Ranking the field: Creator Classic at Philly Cricket

There’s a new format for the latest installment of the Creator Classic, contested Wednesday on the eve of the Truist Championship. But now that teams and format have been confirmed, there’s still an opportunity to see how the participants (and teams) stack up against each other.

Yes, the Golfbet Power Rankings have returned. After sizing up the field last year at East Lake, we added some “entertainment only” betting odds to the handicap earlier this year at TPC Sawgrass (and saw the No. 3 seed take the title – not too shabby on the prognostication front).

This time around, as 12 players tee it up at The Philadelphia Cricket Club, there’s a new dynamic to add to the equation: Instead of being an individual competition, players are working as teams of three, pitting one YouTube creator and two golf creators together. Each trio will play an eight-hole stretch on the Wissahickon Course (Nos. 10-17) on the eve of the opening round of the Truist Championship, with the top two teams advancing to the par-4 18th hole for a playoff to decide the winner.

The format will add some nuance: we’re talking alternate-shot, gross-score for the standings and no gimmes involved.

So let’s take a look at how each team shapes up, and identify who has an inside track to the title of the Creator Classic at Philly Cricket – with odds, like last time, added for entertainment purposes only:

1. Team Richards (+150)

Participants: Josh Richards (captain), Brad Dalke, Erik Anders Lang

If there were (actual) oddsmakers assessing the competition, we believe these three are the team to beat. A lot of that claim ties back to Dalke, who is the only player in the field who has teed it up before in the Masters. That counts for something! The Good Good contributor has plenty of firepower to handle the Wissahickon Course, and Anders Lang has some solid skills in his own right, as evidenced by a range video last year where he was carrying it 289 off the tee. Richards will have to shoulder the load of captaincy, but he’s a little used to the spotlight, having amassed millions of followers across his social channels. The podcast host is no stranger to the course or competition, but could have an edge given he’ll have two strong assets at his disposal to steer things in the right direction should the fickle nature of alternate shot take a toll. After all, one of the best traits of a captain is building out a great team around him.

2. Team Brownlee (+250)

Participants: Marques Brownlee (captain), Sean Walsh, Sabrina Andolpho

Brownlee has built a following outside the ropes, but he’s a golf aficionado who participated in The Open Invitational in 2023 on the eve of the opening round at Royal Liverpool. The best player in this group could be Walsh, who made the four-man playoff during the first edition of the Creator Classic after playing eight holes at East Lake in 1-under. That doesn’t just happen by random luck! The Good Good member is one of the best sticks in the field, but the alternate-shot format means he won’t be able to take every shot. He’ll need help from Brownlee as well as Andolpho, a member of Golf Girl Games who should have no trouble finding the fairway. She has played plenty of team match formats in building out a YouTube following, including the occasional money match. Now we’ll see if her form can hold up against the demands of a PGA TOUR layout in another team format offering.

3. Team Lowry (+400)

Participants: Kyle Lowry (captain), Josh Kelley, Claire Hogle

Lowry is the latest addition to the field, as the former NBA All-Star steps in to captain this team in lieu of Nadeshot. (-10000 odds that this is the first time that sentence has ever been written.) But Lowry is no stranger to life inside the ropes, as a self-proclaimed golf nut who has played before pro-am crowds. Joining him will be Kelley and Hogle, who have both taken on top talent on their respective YouTube channels and are used to competing in match-play format – but perhaps not in this environment. The X factor for this trio might be the Philly fans, who will surely come out in support of Lowry – a Philadelphia native who starred on the court at nearby Villanova during his college days. The City of Brotherly Love may have once turned on Santa Claus, but they always tend to support their own.

4. Team Toney (+600)

Participants: Tyler Toney (captain), Matt Scharff, Paige Spiranac

We can’t hide from the past: Toney faced some struggles in the initial Creator Classic back in August. Did he pick a bad day to have a bad day? Is this the ultimate creator bounce-back situation for one of the core voices of Dude Perfect? Will a Texan settle the debate once and for all on who makes the best Philly cheesesteak? At least some of these questions will be answered on Wednesday. But for Team Toney to pull off the upset, he’ll need to shake off the struggles from Atlanta. He’ll also need support from Spiranac, who is back on the tee sheet after playing at East Lake and working as a broadcaster at TPC Sawgrass, and Scharff, the newest Good Good player joining the fray. Half the teams will make the one-hole playoff, and at that point, it’s anyone’s game. But Toney & Co. might need a few putts to drop to have a chance at the crown.

How to follow the Creator Classic at Philly Cricket

Television

• Wednesday, 4-7 p.m.: Tune in to the second of three events in the Creator Classic Series, streamed on the PGA TOUR’s YouTube channel.
• See full coverage details here.