As the PGA Tour moves forward with a newly defined path for LIV Golf players like Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed to return, one situation continues to stand out for all the wrong reasons. Wesley Bryan, a former Tour winner, remains indefinitely suspended, marking himself as an unresolved contrast, which has struck a nerve with fans. With no solution in sight, fans have now taken matters into their own hands.

A group of fans has started a Change.org petition calling for Bryan’s reinstatement, and it has gained thousands of signatures. The unprecedented move, started by a Reddit user u/sbrach22, has caught everyone’s attention. At the time of publication, over 9,550 people (362 people signed today) have already signed their names to help the former PGA Tour winner return to the American circuit.

The frustration isn’t just about Bryan being suspended; it’s about why he was suspended. It’s as the fan’s argument states:

“Wesley Bryan got suspended from the PGA [Tour] for participating in a 9-hole scramble on a YouTube golf channel where LIV and YouTube golfers competed. He didn’t sign with LIV, didn’t get paid millions like actual LIV players – he just played in a fun YouTube event.”

Bryan, a winner of the 2017 RBC Heritage, also runs a YouTube channel with his brother, George. The one-time PGA Tour winner took part twice in LIV Golf: The Duels, a 9-hole scramble in the vein of the PGA Tour’s Creator Classic. He later revealed that the Tour handed him an “immediate and indefinite” ban.

The official information from the PGA Tour has been sparse. Unlike Brooks Koepka or Patrick Reed, Bryan never actually signed for LIV. Yet, his punishment seems harsher than the rest.

Noting that, the petitioner also claimed, “The punishment doesn’t fit what he actually did – at most this deserved a warning and clearer rules about these events… A YouTube golf event shouldn’t end someone’s PGA career when actual LIV players are already back on tour. If this seems unfair to you too, consider signing and sharing.”

Notably, the PGA Tour dubbed The Duels an “unauthorized event.” Wesley was told that his participation would lead to some disciplinary action due to promoting the LIV Golf event. But he believed a YouTube video was not a real professional tournament. He felt the rules were too confusing and did not cover the YouTube Golf. The video was meant to raise money and gain more fans globally.

“I don’t think that when the rule was written, it was meant to cover content creation on YouTube. I think it was meant to cover organized, professional, high-end events,” Wesley said back then.

Wesley later asked the Tour for a simple conversation to fix this mess after Brooks Koepka’s return. But he has been told by the PGA Tour that no conversation will take place about lifting his suspension.

“Appreciate all the support recently. Unfortunately, Brooks Koepka coming back to the tour has no bearing on my situation. I have reached out and asked for a conversation to potentially uplift my suspension, and I have been told that no such conversation will be given,” Wesley recently shared on X(formerly Twitter).

“I just wanted to clarify my current situation, as a lot of you guys have been asking… Still love the PGA Tour, and definitely love YouTube. See y’all soon on the internet.”

The petition comes after that, and the fans are voicing their opinions, though nobody knows if Brian Rolapp and Co. will change their minds anytime soon. For now, the signatures on the petition are growing every hour.

This controversy highlights a massive and painful split within the professional golf locker room.

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The superstar loophole and Kaufman prophecy

This double standard reveals a huge divide between the superstars and the regular tour members. Just after the Tour cleared their path for Brooks Koepka and other Major winners to return to the Tour, Wesley Bryan posted a sarcastic message on X, suggesting a proposition to the Returning Member Program, and added a different category for the guys who play in 9-hole scramble events on YouTube.

YT channel, Bryan Bros Golf, even asked, “So does that mean Wesley isn’t suspended anymore for playing YouTube scrambles?!”

Smylie Kaufman saw this big storm coming. He warned that letting stars back would cause drama in the locker room soon. The ‘Returning Member Program’ only proved his words. Brooks Koepka paid a five-million-dollar fine and walked right back to work. But what about players like Wesley Bryan?

Speaking on the matter with co-host Charlie Hulme, Kaufman said last month, “I’m interested in seeing how they’re going to navigate because a guy like Hudson Swafford apparently got like a two-year show cause and all this, couldn’t play. Wesley Bryan, you know, he’s got like a year suspension allegedly.”

Hudson Swafford is still banned until the year 2027. Swafford does not have a recent major trophy to help him.

Meanwhile, Wesley Bryan and his brother shifted focus toward content creation and international tournaments after the suspension. They ran the Bryan Bros Golf channel and documented trips to Asian Tour events, aiming to grow global audiences. Bryan posted clear 2026 goals that focused on winning events, beating his brother, and hitting a filmed hole-in-one.

He did not emphasize reclaiming a PGA Tour card, suggesting priorities have shifted toward creative work and independent competition. The Bryan brothers also used their platform to promote tournaments like the International Series Philippines.

However, nobody knows how policy or public pressure will change future decisions about creator events and cross-platform collaborations. But the PGA Tour should address this divide before it burns the bridge to the next generation.