Following Wesley Bryan’s suspension from the PGA Tour for an appearance in LIV Golf’s The Duels, Phil Mickelson took the mic and another stance against the American circuit, saying, “PGA Tour blatantly admits they are illegally banning an independent contractor, so why doesn’t the DOJ step in and enforce the law?… DOJ do your f***ing job!” Though Wesley Bryan appreciates Mickelson’s stance on his case, he still believes the Lefty can speak out more. And maybe against other Tour issues.

In his recent appearance on The Scratch Golf Show, Wesley Bryan’s answer to the host’s, “How helpful has he been, kind of guiding you through that process of someone who’s obviously gone through something similar, moving to LIV and dealing with the PGA Tour, and all the nonsense that comes with that?” came from the right place. In 2022, Phil Mickelson faced a situation similar to Bryan’s when the PGA Tour suspended him after he participated in the inaugural LIV Golf event in March. It eventually ended up in an anti-trust lawsuit against the circuit.

So, did Mickelson’s experience help Bryan make sense of his own situation? Wesley Bryan replies, “Yeah, I mean, he’s one I’m not obviously going to air out any of the stuff that we’ve talked about in private, but, um, I mean, he is, he is not g—like, he’s obviously sounded off on a lot of things, but there’s a lot of stuff that he’s holding on to because, um, he does understand that when he speaks, it carries a lot of weight.” But Bryan points out one specific thing, “there’s a lot of issues, um, there are hundreds of things that could be brought up that we just don’t feel is right, um, about how we’ve been treated.” 

During and following his association with LIV Golf, Phil Mickelson often pointed out the issues with the PGA Tour, including its control of media rights. In 2022, he highlighted the Tour’s “beyond obnoxious” behavior by sharing that it controlled players’ media rights, citing the refusal to return digital assets worth billions despite generating massive revenue from player content, and even charging him $1 million per use of his own shots in “The Match.” Nothing changed, however. Most recently, it affected another YouTube golf creator, Grant Horvat.

Amid such concerns, however, Mickelson’s approach towards content creators then shines more. And even Wesley Bryan says, “Phil is, um, he’s been, he’s been unbelievable to us.” And Mickelson’s support extends to other golfers and YouTube content creators as well. Like Grant Horvat, for instance.

YouTube content creator Grant Horvat is a part of Phil Mickelson’s team

Phil Mickelson has been making waves in the YouTube golf scene, frequently collaborating with popular golfers like Grant Horvat. His partnership with Horvat has led to some exciting content, including a 2v2 challenge series where they took on Dustin Johnson and his brother Austin in a 9-hole match. Mickelson’s appreciation for Horvat’s influence in the YouTube space led him to offer equity in his company, For Wellness, as a token of gratitude for their successful partnership.

In April, he shared the news with Horvat by saying, “You’re so kind in introducing me to the YouTube space and all of your subscribers and teaching me kind of like what this is all about… You’ve been so kind to everybody at For Wellness about using our product and promoting it…” He added, “You are a good, good man, and we really appreciate everything you have done, so thank you.”

Mickelson’s YouTube journey started with a video collaboration with Horvat last year, which garnered 1.4 million views, the highest on his channel so far. He’s amassed 296,000 subscribers. And Mickelson’s collaborations have also included other notable golfers like John Daly. So, is the YouTube golf growing? Yes, after all, even Ian Poulter has recently joined the space.

Given the rising popularity of YouTube golf content, the golf world likely expects two things: Phil Mickelson to continue advocating for creators’ rights and give them space, and for the PGA Tour to reassess its rules to minimize their impact on these creators.