It’s a head-scratcher. When one PGA Tour pro gets suspended for participating in a LIV Golf content event, yet others are allowed to play in LIV-associated media productions without consequences, the uproar is justified. The PGA Tour is under fire for its double standards—no surprise there. But buried in the heat of the debate is a harsh reality: the suspended player knew exactly what was coming. Let’s break it down.

Wesley Bryan, a former PGA Tour winner, was suspended for participating in The Duels: Miami—a LIV Golf-affiliated event—without requesting the required Tour release. The event, aired ahead of LIV Golf Miami 2025, featured Bryan finishing 5th alongside Dustin Johnson. While he accepted the punishment, Bryan criticized the PGA Tour’s rules as vague and is now appealing the suspension, arguing that the regulations lack clarity.

Now, if you’re wondering how the rest of the golf world is reacting to this, let’s look at what’s being said in the Fore Play Podcast Plus. The hosts, “Luggage Guy” Trent, Sam Riggs Bozoian, and Frankie Borrelli didn’t hold back when discussing Bryan’s situation. “He’s won on the PGA Tour before, um, versus, you know, creators or whatever—kind of like us. We’re kind of like media. So, can you ban media for doing a media-type event at a LIV thing?” This is a valid point.

It feels like the line between media and competition is blurry—and it’s the PGA Tour’s rules that need clarification. Frankie continued, “I mean, the hypocrisy, I guess, that people saw in that is outrageous. Now, I do know there’s a difference because Wesley is an actual active PGA Tour member. To me, really, Wesley may have known the line he was crossing by going to the LIV event.” And that’s the crux of it. Bryan is indeed an active Tour member, and that distinction changes everything.

But the host quickly reminded listeners of the underlying truth: “He did that for his own personal gain. And his old employer—or his employer, the league that he’s a member of—is like, ‘You can’t do that. This has been a f—–g ongoing fight for like five years. You can’t do that. Of course, you can’t do that.’ And he knew that, probably, going in. He still did it. So, I don’t know that he deserves so much sympathy. Everyone’s so sad for him. I think he knew exactly what he was doing.” This is where the sympathy angle gets tricky. The Tour isn’t exactly at fault here—its rules are clear, and Bryan, as a pro, knew the consequences. He could’ve easily avoided this situation by seeking permission, but he chose not to.

On the other hand, there’s the matter of fairness. Trent pointed out the recent situation of another PGA Tour who played in the LIV Duels in Miami- Grant Horvat: “There’s a couple of semantic things where it’s like, ‘Oh, he’s not a member of the PGA Tour,’ but the LIV event that they put on was then put on his YouTube channel, and then he gets a sponsor’s exemption to a PGA Tour event. That, to me, regardless of member or not, there’s definitely hypocrisy there.” If Bryan, who wasn’t even a full-time member, can receive a sponsor’s exemption, why should he be punished for simply participating in a LIV-affiliated event when others aren’t?

Finally, Frankie asked a question that cuts straight to the core: “It is weird to watch the match that happened when Rory [McIlroy] and Scottie [Scheffler] were playing against—was it Brooks [Koepka] and Bryson [DeChambeau]? Like, why do you allow that? Because you were able to benefit off of it as the PGA Tour. And why can’t Wesley go play in a YouTube video against LIV golfers, when Rory McIlroy went and did it on TBS? What’s the difference there?” It’s a fair question.

And here’s the kicker: “It comes off as a little disingenuous to play the sympathy card when you knew 100% what the repercussions are,” declared Sam. In the end, Wesley Bryan knew the risk he was taking. The only question left is whether the PGA Tour will give him the chance to play again—or if the system will continue to expose its own contradictions.

Grant Horvat’s Barracuda invite sparks controversy and support

YouTube golf star Grant Horvat has a golden opportunity—and a dilemma. Fresh off his Creator Classic win at TPC Sawgrass, Horvat received a sponsor’s exemption to play in this summer’s Barracuda Championship, a PGA Tour opposite-field event in Truckee, California. Instead of jumping at the chance, he turned to his fans for help deciding. “I truly believe in my game,” Horvat said on The Smylie Show, “but… It’s truly a whole another level.” While thousands of fans voiced support, it was PGA Tour pro Michael Kim who made headlines by shutting down critics: “If you want to play, you should play… 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.”

But the timing? Awkward. Horvat played in The Duels: Miami—a LIV Golf-affiliated YouTube event—just two weeks prior, the same one that got Wesley Bryan suspended by the PGA Tour. Fans quickly noticed the double standard: why is Horvat, a non-member, free to play while Bryan gets benched? As Horvat mulls over the invite, one thing’s clear—the content would be electric. But the conversation around Tour access, content creators, and LIV links is only heating up.