The 2025 TOUR Championship is set to bring fresh energy to Atlanta’s historic East Lake Golf Club. On the eve of the season-ending PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, the spotlight turns to the Creator Classic—a cultural crossover presented by YouTube that is redefining how new audiences experience golf.
This year’s Creator Classic takes place on Wednesday, August 20, marking the third and final stop of the 2025 series. Earlier competitions were staged at TPC Sawgrass during THE PLAYERS and at Philadelphia Cricket Club during the Truist Championship. Produced by Pro Shop Studios, the series represents a bold step forward in how the PGA TOUR is embracing digital creators to expand golf’s cultural footprint.
At the center of this movement is Roger Steele, the Chicago-born influencer whose humor, authenticity, and storytelling have made him one of golf’s most compelling voices. More than just a competitor, Steele helps steer the PGA TOUR’s Creator Council—a group of influencers shaping how the sport connects with younger and more diverse audiences. His platform invites those long overlooked in golf to see themselves in the game.
Golf advocate Roger Steele | Courtesy of Instagram
That mission resonates profoundly with East Lake’s own legacy. Once a predominantly Black neighborhood that suffered decades of disinvestment, East Lake was revitalized in the 1990s through the vision of philanthropist Tom Cousins, who purchased the struggling course and transformed it into a catalyst for community renewal. Through the East Lake Foundation, Cousins established the model of “Golf with a Purpose,” turning the game’s profits into housing, education, and wellness programs that uplifted local residents.
It also recalls the courage of Alfred “Tup” Holmes, the Atlanta amateur champion whose 1955 Supreme Court case forced the desegregation of public golf courses in the city. This year marks the 70th anniversary of that landmark decision—a reminder that golf’s progress has always been tied to the pursuit of equity. Steele’s presence at East Lake bridges that past and future, standing on the shoulders of civil rights pioneers while charting a more inclusive path for the sport.
The Creator Classic’s format features eight-hole stroke play on East Lake’s back nine, with the top four players advancing to a playoff on 18 for a $100,000 purse. The lineup includes returning stars Luke Kwon, Tisha Alyn, Peter Finch, Gabby Golf Girl, Micah Morris, Chris Solomon of No Laying Up, and the Good Good Golf crew. But for many fans, Steele’s role goes beyond birdies and bogeys: he embodies how golf can evolve without losing its soul.
Creator Classic players | Courtesy of PGA Tour
The event will stream live at 3:45 p.m. ET on YouTube TV, ESPN+, GOLF Channel, and PGA TOUR FAST channels. Fans on-site at the TOUR Championship can also experience the YouTube Clubhouse at The Landing between holes 16 and 17, with creator meetups, simulators, and interactive activations.
The 2024 debut of the Creator Classic drew millions of viewers and proved that the appetite for this kind of storytelling is real. With influencers like Steele at the helm, the event is not just about content—it is about redefining who golf belongs to and how its culture is expressed.
For Atlanta, for East Lake, and for fans of the game’s growing diversity, the Creator Classic is more than a sideshow. It is a statement about the future of golf—one in which creators, communities, and culture share the spotlight.
