Ryan Ruffles of The Lads YouTube channel won The Q Finale, securing a spot in the oneFlight Myrtle Beach Classic in dramatic fashion over Grant Horvat in a match that came down to the 36th hole.
“This is really cool—to have some of the best golfers on YouTube out here competing. Any one of us could have won, and Grant made a great run at it today,” Ruffles said during his victory speech. “What an opportunity as a YouTube creator to play in a PGA Tour event.”
Ruffles shot one under par during the second day’s competition, a four-person stroke play event at Pawleys Plantation in Myrtle Beach. Contestants Grant Horvat, Luke Kwon, and Micah Morris all fell short of a late surge from Ruffles. Horvat held a two-shot lead with three holes to play, but Ruffles went one under over the final three holes as Horvat faltered, bogeying multiple holes.
On hole 16, Ruffles made a 20-plus-foot birdie putt, while Horvat made a long par putt to stay at two under par. Both Morris and Kwon made bogeys on the hole, effectively eliminating themselves from contention.
“I don’t want to be in a cart with this guy! What the heck!” Horvat said in response to a charging Ruffles.
The 17th hole was a 158-yard par three over water. Ruffles found the putting surface and made par, while Horvat pushed his tee shot to the right of the green. His chip slid down the slope past the hole to about 12 feet, and he missed the putt. Ruffles, on the other hand, found the bottom of the cup in three shots after his par putt circled the hole and dropped in. The two were tied heading into the final hole.
“I don’t want to say it, but then there were two—maybe,” Ruffles said in the cart with Horvat as they drove away from the 17th tee box. “One and a half holes to play. I am one under, and you are two under.”
Horvat faltered on the last hole. His drive found a waste area to the right of the fairway, and his approach was impeded by overhanging tree branches and Spanish moss. With water short left of the green, he pulled his punch shot into the hazard, effectively handing the trophy to Ruffles, who made par.
This is the second time the PGA Tour event in Myrtle Beach has offered a pathway for content creators and Korn Ferry Tour players to gain entry into the event. Last year, a two-round stroke play competition awarded a spot, which professional Nathan Franks won. This year’s The Q was by invitation and featured only YouTube content creators.
This is not Ruffles’ first win, nor his first PGA Tour event. He won the Grass Clippings League earlier this year, a predominantly par-three mini-tour. He has also played in 20 PGA Tour events in his career and has made 10 cuts. His most recent PGA Tour appearance came at the 2022 Shriners Children’s Open.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com
