Wesley Bryan had a reason for calling Barstool Sports hosts Dan “Big Cat” Katz and Eric Sollenberger, better known as PFT Commenter, “idiots.” He says it was never meant as an insult. The former PGA Tour winner explained on Fore Play’s podcast that the word was a term of endearment among his group and their Discord community. But the comment came after a November 4 tweet that had already sparked debate over his idea of replacing the Internet Invitational’s eight highest-handicapped golfers with eight of the best players in the world.

On Fore Play’s podcast, he explained the sharp reply that followed: “I thought I shook the bar stool beehive a little bit when I called Big Cat and PFT idiots, which one, it’s true. Two, it’s also kind of a term of endearment around our camp since day one. Our Discord folks, we’ve all called ourselves the idiots. So, it’s not like a derogatory term in my vocabulary, but I could see how some people would be triggered by that.”

Bryan did not leave his question open to interpretation. He shared a screenshot naming the eight players he would replace: The Duke, Callux, Jersey Jerry, Eric Sollenberger, also known as PFT Commenter, Kyle Forgeard, Trent Ryan, Jon Gruden, and The Jet. He then named his preferred replacements, which included some of the biggest stars in golf: Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Matt Fitzpatrick, Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Chris Gotterup, Xander Schauffele, and Tommy Fleetwood.

The debate comes down to what makes the Internet Invitational entertaining. The event is run by Barstool Sports and Bob Does Sports, with its second edition held in August at Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri. Fore Play, the Barstool podcast whose hosts interviewed Bryan, also became part of the discussion.

Eric Sollenberger, who played alongside Bryan before Team Bryan was eliminated, had a very different view. He said he would do the exact opposite by removing the eight best players and bringing in less-skilled golfers. Dan “Big Cat” Katz agreed with him. He argued that golfers who are not as skilled can make the event more entertaining. Katz also brought up a moment involving Big John, suggesting it might not have been as funny if Scheffler had been the one hitting the shot.

Bryan was not impressed with their response. In his reply on X, he called the hosts “idiots” and said he would rather watch Bob Does Sports than the PGA Tour.

His Defense: A Question, Not a Campaign

On the podcast, he insisted the tweet was never a lobbying effort. 

“There was obviously no harm in the tweet and I think that as far as just getting people talking about an online YouTube golf event, I feel like it kind of accomplished its task. Now, did I throw myself in harm’s way? Absolutely I did. But that’s nothing new.”

He also addressed the most sensitive name. “In no way am I lobbying to pull Jet from that event at all,” he said, pointing to his relationship with Bob Does Sports.

The hosts pushed back on his habit of explaining his jokes. Bryan stood his ground and said readers had jumped to a conclusion: “So maybe illogical would have been a better word.”

The Weight of His Past

Bryan’s side comes with history. He won the 2017 RBC Heritage, his only PGA Tour title, after three Korn Ferry Tour wins. He and his brother George built Bryan Bros Golf into a trick-shot YouTube channel.

In April 2025, the PGA Tour suspended him indefinitely for playing in The Duels: Miami, a LIV-backed creator event. He appealed, and a further attempt to return actually failed. That makes his line about preferring Bob Does Sports to the PGA Tour sound different. He may miss the Tour more than he admits, which he denies.

A second controversy emerged when Kevin Kisner questioned how Jon Rahm knew Team Bryan was 2-0 during the recorded competition. Speaking on the Fore Play podcast, Kisner wondered whether Wesley Bryan had shared the score with others while filming was still underway. However, he offered no evidence to support the suspicion, so the alleged leak remains unproven. 

Wesley Bryan maintained that his question had achieved what he wanted: it got people talking. But the question behind his tweet remains: Do fans want to watch the best golfers in the world, or do they prefer the characters who make the event entertaining?