Latest news with #TheDuels:Miami
NBC Sports
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC Sports
Report: Wesley Bryan suspended by PGA Tour for competing with LIV players in YouTube match
Wesley Bryan is at Puntacana Resort this week, only he is not competing in the PGA Tour's annual opposite-field stop in the Dominican Republic. Bryan revealed to Monday Q Info's Ryan French that he's been suspended by the PGA Tour for recently participating in a made-for-YouTube match featuring both influencers and LIV Golf members. The match, dubbed 'The Duels: Miami,' was filmed ahead of LIV's Miami event at Trump Doral the week before the Masters, with six two-man teams, each combining a LIV captain with a golf influencer, competing in a scramble format over nine holes for a $250,000 first-place prize. The nearly-two-hour edited production was then posted to Grant Horvat's YouTube channel on April 6; it currently has over 2 million views. (Spoiler alert: Bryan's brother, George, and Sergio Garcia won.) 'No, I don't have regrets,' Bryan told French. 'That video is one of the most powerful videos in YouTube golf. We are going to continue to support Grant and grow the game through YouTube.' Bryan has also competed in two Creator Classics, influencer events held on the Wednesday before last year's Tour Championship at East Lake and last month's Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. Also, the Bryan Bros were announced last December as part of the PGA Tour's Creator Council, which was designed to have top golf influencers 'meet regularly with media, marketing and communications team members at the PGA Tour to develop shared strategies for content development and fan engagement.' According to French's report, Bryan was placed on probation by the PGA Tour the day after teeing it up at Trump Doral and was officially suspended the day after the match was published to Horvat's channel. Bryan added that he was unsure how long his suspension was for. Golf Digest's Joel Beall reported that Bryan was warned by the PGA Tour prior to his participation. The PGA Tour has not responded to a request for comment, though the organization typically doesn't comment on suspensions. However, PGA Tour members who've competed in LIV tournaments have generally been suspended for a calendar year from their last LIV event. Horvat told Smylie Kaufman on Kaufman's podcast earlier this week that he'd been offered a sponsor exemption to compete in the Barracuda Championship this July, but he was still deciding whether he'd play. Bryan, meanwhile, decided to take his family to Puntacana anyway since he'd already paid to share a rental home with fellow PGA Tour player Ben Martin. Bryan was last year's runner-up in the event, which will be played this week opposite the signature-event RBC Heritage on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. 'For the last eight or nine years, the opportunities have been amazing,' said Bryan, who began this season with merely conditional status as a past champion. 'I'm extremely grateful to the Tour for that. I don't want this to be the end of my professional golf career.'
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
PGA Tour pro Wesley Bryan suspended for playing in LIV golf-backed YouTube event
Wesley Bryan hits a tee shot during the LIV Golf-backed event called "The Duels: Miami" on April 3, 2025. The PGA Tour has suspended Wesley Bryan for playing in a LIV Golf-backed event two weeks ago. The tour has not commented, though Bryan told the website Monday Q, which first reported the suspension, that he doesn't know how long it will last and indicated that he would follow the tour's appeals process. Advertisement Bryan, 35, is attending but not competing this week in the Corales Puntacana Championship in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, where he finished second last year to Billy Horschel. It is on the schedule opposite the RBC Heritage, which Bryan won in 2017 in his native South Carolina for his lone PGA Tour victory. He no longer has full tour status and has played in three events in 2025 as recently as March, missing two cuts — the exception a tie for 25th at the Farmers Insurance Open in January. Bryan is 169th in the FedExCup standings (31 points) with $75,068 in official earnings. He and his brother, George, have become popular for creating content on a YouTube channel, with videos featuring trick shots. Wesley Bryan participated in two PGA Tour influencer events in the past year, including in March, Golf Digest reported. Advertisement The Bryan brothers competed in a similar event run by LIV Golf — a rival to the PGA Tour — the week before the Masters at Doral called 'The Duels: Miami.' George Bryan and partner Sergio Garcia of the LIV tour won the nine-hole scramble on the first playoff hole. Wesley Bryan hits a tee shot during the LIV Golf-backed event called 'The Duels: Miami' on April 3, 2025. Getty Images The event, featuring six LIV golfers and six YouTube creators, had a $250,000 purse and was streamed on Grant Horvat's YouTube channel. All of the creators were informed through a third party there could be disciplinary action from the PGA Tour, according to the Monday Q report. Only Wesley Bryan was suspended, per the report, on the day after The Duels went live on Horvat's channel. Advertisement Bryan told Monday Q that he doesn't regret playing in The Duels. 'That video is one of the most powerful videos in YouTube golf.' Bryan said. 'We are going to continue to support Grant and grow the game through YouTube.' He also showed gratitude for his career on the PGA Tour. 'For the last eight or nine years, the opportunities have been amazing,' Bryan said. 'I'm extremely grateful to the Tour for that. I don't want this to be the end of my professional golf career.' Bryan has made 68 cuts in 134 career PGA Tour events, with five top-five finishes and nine top-10 finishes. A native of Columbia, S.C., who played at the University of South Carolina, Bryan turned professional in 2012, joined the tour in 2017 and has earned $5,247,630 in official money, per the tour.
