DETROIT — There will always be a piece of Wesley Bryan that remains a showman, a trick-shot artist, a guy who can do something others simply can’t.
Prior to earning his Tour card and winning the 2017 RBC Heritage, Bryan was known as part of a sibling duo that compiled stunt videos — batting golf balls out of mid-air, chipping basketballs into hoops and banking shots off walls and into trash cans.
It’s not that Bryan can’t still do those things. Witness this chip from on the green earlier this week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic:
But what Bryan needs now is consistency, not flash. He tore the labrum in his left shoulder back in 2018 and hadn’t played a Tour event for a year and a half until the June restart. He made his first cut at the site of his lone victory, finishing T-68 at Hilton Head Island. He followed with an even better showing at the Travelers, where he shot four consecutive rounds in the 60s en route to a T-24.
Leaderboard | Live blog | Photos | Tee times, TV info
And now this week, the University of South Carolina product is seeing his progress continue in a big way. On Saturday, he posted a 32 on the front and finished with a 7-under-par 65 at Detroit Golf Club, pushing him just a few shots off the lead heading into Sunday.
He’s happy with how well he’s playing, although not totally surprised.
“I mean, I played great for the couple months leading up to it while everyone was quarantined. Luckily, my home golf course back in Lexington didn’t shut down, so I was able to stay pretty sharp,” Bryan said. “I felt like I was in great form and, like I’ve said before, the last couple weeks felt a little bit disappointing given the form that I felt like I was in. I mean, I guess I’m performing to a level that I definitely thought was possible at this point.”
This week, aside from the chip shot, he’s stuck to a basic game plan, one that’s heavy on substance and light on style.
“Overall, it was good. I made a couple dumb mistakes out there, but for the most part, I’m hitting it where I was looking. I drove it pretty good off the tee and was able to see some putts go in today, which was nice,” he said. “It got a little bit dicey out there for a second, the wind did a 180 switch out there and was swirling for about 45 minutes to an hour or so.
“I went from barely making the cut to throwing, I guess, myself back into contention going into tomorrow.”
Bryan opened the week with a little fun, taking advantage of an opportunity to play with Jason Day in a new nine-hole exhibition against Bubba Watson and Harold Varner III. The event raised over $1 million for charity and gave Bryan an extra chance to get those competitive juices flowing, something he couldn’t do for almost 18 months.
The Bryan-Day tandem lost in the exhibition, but Bryan still has an opportunity to cash in on the week’s biggest prize. And when asked what he needed to do to capture his second Tour win, Bryan said he’ll lean on a resource like his caddie, Willie Lanier.
“Willie is as calm and as cool as it gets on the bag, so just a lot of conversation with him,” Bryan said. “He has a good calming effect and just out there getting numbers and trying to hit shots. If the putter gets hot, I guess we’ll see what happens.”
