It has only been a few hours since Colt Knost announced his controversial decision to try and regain his amateur status. He faced a lot of heat for trying to make this move, even though he explicitly mentioned that he only wanted to be in the position to captain a Walker Cup side.

Either way, the golf community tore into him as they couldn’t accept someone with his experience and background wanting to become an amateur again, and now, another pro suggested that he wants to pull the same stunt, albeit jokingly. That hasn’t pleased an analyst one bit.

Moments ago, golf content creator suspended from the PGA Tour, Wesley Bryan, jumped on the bandwagon. He read the news of Colt Knost wanting to regain his amateur status, and  tweeted, “I think I should try and get my amateur status back 👀.” He reacted to a guy who was complaining about Knost wanting to regain his amateur status after competing in 199 PGA Tour events and winning two Korn Ferry Tour tournaments. Bryan’s attempt at humor didn’t sit well with Shotgun Start’s Brendan Porath. And he made his feelings clear via his own tweet.

“Two things can be true: in an increasingly nebulous and challenging time to define ‘amateur,’ the USGA may be losing the plot on regulating amateur status, especially at the reinstated mid-am level. And Colt Knost’s move, or stunt, is relatively harmless, though his ‘Y’all are freaking out over nothing’ response to the backlash from a stunt designed to create backlash is a little off-base. You shouted fire in a theater, people ran out, and then you’re holding your hands up, asking why everyone’s running away. And for affirmation of this intended effect, look no further than Wes Bryan attempting to hitch himself to the attention train.”

In a Fried Egg Golf newsletter, the writer discussed Colt Knost’s attempt to regain amateur status, describing it as a move that has drawn significant attention within the golf community. He noted that such an unusual decision was bound to provoke reactions from fans and analysts alike. The piece also mentioned Wesley Bryan, who entered the discussion amid the ongoing debate surrounding Knost’s decision. Whether any meaningful outcome emerges from the situation remains to be seen.

Having said that, whatever Colt Knost’s intent may be, he still received a vote of approval from a USGA officer, but Wesley Bryan might not. Let’s see what they had to say.

The USGA might allow Colt Knost to become an amateur again, but not Wesley Bryan

When Colt Knost confirmed that he wants to become an amateur golfer, he also stated that he wanted to captain a Walker Cup team. Hearing his statement, the USGA Chief Governance Officer Thomas Pagel said, “There are certainly people who take the view that once you’ve turned professional, you have had some level of success, and how you define success again, it’s a bit subjective, should never be allowed back. Our rules allow for that.”

In short, he gave Knost the green light to transition back to amateur golf if he wanted to. But considering how Wesley Bryan has also made such a statement, does the same rule apply to him as well? Well, Pagel also had something to say about pros like Bryan, “Certainly, if somebody has ripped off a bunch of wins on the PGA Tour or they have played on these cup teams, they’re probably never getting their amateur status back.”

While he wasn’t a hugely successful player on the PGA Tour, Wesley Bryan did have one win on it. He captured the RBC Heritage title in 2017. Hence, unlike Colt Knost, there is a possibility that he might not be allowed to return to amateur golf if he seriously intends to at some point in his career.