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Roger Steele has taken it upon himself to solve the PGA Tour’s one major problem. He aims to give the Tour a few more golf celebrities than it has right now with his Fan Creation Workshop. For this, he has Amanda Balionis’s full support.

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“I couldn’t be more obsessed with this,” she wrote under Roger’s beta-test video featuring Sudarshan Yellamaraju, Chandler Blanchet, and John VanDerLaan. She even posted the reel on her Instagram story, writing, “Roger doing the Lord’s work with the @pgatour rookies 😂😂.”

The video humorously depicts Steele as a fan asking the rookies what they will do in different scenarios. As a Fan Content Creation consultant, he points out the bland responses golfers gave. He pushed for information on quirky rituals like LeBron James’ powder claps and also hysterically took a subtle jab at Yellamaraju. “You’re aiming a little too high,” said Steele when the golfer revealed that Sydney Sweeney is his Instagram crush. He even gave a “celebrity readiness score” at the end to the rookies.

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One moment that sparked joy in Steele was when a rookie told him that jumping in the pond would be his post-win celebration. Roger said out loud that it is the kind of stuff fans are looking for, as it portrays them as people fans can relate to. This is something already proven through Bryson DeChambeau‘s YouTube channel: that fans want to see the unfiltered side of golfers.

See Roger Steele’s reel below:

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Elites like Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, and others have become household names because of their amazing skills on display over the years. The 2025 Masters champion even triggered the “McIlroy Mania” in Australia as fans ditched school and work to see him. However, the same is not true for the rookies. Even those following golf would not know many rookies, let alone regular fans. But that can change with celebrity-like fan engagement, which Roger Steele is there to support them with. This fits perfectly well with what Tour wants to do in the near future.

In December 2024, Chris Wandell, Senior Vice President, Media at the PGA Tour, mentioned that the Tour wants its golfers to behave more like social‑media stars, and this new workshop echoes the internal strategy.

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Now, Amanda Balionis has always been a strong supporter of golf rookies and fellow golf personalities. In July 2025, she celebrated 20-year-old South African rookie Aldrich Potgieter‘s Rocket Classic victory. She praised his mindset from prior close calls and his family’s sacrifices in a post and on-site coverage. She also praised LPGA rookie Lottie Woad and went for a fun dinner with her.

While she strongly supports golf rookies, what makes this collaboration even more special is her good relationship with Roger Steele.

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Amanda Balionis’s and Roger Steele’s friendly relations

Balionis and Steele have been good friends for a long time, as golf enthusiasts can see from their playful back-and-forth. In February 2025, Balionis playfully mocked Steele after his mishit on a simulator. The two had even teamed up along with Gabby Golf Girl to play against Rickie Fowler and Keegan Bradley. This came during the Pro-Am at the Travelers Championship 2025. While she was not part of the Pro-Am, she was actively involved as a CBS broadcaster.

Besides that, she collaborated with Steele in Central Park for golf activation content involving a retired football star. These collaborations show how both social media personalities are all-in when it comes to helping the game of golf grow.

Balionis’ reaction turns Steele’s playful workshop into something more meaningful. It highlights how much appetite there is for rookies who show personality alongside talent. With respected broadcast voices and creators aligned, the PGA Tour’s shift toward building recognizable characters feels less like an experiment and more like a glimpse of where pro golf is headed next.

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