Inside the Creator Classic: What I Learned Covering the TOUR Championship

Thanks to the help of the East Lake Foundation, I was able to be a media correspondent and report live at the TOUR Championship on Wednesday, specifically during the Creator Classic. I was tasked to interview and report on the creators who were competing in Wednesday’s event. I met golf content creators, like Roger Steele, Garrett Clark, and Brad Dalke, and football legends like Matt Ryan. I asked questions about how they were feeling and what’s keeping them focused and ready for their round today. I was also interviewed by 19th Hole Magazine.

As I arrived on the range, I was tasked to interview whatever golf content creator I saw. I asked a variety of questions based on their game and how they were feeling, but the number one question I asked all of them was, “How would you improve today’s round from 2024’s Creator Classic?” All of them gave great answers. For example, reigning Creator Classic Champion at East Lake Luke Kwon said, “The win was great, but it would’ve been a better round if I had hit more fairways, so I think one thing I would improve for today’s round would be to hit more fairways.” Another big creator, Roger Steele, said, “Everything was great, but I felt like I should’ve done better. I should’ve hit more fairways, I should’ve putted and chipped better. So basically, focusing on everything would be my goal for today.” The same question was asked to The Short Game King, Daniel Saloner. Daniel stated that he would focus on his mental game for today’s round. To be more specific, he said, “The match is only eight holes, so a bad hole or a bad mind can put you out of the match. So my goal is to just try to play boring golf and play one shot at a time.” I asked these same questions to Good Good Stars, Garrett Clark, and Brad Dalke. I asked Brad Dalke, and he replied, “Last year, the Creator Classic was my first pro tournament in years, so I was nervous and not ready. And I haven’t been in situations like that in years. So learning from that, I’m focused on just going out there and enjoying the game and playing shot by shot.” Lastly, I asked Garrett the same question, and he responded saying, “A thing I could improve from last year’s performances for today would be to not repeat a 10 on hole 3. If I can par it or better, I’ll have a good chance to win today.” Previously, last year’s hole number 12 par 4 was a very hard hole for Garrett Clark, mentally and physically. He made a 10 and finished 6 over par to finish the tournament. Garrett’s main goal for this year’s 2025 Creator Classic was to do better than last year and write a new story on the par 4 hole 12. After all the interviews, I was excited and ready to see who was going to be the new Creator Classic winner at East Lake.

To conclude, my experience as a media correspondent was fun and most definitely a moment to remember. I was able to interview Creator Classic competitors and all of them gave great answers. Showing that every player out there competing today has their own goals and plans that would help them be successful in the event. I met Falcons legend Matt Ryan and asked how he was feeling going into today’s round. I was interviewed by 19th Hole Magazine, which was a great experience. I was able to see a lot of the media side of the TOUR Championship and learned a lot about the PGA TOUR. The PR team, See.Spark.Go, was very helpful, and I appreciate their help, and I am looking forward to working with them again next year. I would like to thank the East Lake Foundation for the opportunity, and I will be looking forward to being a media correspondent next year.