PGA Tour Makes Absurd Decision To Host Qualifier For YouTubers For Spot In Myrtle Beach Classic

The inaugural Myrtle Beach Classic will take place in May, and in an attempt to make the new event as unique as possible, the PGA Tour is giving a YouTuber a spot in the field. While the idea will likely draw a younger crowd to tune in - something the Tour is constantly thriving for - it's tough not to take issue with the qualifying format.

Every regular season, non-signature PGA Tour event hosts a Monday qualifier. Typically, the fields are made up of well over 50 players, most of which are professionals looking for that big break or even former Tour players who have lost status not wanting to give up on the dream. We're talking about guys essentially living out of their cars who drive around the country, who pay hundreds of dollars to play in the qualifier hoping they'll have their best stuff over the course of 18 holes.

This YouTube-themed qualifier is made up of just 16 players. Sixteen.

The vast majority of qualifiers for amateur events around the country feature more than 16 players at any given site. The pre-qualifier for my country club's club championship had over 40 players in it.

Call me, a 31-year-old, an old man yelling at a cloud, but I can assure you golfers grinding it out in Monday qualifiers are fuming at this announcement as well.

The qualifier announcement does specifically note that each of the 16 players in the field meets the USGA requirement of having a 0.0 handicap or better, but anyone who knows anything about golf understands that vanity handicaps are a thing that exists.

In looking at the 16-man field, the ‘YouTuber qualifier’ headline is slightly misleading. While there are a few names who have zero experience playing at the professional or even elite amateur level,  there are a handful of professionals who have had legitimate success.

Matt Atkins, Jay Card III, George Bryan, Morgan Deneen, Luke Kwon, Jamie Wilson, and Scott Stevens have all made starts and picked up wins across PGA Tour-sanctioned events on top of making content.

If I'm one of those seven guys, I'm beyond thrilled about the qualifier given that it's going to very much turn into those seven players playing for the lone sponsor exemption into the tournament.

I get it, the PGA Tour is looking to grow the game and tap into the younger demographic, but having a separate 16-person qualifier with a spot in an event with a $4 million purse on the line feels a bit on the gimmicky side.