Wesley and George Bryan, Tyler Toney and Gabby DeGasperis, aka 'Gabby Golfgirl,' were the first to test their abilities on the newly restored course. However, while they all made steady starts, Garrett Clark, a player in the second group to go out, set the early pace with a birdie on the 10th.
Soon, Clark fell back into the pack, and at the 12th (his third), Wesley Bryan took advantage with his first birdie of the day to move into a one-shot lead over brother George, Brad Dalke, Roger Steele and Sean Walsh.
Bryan had an eagle chance to go three-under on the par 5 13th as he found the green with his second shot. His 35-foot putt looked promising, but it fell short, leaving him to tap-in for birdie and move to two-under, one ahead of Steele.
Immediately afterwards, DeGasperis had her own eagle chance but, like Bryan, settled for birdie to move to one over.
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All the while, at the other end of the leaderboard, Tyler Toney’s struggles with the rough had left him at five-over by the fifth hole. He would eventually finish bottom of the leaderboard on 10-over.
Back on the 12th, Luke Kwon moved within two of the lead with his second birdie in succession to remain in contention. Then, on 13, Amiee Cho moved level with Steele at one-under with a beautiful chip-in for birdie.
Buckets! @GolfWithAimee chips in for birdie at The Creator Classic 💪 pic.twitter.com/X8sJGsYEFtAugust 28, 2024
At the same hole, Steele had a birdie putt to draw level with Bryan, but his effort lipped out to leave him one off the lead. That was quickly followed by a successful Walsh birdie putt as he joined Cho and Steele in a tie for second. Soon after, on the 14th, Dalke made a birdie to join the group.
Dalke then had a birdie putt to move level with Bryan on the island green 15th, but it drifted just right as he remained in the chasing pack. Bryan nearly dropped back with them on the 16th, but he came up clutch to save par, while back on the 14th, Micah Morris also moved to one-under with a birdie.
On the 17th, a wonderful second shot from Wesley Bryan almost moved him to four-under for eagle, but it missed by inches. He then missed his birdie putt to finish the strokeplay section on two-under, but more than enough to reach the playoff.
Wesley Bryan led for much of the way
Peter Finch was looking to become one of the other three to make the extra hole. He'd been solid throughout to move to one-under, and he made a crucial par putt on the 15th to remain in the running.
Roger Steele then produced the moment of the tournament with a superb 55-foot birdie putt on the 16th to tie the lead. Meanwhile, dragging himself into contention at one-under was Kwon, with three birdies in five holes. Finch then fell back to even with a bogey on the 16th, while Steele finished his strokeplay section with a bogey to move back to one-under.
For birdie from 55 FEET! @RogerSteeleJr drains it to tie the lead at The Creator Classic 💪 pic.twitter.com/MEoAA4Y5f3August 28, 2024
With the final group about to tee it up on the 17th, Bryan, Steele, Walsh and Kwon held the four playoff spots, with only Kwon of the four yet to finish. In the end, he faced a nine-foot putt to make par and reach the playoff - he holed it.
With Bryan, Steele, Walsh and Kwon in the playoff, Bryan's tee shot at the 18th found the 10th fairway (which wasn't declared internal out of bounds for the event, unlike the Tour Championship). Walsh and Kwon followed suit, while only Steele decided to reach for the 18th fairway.
Roger Steele was one of 16 golf influencers competing
With his second shot from the rough to the left of the fairway, Steele stayed out of trouble with the newly extended lake to the right, as the others headed back towards the 18th green from the 10th fairway.
Steele then agonizingly rolled back off the green with his third, Bryan left himself a long putt for birdie, Walsh putted onto the green to leave himself a similar distance and Kwon hit his wedge shot to around six feet.
A delicate chip brought Steele to within a foot for his par, but it ultimately wasn't enough. Walsh left his birdie putt inches short and made par, Bryan missed his birdie putt left for the same result, but Kwon made no mistake to take the honors and become the first winner of an enthralling Creator Classic.
Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories.
He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game.
Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course.
Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.
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