Next month sees a new PGA Tour event, the Myrtle Beach Classic, take place at Dunes Golf and Beach Club in South Carolina and, in early March, 16 players competed for the one available sponsor exemption in the Q at Myrtle Beach.
However, there was a unique twist at the 18-hole TPC Myrtle Beach contest - half of the field were golf influencers and YouTube stars.
Among those taking part were were YouTubers Peter Finch, Grant Horvat and Micah Morris, Barstool Sports’ Dan Rapaport, George Bryan of the Bryan Bros YouTube channel, Nick Stubbe, aka Fat Perez from Bob Does Sports, and Luke Kwon of Good Good Golf. But would one of them be good enough to make it onto the big stage?
Well, the omens weren't bad before the start. Even though they were up against professionals including South Carolina golfer Scott Stevens, former LIV Golf player Turk Pettit and Korn Ferry Tour winner Matt Atkins, each of the field held a USGA handicap of 0.0 or better at the time of recording.
That is a requirement on the PGA Tour for sponsor exemptions, meaning some high-quality action was expected, and it duly arrived, with George Bryan getting desperately close to a second PGA Tour start.
After being sworn to secrecy for weeks since the 4 March contest, a video of the day's events has now been published on YouTube by Play Golf Myrtle Beach, where the probability of glory for Bryan turned to agony in the blink of an eye.
By the 10th hole, it was already clear Bryan was going to challenge as he shared the lead with 15-year-old Tyler Watts and by the 12th, the tone had been set as Atkins was the man alongside Bryan at the top at three-under, albeit with Stevens, Korn Ferry Tour star Jay Card and Watts just one behind.
The next hole, it got even better for Bryan with a birdie to take the outright lead, but he was once again tied with Atkins after the 15th. However, the possibility of Bryan beating the pros at their own game became a probability a hole later, when a bogey by Atkins gave him a one-shot lead heading into the 17th.
The gap had become two by the time they reached the par-5 18th after another dropped shot by Atkins left him on two-under alongside Watts and Card.
After a confident tee shot on the 18th, it was hard to see what could go wrong. After all, as the presenter remarked: "George needs a solid approach and one or two putts to take it." Easy? Not quite. On his third shot, disaster struck when Bryan's chip onto the green rolled into the water. There were no such difficulties for Atkins, who found the green with his third shot.
By now on his fifth, Bryan could still win it by holing his putt from the edge of the green, but it agonizingly stopped just inches to the right. Even then, Atkins needed to hole his birdie putt to force a playoff, and he did.
After heading back to the tee, Bryan averted disaster this time to make par, but Atkins ultimately went one better as the YouTuber came close, but not quite close enough.
Bryan's one appearance on the PGA Tour came in a T69 at the 2023 Butterfield Bermuda Championship after he came through Monday qualifying to book his place. Ahead of his PGA Tour bow alongside brother Wesley, Bryan said: "My main job is filming YouTube videos." After his agonizing near-miss at the Q at Myrtle Beach, it seems, for the time being at least, that will remain the case.
The Myrtle Beach Classic takes place between 9 and 12 May, the same time as one of the Tour’s signature events, the Wells Fargo Championship
Q At Myrtle Beach Leaderboard
- T1 George Bryan -3
- T1 Matt Atkins -3
- 3 Tyler Watts -1
- T4 Jay Card E
- T4 Scott Stevens E
- T6 Peter Finch +1
- T6 Turk Pettit +1
- 8 Morgan Deneen +2
- T9 Dan Rapaport +4
- T9 Ryan Wilkinson +4
- 11 Jamie Wilson +5
- 12 Luke Kwon +6
- 13 Grant Horvat +7
- 14 Fat Perez +9
- 15 Cole Lantz +11
- 16 Micah Morris +14
