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Wesley Bryan has been suspended from the PGA Tour since April due to his decision to participate in an event that was organized by LIV Golf. You might think the man who promised to appeal that decision would keep his distance from the rival circuit while the issue is being sorted out, but he’s made the bold decision to go the opposite route.
A number of influencers have managed to harness golf to amass a sizeable following on social media, and Wesley Bryan is arguably the most accomplished member of that group based on what he’s achieved since teaming up with his brother George to build their YouTube empire.
The Bryan Bros. have managed to rack up close to 600,000 subscribers on the platform where they initially made a name for themselves with trick shot videos that helped Wesley showcase the skills that allowed him to earn a spot on the golf team at the University of South Carolina before turning pro and punching his ticket to the PGA Tour in 2017.
Wesley got his first (and only) victory on the circuit with a win at the RBC Heritage that year, and while he’s far from the most dominant player on The Tour, he’s done pretty well for himself when you consider he’s racked up more than $5.2 million in prize money during his career.
However, the YouTube channel he’s used to supplement that income may be an even more lucrative revenue stream, and he and George have gone to great lengths to continue to cultivate their personal brand while working with a number of other golf personalities.
In April, we learned Wesley had been suspended from the PGA Tour thanks to his decision to participate in what LIV Golf dubbed “The Duels: Miami,” a showdown where he joined a number of other creators and influencers who played at Doral’s Blue Monster ahead of the league’s tournament at the resort.
The 35-year-old said he intended to appeal the suspension due to the belief that PGA Tour rules concerning a ban only applied to playing in actual LIV Golf tournaments as opposed to events linked to them, and the decision has yet to be overturned.
This week, LIV Golf is holding another Duels showdown before its tournament at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia, and while I initially missed the announcement that stated Wesley would be involved, he confirmed that will be the case when he posed for a picture with some of the other participants on Tuesday.
At this point, it’s pretty clear Wesley doesn’t view the PGA Tour as his top priority and is pretty aware his best days are behind him.
With that said, if he is actually determined to have the suspension overturned, agreeing to take part in another one of the events that was responsible for the ban being handed out in the first place seems like a questionable move as far as the politics of the matter are concerned.
Maybe he’s playing some form of 4D chess I’m too dumb to grasp the strategy of, but when you consider The Bryan Bros. YouTube channel will seemingly be the exclusive home of this Duels installment, it seems pretty clear his loyalties lie with LIV at this point.