The PGA Tour created a special way for Brooks Koepka to return to the Tour, and he is now has a score of 3-under-par at the Farmers Open in Torrey Pines, just 36 days after leaving LIV Golf. They even announced that Patrick Reed and other LIV stars can come back soon. But despite never having played even a single match for the rival LIV Golf circuit, the situation for Wesley Bryan remains stuck. This mismatch stings fans, and here is where there is a problem for the Tour CEO Brian Rolapp.

The backlash arrived fast and loud after a Change.org petition calling for Bryan’s reinstatement gained thousands of signatures. The petition, started by a Reddit user u/sbrach22, argues, “Wesley Bryan got suspended from the PGA 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.”

It also claims, “The PGA let actual LIV golfers like Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed back on tour after they took huge contracts and played for LIV for years. Wesley never even played for LIV, yet he’s still suspended while they’re back competing…. 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.”

Over 4,100 people (362 people signed today) have already signed their names to help Wesley return to play, and the Fore Play Podcast shared the news.

It all started when Wesley played in ‘The Duels’ back in April of 2025. It was a LIV-affiliated YouTube golf event at Trump Doral. He played with YouTube stars and some big names from the rival circuit. The PGA Tour called this an ‘unauthorized event’ and banned him almost immediately.

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 content. 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 is now facing an indefinite suspension with no clear end in sight. He 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 growing 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 proven 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 play 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.

Despite the suspension, Bryan indicated he still loves the PGA Tour and the game of golf itself. He appealed his suspension and publicly acknowledged invoking the Tour’s appeal process. Yet nobody knows how policy or public pressure will change future decisions about creator events and cross-platform collaborations. But the Tour should address this divide before it burns the bridge to the next generation.