When the creation of The Q at Myrtle Beach – a competition designed to allow YouTube golfers to compete for a sponsor’s exemption into the area’s PGA Tour event – was announced three years ago, there was pushback. Some criticized the event as a shameless marketing ploy and questioned whether the YouTubers were worthy of a spot in the field.

It’s time for those people to eat a little crow. The winner of The Q has made the Myrtle Beach Classic cut each year, and 2026 winner Ryan Ruffels of Lad Golf not only made the weekend, he found himself tied for the lead at one point early Friday afternoon.

“It’s a weird position that I’m in, where I feel like I’ve got YouTube golf on my back,” he said. “It’s proving that we’re good players and that we can play good golf. Grant nearly beat me (in the final of the Q), and here I am in a good position after two days, so there’s a lot of good players in YouTube golf.”

Ruffels will enter Saturday’s third round at 5-under par with a chance to win a PGA Tour event, but he isn’t getting ahead of himself.

“A week ago, I was playing YouTube golf and this week they’re saying, oh, you’ve got a chance to win a PGA Tour event,” Ruffels said of being asked about the possibility of winning. “I’m like, boys, relax, we’ll talk about that Sunday, but yeah, it’s a crazy change to be playing YouTube matches a week ago and now in contention on the PGA Tour.”

After making two bogies in the first five holes on a cool, breezy morning, Ruffels turned his day around with a short birdie putt on the par 5 15th, starting a stretch that saw him birdie three of four holes.

Ruffels, who started on the tenth hole, birdied the Dunes Club’s par 5 fourth hole (his 13th), pushing him to 6-under, good for a share of the lead at the time, and the message was clear:

At least some of the guys who have amassed large social media followings bring more than a big personality to the course, and Ruffels is near the head of that pack.

He has 20 PGA Tour starts to his credit, including 10 made cuts, and with a long drive of 343 yards, he has the horsepower to compete, but the Aussie did most of his damage Friday with the putter.

Aside from a 25-foot birdie putt on 18, he didn’t make anything crazy long, but Ruffels made several 8- to 11-foot putts, including crucial par saves.

“I’m always a good putter, so I back myself there,” he said. “Yeah, I was happy with the putts that I hit, I think actually I missed a couple in the middle part of the round (that could have made things better).”

Golf is an unpredictable sport, but there is one certainty for Ruffels this weekend: he will be a crowd favorite.

“I’ve been connected to this area for five weeks so, it just feels like I’ve got a ton of local support,” Ruffels said. “My DMs are full of people that are locals that are saying they’re coming out to support me; I’ve met a lot of them, they’ve given me fist bumps throughout the last few days and high fives and ‘Let’s go, Ruff,’ so I hope they’re enjoying watching me play as much as I’m enjoying being here.”

Ryder Figures It Out
If you’re reading this, there are very few similarities between your game and that of a player with 238 PGA Tour starts, but the beauty of golf is that there are certain battles are we all fight. Sam Ryder, who sits 6-under and in contention for his first Tour victory, provided a reminder of that Friday morning at The Dunes Golf & Beach Club.

Ryder was 3-over through five holes in the second round and had seen very little of the fairway. But whether you’re playing on Tour or grinding through a $5 Saturday Nassau, golf can change in a hurry.

“I drove it in the fairway on 15, which was the par-5, and was able to hit a really good shot up there and made birdie,” Ryder said. “That kind of settled me in, I think. Then I drove it in the fairway on 18 and from that point, I drove it really well.”

With renewed confidence off the tee – Ryder ranked 14th in the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee after the morning wave – he made six birdies over his final 13 holes en route to a second consecutive 68.

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