Philly athletes, golf influencers, and young fans take over Cricket Club for a little fun before the Truist tees off

Ahead of the first round of the Truist Championship, fans got an early look at some friendly competition. The Philadelphia Cricket Club was flooded with professionals, amateurs, Philly athletes, and golf influencers to compete in the Truist Pro-Am and the Creator Classic. Among those names were Jason Kelce and Kyle Lowry.

Here are some of the highlights from Wednesday’s action …

“Go ‘Cats,” yelled a number of fans as Lowry walked along the course of the Truist Pro-Am.

“As long as you‘re part of Villanova, you’re part of family,” Lowry responded.

The former Villanova guard wore a long-sleeve black compression shirt underneath his collared blue shirt as he approached the tee box of the fourth hole at the Philadelphia Cricket Club. Setting up his feet, the six-time NBA All-Star looked down the fairway as he prepared to hit his drive.

The NBA champion hit the ball far left — missing the fairway — and was visibly annoyed.

Playing alongside PGA professionals Collin Morikawa and Jacob Bridgeman, the Sixers guard approached the fifth hole of the Truist Pro-Am with a vengeance. With no chance of rain in sight, staring into the sun, Lowry changed out of his compression shirt and sent his shot far down the fairway.

“[After the wardrobe change] my game got a lot better,” Lowry said. “It was a little hot. You know, I got a little warm.”

» READ MORE: Tour players are loving the Cricket Club, but the weather forecast might make the unfamiliar course easier

After the Pro-Am, Lowry conducted another outfit change to make sure he “looks right on YouTube.” An hour after finishing 18 holes, he arrived at the practice course wearing a short-sleeved white Adidas polo and gray pants as he prepared for the Creator Classic. With the announcement that YouTuber Matthew Haag, better known as “Nadeshot,” was out of the competition, Lowry stepped in to take his place as captain.

“We just wanted to do something for Philly fans,” said Chad Mumm, the cofounder and president of Pro Shop. “It would be so hard to do an event where you’ve got celebrities and creators in Philadelphia without a Philly local, and we know Philly loves its sports.”

And they weren’t shy about that, with plenty of “Go Birds!” calls echoing through the course.

Lowry, a Philadelphia native who is also a member of the Philadelphia Cricket Club, was paired up with golf influencers Josh Kelley and Claire Hogle. Lowry stopped for pictures and autographs with fans along the way.

“The creators are going to hold this down for me,” Lowry said. “They’re hitting bombs and I can see it. So, I’m just going to be a good, big-time cheerleader and we‘ll see what happens.”

It looks like Kelce is ready to take his golf game more seriously.

Before Kelce played in the Truist Pro-Am, he relied on Reddit to ask fans for advice. The former Eagles center posted six different videos of his swing, from different angles, asking for tips on how to improve his backswing and his follow-through.

» READ MORE: Lots of laughs — and good golf — as Jason Kelce tees it up during the pro-am event at the Cricket Club

After receiving hundreds of comments from the Reddit golf community, Kelce was ready. The former Eagles star began his morning early, teeing off with Shane Lowry on the 11th hole. After hitting his first tee shot down the fairway, he finished the hole off with a putt for par.

Before the start of the Creator Classic, fans lined up to meet their favorite influencers — including Paige Spiranac, members of Good Good Golf, and Tyler Toney of Dude Perfect. But this wasn’t your typical golf audience.

A younger generation of children and teenagers waited patiently on the opposite side of the barricade. Social media influencers have reshaped golf’s image through platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. Now, the Creator Classic is helping bridge the gap between golf and mainstream culture.

“Just look who’s standing around here,” Mumm said. “The audience is younger, you can see a lot of kids, you can see a lot of parents bringing their children. This is what we‘re hoping to do and it’s been amazing that fans have embraced it. The PGA Tour has embraced it.

“Golf is having a moment in pop culture. Golf has never been more relevant in the culture. It’s never been more popular. Part of that is because of social media.”

» READ MORE: Paige Spiranac paved the way for a generation of golf content creators. Now she wants to beat them — on the course.

The younger audience was apparent throughout the eight holes of competition — from fans trying to get Spiranac’s attention to loud laughter taking over the course after Josh Richards’ ball went straight into the water.

The best seat on the course was free — at least for these three cousins: William Concannon, 27; Austin Romig, 26; and Jack Russell, 32.

The trio used to be members of the club before joining Manufacturers’ Golf and Country Club a few miles down the road. They’re used to playing the course themselves, but now they were ready to watch the competition from the safety of their own backyard, located along the 11th hole.

“This is a cool hole to be at, just because it’s a long par 4,” Russell said. “You see a lot of different shots. It’s not an easy hole but these guys are so good that they make it look easy.”