USA Today
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
YouTuber Grant Horvat invited to play PGA Tour event, asks fans for help making decision
YouTuber Grant Horvat invited to play PGA Tour event, asks fans for help making decision Grant Horvat has a decision to make. The famous YouTuber has received a sponsor invite to play in this summer's Barracuda Championship, an opposite-field event to the Open Championship at Old Greenwood in Truckee, California. Horvat, who won the Creator Classic at TPC Sawgrass last month, turned to his fans to help make his decision, asking whether he should play. Thousands of fans replied, including PGA Tour player Michael Kim, saying, "If you want to play, you should play. It's a sponsors invite and any person or maybe even tour pro that wants to tell you that you're taking a spot or you should 'earn it' is total BS." Horvat revealed his invite on The Smylie Show. "I don't know where I'm at right now on it," he said. "I truly believe in my game and I think I'm not going to shoot some crazy high score. When you play with the pros, you just realize how much better they are. They're so good at golf. "I'll hit a lot of high-quality golf shots ... but it's truly a whole 'nother level." It's the timing of the invite that's causing waves, however. Horvat was one of six creators who played two weeks at The Duels: Miami, LIV Golf's spinoff of the Creator Classic. Six creators played with LIV players ahead of LIV Golf Miami at Trump Doral, and the video posted in its entirety on Horvat's YouTube page after the event. It has more than 2 million views. The Bryan Bros, George and Wesley, were also participants. And on Wednesday, news dropped that Wesley was suspended by the PGA Tour for his participation in the event. Numerous creators, including Horvat, tweeted "#FreeWesley" in response to the news. An important distinction to make is that Wesley is a PGA Tour member, in addition to being a content creator. He has three starts this year, including a T-25 finish at the Farmers Insurance Open. A length of his suspension from the Tour wasn't announced, but previous suspensions for competing in LIV Golf events have been a year from the date last played. Although the field hasn't been announced, Wesley was likely going to play in the third version of the Creator Classic next month at the Truist Championship. He had played in the first two events, but with his suspension, it's unlikely he'll play at Philadelphia Cricket Club. This has been frustrating for fans, especially considering the timing of Horvat's announcement. Horvat revealed his invite only hours before Wesley's suspension was announced, confusing fans why Horvat would be allowed to play in a Tour event when he also played in The Duels: Miami event. Tournaments can use their invites on any player they want. In Horvat's case, he's not a member of the PGA Tour, meaning he doesn't have to follow the Tour's guidelines when it comes to what events he can and can't play in. The debate on whether Wesley's suspension was warranted in playing a made-for-YouTube competition is fair criticism, but he also has different guidelines to follow than Horvat does. Will his suspension last, or will there be potential backlash from fellow creators because of it? Only time will tell. Here's to hoping Horvat plays the Barracuda. The content would be can't miss, and it would be a great opportunity for him to experience life inside the ropes of a PGA Tour event.
