack is a PGA Tour writer and podcaster from New York City who now resides in Los Angeles. He hosts Inside Golf, a twice weekly podcast focused on the PGA Tour, betting, daily fantasy, golf course architecture, and interviews, as part of the BlueWire podcast network. As well as contributing to Golf Digest, Andy is also the head of golf content for Run Pure Sports, where he covers PGA Tour betting and daily fantasy. He came to Golf Digest’s betting panel after previously writing for RickRunGood.com, the Score and GolfWRX. In his free time, Andy can likely be found on a golf course. Follow him on Twitter: @adplacksports  

What is the Creator Classic? Inside the PGA Tour’s attempt to bring in YouTube golfers

YouTube golf is coming to the PGA Tour .

In a first-of-its-kind event, golf influencers will take center stage on the eve of the Tour Championship. Dubbed “space camp” for YouTube golfers, the Creator Classic will kick off at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, marking a significant shift in the PGA Tour’s acceptance of golf internet personalities and recognition of their influence on the game.

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Sixteen creators of various ages, backgrounds and specialties will tee it up on the back nine at the newly restored East Lake for a live, televised stroke play competition. The competitors, which include members of the popular YouTube groups Dude Perfect, Good Good and Bob Does Sports, will be playing straight up — no handicaps will be in effect — on the same stage as the top 30 players left standing in the FedEx Cup. (The prerequisite for the chosen creators was simple. They had to be solid, experienced players.) Once the four foursomes reach the ninth hole of the mini-tournament, a playoff between the four lowest-scoring players will decide the champion.

Golf on YouTube has been booming for the better part of the last four years, but the Creator Classic is the first organized effort to involve these personalities with a PGA Tour event in a major way. Several of these influencers have participated in PGA Tour pro-ams or invited PGA Tour players to appear as guests on their own channels, but an event like the Creator Classic — where the PGA Tour formally adopts the YouTube audience — has never been done before. So why are they doing this now, and what can we expect?

How did the Creator Classic come together?

Chad Mumm, the executive producer of Netflix’s “Full Swing”, sat down with PGA Tour executives at March’s Players Championship to plan out his first move. Mumm had just launched his new media venture, Pro Shop, and had officially secured a partnership with the PGA Tour and the PGA of America. There were seemingly endless directions to turn, but how could his new company make the biggest splash?

One month earlier at the WM Phoenix Open, Mumm saw something that set a lightbulb off in his brain. Good Good, the hugely popular YouTube golf group, drew big numbers and energetic on-site crowds when they hosted a live tournament for golf influencers and celebrities in Scottsdale. The Good Good Desert Open took place at night, under the lights, the Wednesday evening before one of the PGA Tour’s most raucous events at a local 14-hole par-3 course. The event wasn’t even directly affiliated with the WMPO, but it streamed on Peacock and garnered 800,000 live viewers — a number that rivals some PGA Tour TV broadcasts.

At those meetings in Ponte Vedra Beach, Mumm raised the Desert Open’s success to PGA Tour executives — including SVP of Media Business Development, Chris Wandell.

“We were captivated by the explosion of YouTube golf,” Mumm said. “There was this new audience that had become obsessed with not only playing golf, but watching golf in a sort of nontraditional fashion.”

Creators competing inside-the-ropes during tournament week for the first time … 🏌️‍♂️ Tyler Toney ( @DudePerfect ) 🏌️‍♂️ Garrett Clark ( @GM__Golf ) 🏌️‍♂️ Brad Dalke ( @GoodGood_Golf ) 🏌️‍♂️ Sean Walsh ( @GoodGood_Golf ) 🏌️‍♀️ Paige Spiranac ( @PaigeSpiranac ) 🏌️‍♂️ Fat Perez ( @FatPerez33 ) 🏌️‍♂️ Roger… pic.twitter.com/sXIxHVulwF — TOUR Championship (@TOURChamp) August 26, 2024

To prove the validity of the concept, Mumm and Wandell needed to go big. They could organize something in the middle of the busy summer season or in the calmer fall months. But why not just throw themselves into the fire? Mumm and Wandell proposed letting creators compete on a real stage, debuting the newly renovated back nine at East Lake, and bringing in the YouTube audience during one of the PGA Tour’s biggest weeks. The next step was getting everyone on board. But Mumm said he was “blown away” by how quickly the PGA Tour got behind the concept, despite it being an experimental plan.

