Bryan Bros reunion yields mixed results at Butterfield Bermuda Championship

Wesley Bryan and George Bryan IV, content creators for the popular YouTube channel Bryan Bros. Golf, figured they hadn’t played together in the same group of the same tournament since their days on the old eGolf Tour some dozen years ago.

But there they were at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, along with local golfer Camiko Smith, enjoying relatively calm weather Friday after a windy Round 1. And if you can say anything about their performance over the first 36 holes, it is that the brothers played to type, whether it be their rat-a-tat-tat patter, honed on and off camera for three-plus decades, or their play.

Wesley, who has gone from 156th to 128th in the FedExCup Fall (top 125 after The RSM Classic next week will be exempt for Full-Field Events next season), looked like the former PGA TOUR winner he is (2017 RBC Heritage).

George looked like a guy who had only played one event since last year’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship, the low/high point this week being his half topped/half shanked approach in Round 1.

“I struggle sometimes with like a 3- or 4-iron, some of the longer clubs,” said a laughing George, “especially when I get nervy.”

“He’s good for one top a tournament, for sure,” Wesley added. “Guaranteed.”

Friday was more serious. For one thing, it was a better scoring day, with the heavy wind of the first round having mostly dissipated. Also, it was cut day, and Wesley was playing his way into contention, reaching 7-under par before going 4-over for his last five holes to finish at 3-under. He is still projected to make his fifth straight cut – three top-25s this fall have him on the cusp of the all-important top 125 – even if he was upset at his finish.

Meanwhile, he watched older brother George IV struggle mightily.

“It was a weird dynamic,” Wesley said. “I'm like upset knowing that George has got no chance of making the cut and here I am kind of in contention. It was like a weird array of emotions out there.”

George, who shot 75-73 (6-over) to miss the cut by a wide margin, admitted that as he tried to focus, he was acutely aware of the presence of his brother.

And yet all was not lost. A three-time All-American at South Carolina whose professional career hasn’t taken flight, George, 36, is gearing up to play in the Second Stage of PGA TOUR Q School presented by Korn Ferry in a few weeks. Roughly 15% of players from each site will advance to Final Stage at Dye’s Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass, Dec. 12-15. This marks the third time George has made it to Second Stage. He’s never reached Final Stage.

“Get better,” Wesley said.

“Yeah,” George said. “Second stage of Q-School—”

Wesley: “Practice.”

George: “The putter -- yeah, it's gonna be … the game didn't feel as good as it did last year across the board, but I still was able to hit decent shots and put together stretches of good golf … But boy the putter, we have two weeks to—”

Wesley: “Figure it out?”

George: “—to recalibrate, to recalibrate because it didn't work this week. But yeah, that’s golf. It’s been good for probably eight months and it was just due to have a—”

Wesley: “—a full meltdown.”

George: “Yeah, it wasn’t good this week. No, I’m excited to compete again and, you know, probably be a little less windy at second stage.”

Wesley: “Maybe.”

And on and on it went.

As for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, where a handful of contenders were outside the top 125 – No. 157 Robby Shelton, 10-under (64); No. 135 Sam Ryder, 9-under (62); No. 207 Francesco Molinari, 8-under (66) – Wesley wasn’t giving up. The weather is expected to challenge players again this weekend, and with some solid play amid the expected carnage he figured he might find a way to make a move.

“Another weekend's great,” Wesley said. “The weather looks like it's going to be dicey at best (Saturday) and then I think it's going to hum on Sunday. A couple good scores on the weekend could vault us up the leaderboard.”

One Bryan brother will play on in Bermuda; it remains to be seen if he’ll do so in 2025.