ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — In this business, you learn to expect the unexpected. Few things can catch me off-guard, but I must admit Caleb Pressley posed a scenario to me that I did not see coming.
Caleb Pressley
After he played in the Pro-Am of the Biltmore Championship Asheville, we talked for a few minutes outside of the clubhouse overlooking the practice greens and chipping surfaces.
“We deserve The Masters,” he stated, speaking of his hometown of Asheville. He gauged my reaction, which probably teetered between laughter and confusion of whether I heard what I thought I heard. “You don’t believe me. No, but we deserve really cool events like this. It’s a growing city, it’s been cool for forever and people know about it. When I grew up I would say, people would ask ‘Where are you from?’ and I’d say two hours outside of Charlotte, because nobody knew Asheville.”
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“Now it’s one of the most trendy, biggest cities.”
Although there is no green jacket waiting to be awarded on Sunday, the PGA returning to Asheville is a major development in the WNC sports landscape. Pressley led the A.C. Reynolds Rockets to a state title in 2009 as a quarterback, before walking-on at North Carolina.
FILE FOOTAGE of Caleb Pressley when he played football for A.C. Reynolds. (Photo: WLOS Staff)
That would set the pieces in motion for him to become one of the most followed and viewed content creators on the internet.
Now, he can use that platform to further spread the word about his home town.
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“Asheville is a great city and deserves to have cool stuff like this,” he said. “We’ve had some cool sports here, but to have the predominant golf come to Asheville and throw this awesome event is pretty special.”
The event has already introduced Asheville to one new person, Pressley’s co-host of the YouTube series Sundae Conversation Glenny Balls.
SEPT. 16, 2026 – Caleb Pressley and Glenny Balls attend the Biltmore Championship Asheville, a PGA Tour event. (Photo: WLOS Staff)
“I’ve just always heard lovely high school stories from A.C. Reynolds, a lot of mountainous stuff which is great,” Glenny said. “The mountain ranges, the Blue Ridge Mountains, I didn’t know that’s where we were but we are here. I’m from New York, so this is very different from New York City. One of our lovely van drivers up here, shuttle drivers today she was like, ‘Oh I graduated in 1981’. I felt like she was the bus driver in Forest Gump. I was like this is a very different place that I’m in, and I like it.”
The city and its beautiful mountain views may be introduced to thousands over the four rounds this weekend, but it’s already the foundation that helped Pressley create the persona that has been so well-received online.
“I think just growing up in a really strong community, especially out there in Fairview and Cane Creek is where I had my formative years,” he explained. “Just the people out there, the sense of community, everyone helping each other out, and just being real people and real cool people.”