
Gabriella 'Gabby Golf Girl' DeGasperis recently beat Steph Curry in a one-on-one golf match, earning his admiration during the competition. The match ended in a tie, but DeGasperis won in a chip-off playoff.
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Content creator Gabriella "Gabby Golf Girl" DeGasperis plays her shot from the 12th tee during last year's Creator Classic prior to THE PLAYERS Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
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Not many opponents can say theyâve earned an ovation from Steph Curry in the thick of competition.
But thatâs exactly what happened during a one-on-one match between the four-time NBA championâalso an American Century Championship winnerâand Gabriella DeGasperis, after the content creator split the fairway with a titanic drive midway through their round. The match ended all square in regulation before DeGasperis prevailed in a chip-off playoff.
âI hadnât been nervous in a whileâhonestly the only times Iâve felt that were playing with Jon Rahm and with Steph Curry,â she said. âI didnât think I was going to win, but as it went on I realized, âwait, I can actually win here,â and that was incredible.â
Winning has quickly become her norm. DeGasperis, better known online as âGabby Golf Girl,â has amassed nearly two million followers across Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
The West Palm Beach, Florida-based stick is one of the fastest-growing creators in the sport. She first picked up a golf club at age two, after receiving a set of pink clubs for her birthday and soon began competing in junior tournaments.
She began posting regularly ahead of her freshman year of high school, initially using social media as an outlet to cope with social isolation and bullying. After one of her early Instagram reels drew 20,000 views, she started to see the potential to turn what began as a hobby into a business.
Gabby, now 18, has gone well beyond trick-shot clipsâlike the one where she scoops up a ball, flips it over her shoulder and watches it drop in the cup as she walks away.
Sheâs developed a recognizable on-course identity, including a signature tee-box routineâa shoulder tap, twist and extension sequence before the follow-through that breaks down classic swing fundamentals into simple, repeatable checkpoints that resonate with a social-first audience. What reads as stylized on camera functions as a kind of training cue, designed to reinforce muscle memory through exaggeration. And like the âHappy Gilmoreâ run-up once did, the Gabby move is increasingly being emulated by younger golfers looking to match her level of fairway finding consistency.
Gabby Golf Girl, Gabriella DeGasperis, beat Steph Curry in a one-on-one match that ended in a tie but was decided in a chip-off playoff.
Her victory is significant as it showcases her skills as a content creator and golfer, gaining recognition from a four-time NBA champion.
Gabby Golf Girl is pioneering a new format in golf, although specific details about the format are not provided in the excerpt.
Gabby Golf Girl was participating in the Creator Classic prior to THE PLAYERS Championship when she played against Steph Curry.

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She also isnât just playing matches, sheâs producing them. Her content has evolved into something much closer to episodic television, where the outcomes still matter but the cart banter and chemistry between her and her opponents drive engagement.
That evolution reflects a broader shift on the platform itself. YouTubeâs share of total TV viewing reached roughly 12% in 2025, according to Nielsenâhigher than any individual network or streaming serviceâas it increasingly functions like a destination for long-form, episodic content alongside short clips.
Instead of challenging other influencers to golf duelsâstill de rigueur on YouTubeâsheâs leaned into unpredictability, approaching strangers on driving ranges and sizing up both their swings and their on-camera presence in her ârandom golferâ series.
The result is a fresh one-on-one format for YouTube Golf blending competition with human connection. As she puts it, itâs no longer about âjust straight up watching golf,â but about surfacing personalities that might otherwise go unnoticed, like a Texas A&M fraternity cheering on their chapterâs lowest handicapper as he takes on Gabby.
âI think itâs important to show that Iâm really going up to regular people who are just out playing golf, and showing that they can be on YouTube tooâthat they have character as well, rather than just playing golf with other influencers.â
That shift has been guided as much by instinct as by data. DeGasperis pores over her analytics obsessively, âevery single day,â she says to improve her content but sheâs just as concerned with pacing and narrative tension.
What keeps viewers from clicking away isnât just shot-making, but the emotional stakes layered into each interaction. âTension,â she explains, is the key variable, whether itâs competitive friction, unexpected chemistry, or the reveal of a personality that defies expectations. At times, that dynamic can resemble the awkward, get-to-know-you energy of a first dateâtwo strangers sizing each other up in real time, with the outcome of the match only half of the appeal. Those insights have pushed her content beyond pure sport and into a hybrid format that mirrors broader trends across digital media sports channels, where audience retention, in the end, comes down to storytelling as much as skill showcasing.
The dual focus of performance and production also defines how she views her role. DeGasperis still approaches her craft like an athlete, adhering to a strict daily routine built around practice and recovery, but sheâs equally conscious of the business sheâs building around it. âI see myself as both,â she says when asked about balancing hours on the course with a growing operation that includes family and employees.
That hybrid identity is also increasingly attractive to brands. Last month, premium hydration brand Electrolit signed DeGasperis to its athlete roster, betting that her combination of competitive credibility and creator reach can help the brand connect with golf audiences, an area theyâd yet to explore.
For DeGasperis, who has consumed the product for years, the partnership fits naturally into the athlete side of her routine, which revolves around regimented practice sessions in the Florida heat, recovery and content production on a steady rinse and repeat cycle.
As brand partnerships scale in lockstep with her audience growth, sheâs become more selective, prioritizing deals where she can âspearheadâ a category, as is the case with this one, rather than simply join an ambassador roster already chock full of golfers.
The long-term vision remains open-ended, but the ambition is bright-eyed and clear: to scale what she calls her âlittle businessâ into something much larger. Itâs a trajectory powered as much by gumption and resilience as it is momentumâand with Gabbyâs track record, the smart money would not bet against her.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com