Old habits die hard they say and so it seems with trick shot expert Wesley Bryan who holed out from off the green this weekend using the toe of his putter.
Bryan made his name on YouTube as one half of Bryan Bros Golf with his sibling George. The pair built a popular brand online doing trick shot shots as the money they raised helped pay for their time playing on mini tours, including Wesley’s Q School entry fee. That helped earn him a Web.com card for the 2016 season before three subsequent wins on that circuit secured an automatic upgrade to the PGA Tour.
Now, instead of YouTube, Bryan is getting on TV after beating his brother George in a Monday play-off which qualified him for this week's Wyndham Championship. Bryan went on to make the cut with rounds of 72 - 66 but it was in his third round 72 that fans were treated to a glimpse of the pro's previous golfing style.
On the 17th hole at Sedgefield Country Club on Saturday, Bryan faced a daunting shot after going over the back of the green with his approach. Instead of chipping, Bryan aimed away from the hole and tapped the ball with the toe-end of his putter. Making impact, the ball took a sharp right and rolled down the slope with increasing speed straight into the cup for a remarkable birdie.
Bryan looked as surprised as anyone which might explain his shocking eight at the par four last, but fans aren’t complaining and the pro reckons his older brother George is pushing to make the tour too.
Bryan, who once completed a PGA Tour round in one hour 29 minutes, said: "Everyone was counting George out as an old washed up YouTuber but George has revitalised his career. He still has no goals or ambitions to play professional golf other than to play good when he does tee it up. He is playing just about as well as he has ever done. He is coming after it."
Wesley, who turned pro in 2012, is now making a name for himself on the PGA Tour after coming tied 24th at the Barbasol Championship and tied 31st at the Barracuda Championship recently. He says trick shots will always remain very instinctive to him.
“I’ve always been able to shape the ball,” Bryan said. “I drove it so bad for so many years in high school and college that I had to learn a way to play it out of the trees. That’s where the creativity started.”
