This season’s unofficial tournament, the Myrtle Beach Qualifier, was successful in drawing in spectators earlier this year. Popular YouTuber Rick Shiels, who participated in the event, recently discussed the tournament in the most recent episode of his golf show.
The YouTuber talked about whether he would ever accept an invitation to the Myrtle Beach qualifier in the future. Shiels stated that if his YouTube channel attained a particular number of subscribers, he would likely take part in the competition. Later, he went into further details of the event including its success as well as its format, calling it a “clear marketing ploy.”
“It was a clever marketing ploy, really, which actually would say has been successful. Myrtle Beach have a golf event which is on the PGA Tour.”
The Q at Myrtle Beach was a concise 18-hole event that took place on March 7. The roster consisted of 16 players, eight being YouTube golf content creators and the remaining eight being tour professionals. The event’s victor got an exemption to compete in the forthcoming Myrtle Beach Classic which will kick off from May 9 at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club.
Shiels then commended these players for their exceptional discretion, as they managed to not reveal any details about the event. This is significant as the video for the golf event documentary was shot quite some time ago.
In reality, these YouTubers were granted the right to share their experiences on their YouTube channels. However, they had to wait for more than a month after the event took place to do so. They even signed an NDA for the same, and until April 23, nobody even knew who was the winner.
Furthermore, Shiels discussed the performance of the golfers at the unofficial event. He pointed out that Finch had the potential to win the tournament. Nonetheless, Finch was let down by some “silly mistakes,” including missed putts and two penalty shots that ruined his game. Next, Shiels went on to highlight Grant Horvat’s play, which surprisingly ended with him finishing seven over par.
Lastly, the golf YouTuber turned his attention to a significant moment in the Myrtle Beach Qualifier tournament. He discussed the exciting playoff between George Bryan and Matt Atkins that happened during the qualifier.
Rick Shiels talks about the intense playoff between George Bryan and Matt Atkins
In the same episode, Shiels pointed out the intense moments of the playoff round between Bryan and Atkins. During the playoff, Bryan bogeyed the last hole. Meanwhile, Atkins secured a birdie on the same hole to ultimately win the event. This victory allowed the Korn Ferry Tour player to clinch a spot in the upcoming tournament.
According to the rules, the winner of the event receives an exemption from the tournament. However, following the event’s conclusion, authorities reached out to Bryan to offer him an exemption as well. While this decision sparked discontent among many fans, Shiels believed it was justified.
“I think it’s great, personally. I’m glad they’ve given an exemption. There was talk about what was the point in the qualifier but if you’re going to get eyeballs to the tour event, then put someone like George Bryan on the sheet I think it gets more eyeballs than Matt Atkins does.”
Shiels shared that he initially had mixed feelings about the event’s concept, as eight content creators would compete against eight tour players. However, his perspective shifted when he considered individuals like George Bryan, who, despite being a content creator, is also a very skilled golfer.
While these two players are set to participate in the upcoming Myrtle Beach Classic, it remains to be seen how they will perform alongside the other tour players. The competition promises to be intense, and it will be interesting to see who outperforms whom in this gathering of skilled golfers.
