Most suspended golf professionals avoid PGA Tour events. Yet, Wesley Bryan appeared back inside the ropes during one of the loudest weeks of the season – the WM Phoenix Open. The internet immediately caught the subtext. Bryan Bros Golf shared an Instagram post from TPC Scottsdale with a short, subtle caption. What followed was a flood of reactions that say as much about modern golf culture as they do about the player at the center of it.
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“We’re back inside the ropes!” Bryan Bros Golf wrote as the caption to the post.
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The image features Bryan Bros Wesley and George Bryan standing at the TPC Scottsdale alongside Grant Horvat. TPC Scottsdale is to host the “golf’s loudest party,” the WM Phoenix Open, this week. The 2026 WM Phoenix Open is scheduled to start today, February 5, 2026, and run through February 8, 2026.
While Wesley Bryan is back inside the ropes, he still remains suspended by the PGA Tour. The American organization suspended him for participating in LIV Golf-backed The Duels: Miami. While it was not an official event on the Saudi-backed league, the PGA Tour considered it a promotion of the rival tour.
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Therefore, the suspended American pro is not there to play in Phoenix, but rather for content creation. Even so, the setting mattered. Being inside the ropes at the Stadium Course carries a level of symbolism that goes beyond a typical practice-round photo.
The moment also stood out because of the broader context. Bryan Bros Golf and Grant Horvat have collaborated multiple times for golf’s creator space. The three have appeared together at the PGA Tour Creator Classic at TPC Sawgrass in 2025. They were also together at The Duels: Miami, the event that cost Wesley Bryan his suspension.
The visual of a banned player walking a tournament course during a marquee event created a gray area that invited interpretation. It was not an official comeback, but it was far more than a random stop, and it caught mixed reactions from fans.
Fans read between the lines
The comment section filled up almost instantly, and the tone swung from defiant support to dry skepticism.
For a large segment of fans, seeing Wesley Bryan back on a PGA Tour course felt like a small win in a fight that had dragged on for months.
“Free Wesley,” one user wrote.
Many fans, especially YouTube golf fans, feel that the PGA Tour shouldn’t have suspended the American pro. In fact, when Brooks Koepka was given an easy path back on the PGA Tour after exiting LIV Golf, many fans called for the reinstatement of Wesley Bryan, too. A group of them even started a Change.org petition for the same.
Others saw the post as a subtle signal, one writing, “One step closer👀.”
The comment frames the moment as progress rather than protest. Bryan himself took a subtle jab at the PGA Tour after Koepka’s reinstatement. He shared an X post suggesting a second category for the Returning Member Program, which included “anyone who is suspended for playing in 9 hole scramble events.”
Grant Horvat’s presence also mattered. “Shoutout to @granthorvat for looking out for the homies! @wesleybryangolf” reflected the idea that Horvat has continued to keep Bryan visible during his suspension. That loyalty carries extra weight given that Horvat’s channel hosted the LIV-backed event that triggered the ban in the first place.
While most reactions were supportive, some leaned into irony. “Don’t call it a comeback,” one X user said. The comment nodded to Bryan’s growing popularity as a creator, suggesting that his relevance never disappeared.
Not everyone bought into the sentimentality. One comment cut straight to Bryan’s on-course record.
“Crazy how many people think Wesley Bryan would do anything other than go back to missing cuts. Even if he gets his card back he has it for 1 year tops,” the comment read.
That take reflects a colder assessment rooted in numbers. Before the suspension, Bryan was a bubble player with conditional status, limited starts, and a history of missed cuts. In 2024, he had 18 starts and made the cut in only 8 of them. In these 8, he was in the top 10s only twice.
Together, the reactions capture the split at the center of Wesley Bryan’s story. To some, he is a symbol of outdated rules colliding with modern creator culture. To others, he is still judged primarily on scorecards and FedEx Cup standings. The TPC Scottsdale photo didn’t settle that debate; it just made it louder.
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