“We have to do some sort of test to prove that it’s viable,” Wandell said. “Will this bring in any sort of a different incremental audience that has people engaging with our tournament in a new way? We could potentially prove that we should do this at more PGA Tour events in the future.”

The creators were apparently equally as shocked when approached about the event. Wesley Bryan, who is a PGA Tour winner but considers himself a full-time YouTuber, said he was pleasantly surprised when he heard about the strong list of influencer commitments and the idea coming together in such a short time. Wesley and his brother George run the Bryan Bros Golf channel, and they are both competing in the Classic.

“Behind the scenes with the tour, we’ve been trying to figure out how to properly merge the audiences, and it’s been a process that’s probably been the last two years at least,” Bryan said. “Finally, I feel like we’re getting to a spot where they’re willing to make a lot of these decisions and honestly, I’m pretty excited about what the next couple of years could look like.”

YouTube golf is taking over. Will the PGA Tour 'like and subscribe'?

The Creator Classic is serving as a test run for future endeavors from the PGA Tour and Pro Shop that won’t stop at live events. There’s a recognition now — among both parties — that the up-and-coming generation of sports fans isn’t going to be engaged in traditional ways. Now it’s just a matter of whether the PGA Tour’s involvement will affect that audience’s excitement about this type of golf content — will they be as passionate about tuning into the Creator Classic as they are when their favorite internet personality drops a vlog?

“We need to take advantage of this audience who isn’t normally watching broadcast television and who isn’t learning golf at a country club,” Wandell said. “It’s a different type of audience that we need to reach in the future.”

What will the broadcast look like?

YouTube golf videos already utilize high-tech cameras and complex editing, but the collaboration with the PGA Tour will be something different. There will be no editing — the event is live. With TV cameras set up throughout the course already for the PGA Tour broadcast, the event will be produced by both Pro Shop Studios and PGA Tour Entertainment. On-screen graphics will be employed, as well as ShotLink scoring data and Trackman shot tracing. The YouTubers are getting the full PGA Tour treatment.

The event is also equipped with a well-known cast of talent supporting the product. First, Riggs, Trent and Frankie of Barstool’s Fore Play will hit ceremonial opening tee shots. Then you’ll hear from a group of on-course and in-studio commentators such as Mark Immelman, Barstool’s Dan Rapaport and Hally Leadbetter. Joel Dahmen — a current PGA Tour player — has been added to the roster. Dahmen reached out to Mumm directly to express his interest in covering the event.

Hey @PGATOUR just please clear the fans on the left side of my first tee shot🙏🏼 — Garrett Clark (@gm__golf) August 26, 2024

Who is playing?

• Tyler Toney ( Dude Perfect )

• Garrett Clark ( Good Good / GM Golf )

• Brad Dalke ( Good Good )

• Sean Walsh ( Good Good )

• Fat Perez ( Bob Does Sports )

• Paige Spiranac

• Roger Steele

• Wesley Bryan

• Micah Morris

• George Bryan

• Peter Finch

• Luke Kwon

• Mac Boucher

• Aimee Cho

• Gabby Golfgirl

• Mason Nutt ( BustaJack Golf )

How to watch

Time: 4 p.m. ET, Wednesday

Streaming: PGA Tour YouTube channel, Peacock, ESPN+ and PGA Tour FAST platforms

(Top photos of Wesley Bryan, left and Fat Perez: Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images, courtesy of Bob Does Sports)

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Gabby Herzig is a Staff Writer for The Athletic covering golf. Before joining The Athletic, she worked as a breaking news writer for Sports Illustrated’s golf vertical and a contributing editor at Golf Digest. She is a graduate of Pomona College, where she captained the varsity women’s golf team.

Finals update: Bryson Nimmer keeps Korn Ferry Tour season alive at Albertsons

Bryson Nimmer jumped 26 spots on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List with a T12 at the Albertsons Boise Open. (Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)

Morgan Hoffmann, Bill Haas also move inside top 144 at Finals' first leg

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The Korn Ferry Tour’s pressure-packed window has arrived, as field sizes begin to reduce across the four-event Korn Ferry Tour Finals.

The top 156 on the season-long Korn Ferry Tour Points List were eligible for the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron, but only the top 144 after the Albertsons will qualify for the Finals’ second leg, the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation, Sept. 12-15 outside Nashville, Tennessee.

