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By Mike Cole
Contributing Sports Writer
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With over 1 million Instagram followers and 209,000 YouTube subscribers, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who represents the explosion of internet golf content more than Gabriella DeGasperis, aka Gabby Golf Girl.
Just 18, DeGasperis has already collaborated with and created content alongside golf's biggest names, from Jon Rahm to Nelly Korda to DJ Khaled to Stephen Curry and just about everyone in between.
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She's already one of the most recognizable faces of YouTube golf, with her videos routinely generating hundreds of thousands of views. As golf's popularity continues to grow, the appetite for content in and around the sport has skyrocketed. In fact, a lot the biggest names in the space have become more popular and recognizable than some of the best players on the planet.
"I think people feel like golf is a lot more relatable because of YouTube/social media golf content," DeGasperis told Newsweek in an email. "For the first time, people enjoy watching the everyday golfer. It's entertainment. It's also a perspective that the professional sports broadcast hasn't been able to replicate in golf.
"(It's especially true) in golf, where the concentration level is so high in a competitive environment. … YouTube and social media golf is giving the viewer a real insight on the personalities."
That's bringing even more eyeballs to the sport. DeGasperis hopes her new partnership with TravisMathew further disrupts the space, allowing even more people -- particularly girls and women -- feel welcomed in the sport.
"YouTube/social media has definitely disrupted the golf space … and TravisMathew leads perfectly in that direction as well, blending golf with personality and lifestyle," she said. "I was bored of the typical golf outfits, especially for women. Golf is an amazing sport but often unapproachable. I want to find any way possible to make it more approachable.'
The professional tours are starting to realize that, too. Both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf have collaborated with the viral superstars, some of whom generate more YouTube views on a video than the tours earn for a final-round broadcast. That includes the PGA Tour's Creator Classic tournaments, which Gasperis played last year at TPC Sawgrass ahead of The Players.
"I think the pro tours have started to embrace the social media golf personalities … and some of the pro golfers have embraced social media/YouTube golf, which is amazing!" she said. "I don't know exactly what the future of golf content looks like, but I know my team and I are always trying to find the next creative angle.
"I think because the space is diverse, the creativity will continue to evolve."
Gabby spoke to Newsweek while promoting her recent collaboration with TravisMathew.
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