It is the week of the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta, GA. Before a PGA Tour season champion can be crowned, the inaugural Creator Classic debuted Wednesday afternoon. This nine-hole stroke play event featured 16 of the world's most prominent golf influencers. But these influencers are not just content creators, they can really play.

They were faced with a very difficult challenge though. They played the back nine at the newly renovated East Lake Golf Club, the same holes the pro's will play starting Thursday.

A number of PGA Tour professionals were skeptical of the influencers' abilities. That prompted one of them to call out Rory McIlroy specifically.

“Rory McIlroy went on record saying he didn't think anybody was going to break 40 today,” Roger Steele Jr., one of the competitors, said prior to his round.

“I look to defy Rory, handily. That is my goal and then I am going to walk up to him and say ‘I heard what you said and I did not appreciate it. Look at my scorecard.'”

The PGA Tour released a video Tuesday where some pro's provided their expectations.

“They are going to have their hands full, no doubt,” said Xander Schauffele. Viktor Hovland chimed in as well, skeptical that they will play up to PGA Tour standards.

Byeong Hun went so far as to say “There is no chance they will break even, for sure… no one is shooting under par for nine holes. If they do, then they should be playing the Tour.”

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Well, as it turned out, four of the 16 players shot under par over the back nine. Steele Jr. was one of them, as he rode his hot putter.

Ultimately, Luke Kwon defeated Steele Jr., Wesley Bryan and Sean Walsh in a playoff to capture the title. But that is far less important than the spectacle that transpired at East Lake.

At its high point, there were over 110,000 live viewers on YouTube. The event also streamed live on Peacock and ESPN+.

“The response from fans and from the content creators themselves has been overwhelming,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said Wednesday.

It is a changing landscape in the world of professional golf. Earlier Wednesday, Monahan had his annual season's end press conference where he outlined the upcoming initiatives to be enacted in 2025. The impact of social media and growing numbers of young golfers has prompted the Tour to make changes and infuse the sport with influencer types.

At this point, you either hop on the train or get left at the station.