Express Tribune
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Wesley Bryan suspended by PGA tour for LIV-backed event participation
PGA Tour suspended Wesley Bryan for his participation in a LIV Golf-backed event held just weeks ago. Bryan, who was informed of the suspension through Monday Q, intends to appeal the decision and expressed his continued support for the game's growth. The suspension, confirmed by Bryan to the golf website Monday Q, comes as a result of his involvement in "The Duels: Miami," an influencer event run by LIV Golf, which was held the week before the Masters. While the PGA Tour has yet to comment on the suspension, Bryan stated that he was not informed about the duration of his ban. He has expressed his intent to appeal the decision through the tour's formal process. Bryan, 35, is currently attending the PGA Tour's Corales Puntacana Championship in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, but is not competing this week. He had previously finished second in the event last year, behind Billy Horschel. The tournament is being played opposite the RBC Heritage, where Bryan claimed his sole PGA Tour victory in 2017 in his home state of South Carolina. Although Bryan no longer holds full PGA Tour status, he has participated in three events this season, including a tie for 25th at the Farmers Insurance Open in January. However, he has since missed two cuts and currently sits 169th in the FedExCup standings, with $75,068 in official earnings this year. In addition to his golf career, Bryan and his brother George have become well-known YouTube personalities, creating viral videos featuring trick shots. Wesley Bryan also participated in two PGA Tour influencer events in 2025, including one in March. The brothers joined LIV Golf's "The Duels: Miami" event, which featured six LIV golfers and six popular YouTube creators. George Bryan, alongside Sergio Garcia, triumphed in the nine-hole scramble on the first playoff hole, earning part of a $250,000 purse. Despite the disciplinary action, Bryan has expressed no regrets about his participation in the event, calling the video from The Duels: Miami one of the most powerful in YouTube golf. "We are going to continue to support Grant and grow the game through YouTube," he said. Bryan also voiced his gratitude for the opportunities provided by the PGA Tour, acknowledging his career with the organization over the past eight years. 'I'm extremely grateful to the Tour for that. I don't want this to be the end of my professional golf career," Bryan added. Throughout his career, Bryan has made 68 cuts in 134 PGA Tour events, securing five top-five finishes and nine top-10 finishes. A graduate of the University of South Carolina, he turned professional in 2012 and joined the PGA Tour in 2017. Bryan has earned $5,247,630 in career prize money.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Report: PGA Tour suspends popular YouTube pro for playing in LIV's 'The Duels: Miami
Wesley Bryan won't play the PGA Tour's Puntacana Corales Championship this week after being suspended by the PGA Tour for competing in a LIV-backed event two weeks ago. Wesley Bryan of the United States plays his shot from the fourth tee during the second round of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship 2024 at Port Royal Golf Course on November 15, 2024 in Southampton, Bermuda. (Photo by) The popular YouTube golfer, who finished second in the Puntacana opposite-field event in the Dominican Republic last year, has been suspended indefinitely by the Tour for participating in 'The Duels: Miami,' a YouTube match associated with LIV Golf and shot during the Miami LIV event ahead of the Masters. Advertisement Ryan French of The Monday Q was the first to report the story. Bryan, winner of the 2017 RBC Heritage, was placed on probation the day after The Duels: Miami was announced in March, according to French. Six LIV golfers teamed up with six YouTube creators for a nine-hole scramble. The match offered a $250,000 purse. Wesley's brother, George, and Sergio Garcia won in a playoff over Bubba Watson and Luke Kwon. The Duels: Miami has nearly two million views on Grant Horvat's YouTube channel alone. French noted that all of the creators were informed through a third party that there was potential for disciplinary action from the PGA Tour, including being excluded from any PGA Tour-affiliated events and content going forward. Multiple sources told French those threats were later withdrawn except for the potential disciplinary notice to Bryan. Bryan was suspended the day after The Duels match went live on Horvat's YouTube channel. Advertisement Bryan, 35, won three times on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2016 and was named the development tour's Player of the Year. Eight years ago, he won in his home state of South Carolina at Harbour Town Golf Links for his lone PGA Tour victory and reached a career-best of No. 37 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He has dealt with injuries and lost full status on Tour but remains a popular figure in the game with a younger generation that enjoys his vivacious personality on YouTube. Bryan has made 134 career Tour starts, including three this season. He last played in the Puerto Rico Open in March. "For the last eight or nine years, the opportunities have been amazing," Bryan told French. "I'm extremely grateful to the Tour for that. I don't want this to be the end of my professional golf career." But he said he had no regrets about participating in a LIV Golf-related event, which has had ramifications for other Tour members. 'That video is one of the most powerful videos in YouTube golf." Bryan said. "We are going to continue to support Grant and grow the game through YouTube." Advertisement Horvat, who never has had any Tour status, announced that he has been offered a sponsor invitation to the Tour's Barracuda Championship but has not yet accepted. Bryan is at the Puntacana Resort with his family, sharing a rental home with Tour member Ben Martin and his family. But it's unclear how soon he can petition to resume playing the Tour. Efforts to reach the Tour for comment were not answered before this story was posted. This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Former PGA Tour winner dropped from Puntacana after playing LIV event
