The Feed: Brooks Koepka’s PGA Tour reinstatement raises calls to ‘free Wesley Bryan!’ from YouTube golfers
Kevin C. Cox
It was another quiet in the world of golf where nothing ever changes and the vibes are always super chill … PSYCH. Actually, it was bat sh*t crazy, just as it at least 40 weeks out of the year. The circus began Monday, when the PGA Tour announced a new reinstatement policy that will allow Brooks Koepka to rejoin the tour essentially immediately, drawing shock and consternation from fans and fellow pros alike. On the surface, that may not seem like it has much to do with the distant solar system we call YouTube golf, but that’s not entirely true. Let’s get into it.
It Takes a Village
As you might have guessed, the PGA Tour’s new policy, which was custom tailored to allow only Koepka and a select group of highly bankable recent major winners like Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cam Smith back into the fold, wasn’t a smash hit with everyone. The policy came with some punishments—namely a required $5 million charitable donation and temporary ineligibility for the PGA Tour’s equity program—drew the ire of a raft of PGA Tour pros who turned down big money from LIV Golf to remain loyal to the tour.
It also triggered many of golf YouTube’s biggest content creators, who haven't forgotten their compatriot Wesley Bryan is still banned from PGA Tour events—including those like the Creator Classic—after playing in LIV Golf’s 9-hole ‘Duels’ scramble earlier this year. Shortly after Koepka’s reinstatement was announced, cries of “free Wesley!” rose up from around the Internet, including on the Bob Does Sports podcast, where the YouTube golf Avengers assembled to address the subject.
The support Bryan saw from fellow creators—who, let’s not forget, are also competitors for clicks—was in stark contrast to the reaction of some PGA Tour pros to the Brooks Koepka news.
“I personally really like Brooks, and I think it's ultimately really good for the PGA Tour, but also, you know, a guy that had an opportunity to go to LIV, it's kind of frustrating that he's able to get the cake and also eat it,” Wyndham Clark told Sirius XM PGA Tour radio this week.
"I had the offer. It was just over a year and a half ago," the 2023 U.S. Open champ continued. "And if you would have told me that I could have gone for a year and a half, make a boatload of money and then be able to come back and play on the Tour, I think almost everyone would have done that."
Though unrelated to the Koepka news, Jordan Spieth also spoke this week about the blowback he received from fellow players after getting five sponsor exemptions last season.
“It stinks. I was catching strays for no reason from guys who I had pretty good relationships with,” Spieth said in an interview with the PGA Tour. “Everyone’s going to ask. I’m not, like, paying (tournaments) to get in. There’s a reason that they’re going to pick me to go in. If it’s going to be helpful to their tournament, then they’re going to want me there, until they don’t want me there.”
It’s no secret that the PGA Tour is a dog-eat-dog world, but what’s good and pure and cool about all this is that YouTube golf isn’t … at least not yet. Technically these guys and gals are competitors, sometimes on the course in the various matches they play, but always in the arena of fan attention and engagement. Yet they still support each other. They platform each other on their channels and stick up for one another when there’s controversy. “Community” is an extremely overused word in this day and age, but it seems YouTube golf creators and fans have built a genuine one. Long may it continue … now on to the videos.
Quick Hits
Bob Does Sports
Bryson isn’t the only LIV pro who can do this YouTube thang. This week Jon Rahm flexed his viral chops, taking on the entire Bob Does Sports gang in a must-watch match. Rahm says he isn’t headed back to the PGA Tour anytime soon, so here’s hoping we get a few more of these before he does.
Grant Horvat
Remember everything we said about platforming and community and blah blah blah? Yeah, forget all that for a couple of minutes and watch Grant Horvat beat the snot out of Robby Berger with a single cub. Prayers up for Bobby Fairways.
Bryson DeChambeau
Bryson kicks off Season 2 of Public Course Records by attempting to set the new mark at Southern Oaks Golf Course in Burleson, Tx. DeChambeau spoke this week about how series like this help to keep in major championship form, and after watching this one, it’s not hard to see why.
Bryan Bros. Golf
It’s hard to believe, but bracket season is only about five weeks away. This week, the Bryan Bros. g0t the madness started early with the YouTube Golf Sudden Death Championship. Remember to watch those 12-5 upsets, folks!
Good Good Golf
Good Good’s $1 vs. $100,000 concludes with a “major” at Pebble Beach. If you’ve been following this series up the California coast like ol’ Jack Kerouac, don’t stop now.
Taco Golf
What happens when a YouTube golfer plays in front of a gallery of 5,000 fans? Taco Golf finds out this week at Chasing the Fox, PGA Tour pro Ryan Fox’s six-hole celebrity golf tournament in his home country of New Zealand. Good on ya, mate!
Pete Finch
A week after squaring up to Grant Horvat, Peter Finch takes on Fat Perez in an 18-hole stroke play match. This man woke up and chose violence in 2026.