From there, the field size will reduce to 120 for the third Finals event, the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship, where players will work to position themselves inside the top 75 on the Points List to earn fully exempt status on the Korn Ferry Tour next season and advance to the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance. Those ranked between Nos. 76-100 on the Points List after the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship will earn conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2025, subject to reshuffle. The top 30 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List after the Korn Ferry Tour Championship will earn 2025 PGA TOUR membership.

There’s no shortage of stakes during the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, which kicked off at the Albertsons Boise Open with Matt McCarty earning a Three-Victory Promotion to the PGA TOUR. Here’s a look at the clutch performances at Hillcrest Country Club, where three players moved inside the top 144 to keep their season alive.

Matt McCarty won his third Korn Ferry Tour event of the year on Sunday at Hillcrest Country Club in Boise, Idaho, all three wins coming in his last six starts. His other two victories came at the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper and the Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Woodhouse. McCarty, playing his third season on the Korn Ferry Tour, is leading the Points List and had secured his 2025 PGA TOUR card prior to arriving in Boise. He’s the 13th player in Korn Ferry Tour history to earn the Three-Victory Promotion and the first to win three Korn Ferry Tour events in a year since Wesley Bryan in 2016.

McCarty nearly earned his PGA TOUR card after the 2023 season, finishing 35th on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List. He has taken the next step, and then some.

“It means a lot for all this hard work to pay off. I’ve been through it all in professional golf, so finally getting to this point is very satisfying,” McCarty told Golf Channel.

Matt McCarty's interview after earning Three-Victory Promotion at Albertsons

Okatie, South Carolina native Bryson Nimmer made a notable move up the Points List at the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron. The Clemson University product finished T12 after rounds of 65-67-68-69, moving from No. 154 to No. 128 on the season-long Korn Ferry Tour Points List, earning his spot in the Simmons Bank Open presented by the Snedeker Foundation via his spot in the top 144.

“Not really,” Nimmer replied when asked if the Points List was on his mind in Boise. “My mind was going there early in the week. I just tried to shut it down and not think about it because I figured if I got too caught up knowing exactly where I needed to finish, I wouldn’t play my best golf.”

A five-year pro, Nimmer said that he wasn’t confident in his game on Monday and Tuesday. After multiple six-hour range sessions and a call to his swing coach, Nimmer fixed the issues with his driver and had a productive week off the tee in Boise, finishing T6 in Driving Accuracy.

“Overall, it was a really good week. I didn’t play as well as I was hoping for today, but it for sure gets me into next week,” said Nimmer. “That was the goal going into this week. To keep playing.”

Nimmer played 16 Korn Ferry Tour events before the Finals, making 11 cuts and earning one top-25 finish before this week (T11 at the NV5 Invitational presented by Old National Bank).

Nimmer will need another strong finish at the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation if he’s going to move inside the top 120 that will compete at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship and have a chance to keep Korn Ferry Tour status without relying on Q-School.

Bryson Nimmer

The Clemson alum finished T12 in Boise, moving from No. 154 to No. 128 on the season-long standings, a 26-spot jump that keeps his Korn Ferry Tour season alive.

The six-time PGA TOUR winner entered the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron ranked No. 146 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List, qualifying for the Finals despite making just two prior Korn Ferry Tour starts in 2024.

Haas will play onward, as he finished T24 at Hillcrest Country Club to move to No. 134 on the Points List, earning his spot in the top 144 that qualifies for the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation. It marked Haas' second top-25 on the Korn Ferry Tour this season (T6 at the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX) in three starts; he has also made 10 PGA TOUR starts in 2024.

Haas, the 2011 FedExCup champion, has not played a full season on the PGA TOUR since 2022. Haas competed in that year’s Korn Ferry Tour Finals, with his best finish coming at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship (T28).

Morgan Hoffmann

Hoffmann was ranked 148th on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List before the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron after making seven cuts in 17 starts.

Winner of the 2020-21 PGA TOUR Courage Award, Hoffmann is finding his way back to the PGA TOUR after missing three years of professional golf due to his battle with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy that began in 2017.

Hoffmann finished T24 in Boise with rounds of 66-67-70-68, good for a 12-spot jump to No. 136 on the Points List – enough to cement his place in the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation.

Jared du Toit , Hunter Eichhorn and Erik Compton fell outside the top 144 at the Albertsons Boise Open, ending their Korn Ferry Tour season. All three players missed the cut at Hillcrest Country Club after entering the week at Nos. 142, 143 and 144 on the Points List respectively.