YouTube star Brad Dalke says he has been thrilled by the level of support he has received on his DP World Tour debut.
Dalke, 28, was two shots off the lead heading into the third round of the BMW International Open but toiled to a three-over 75 on Saturday in Munich, leaving him seven strokes adrift of joint leaders Michael Hollick and Bernd Wiesberger, who sit at 13 under.
Despite his struggles the American – who played against the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland during his college days and now has an army of fans for his online golf content – drew a considerable gallery and rewarded them with his second birdie of the day on the 18th hole.
“It was fun to birdie the last in front of the crowds. It’s crazy in my mind knowing I have never played a DP World Tour event and I might have the biggest group [of fans] out there, the biggest following out there.
“Big shoutout to the fans. YouTube golf has been growing a lot, and it’s shown with these crowds. I will try to finish strong.”
Dalke’s first appearance in a world-ranked tournament since 2020 arrived courtesy of a sponsor exemption this week.
He was once an accomplished junior and amateur player, winning the Junior PGA Championship in 2015 and finishing runner-up at the 2016 US Amateur Championship.
He also helped Oklahoma win the NCAA Championship in 2017 and played in the Masters and US Open the same year.
Things did not go to plan for Dalke after he turned professional in 2019.
He suffered from well documented driver problems and when he ran out of sponsors, money and some love for the game, he switched to YouTube golf, becoming part of the Good Good group and learning “how to have fun with golf again”.
He announced last week that he would be leaving the channel, which now has 2.1 million subscribers, so he can focus on supporting his wife through some health issues.
“Before I was doing YouTube I was struggling and really did not love golf at times and put a lof of pressure on myself. Now I just have fun with it,” he added.
“There’s some really good golfers in YouTube golf. I think we’re starting to show that with my performance so far here, Ryan Ruffels [who finished in a tie for 45th at the PGA Tour’s Myrtle Beach Classic in May] a couple months ago.”
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