There was YouTube royalty at Open Final Qualifying – but then came agony with spots at Royal Birkdale on the line…
For a short while at Open Final Qualifying, as the heavens opened at West Lancashire, a dramatic sibling rivalry was breaking out on the Crosby coastline.
Wesley and George Bryan, the American YouTube bros backed by a swell of Merseyside support, were both within striking distance with nine holes to go in the 36-hole marathon to qualify for the 154th Championship at Royal Birkdale.
George, a decorated amateur with experience across the professional mini tours Stateside, is better known as a YouTube personality now boasting over 900,000 subscribers. He topped Regional Qualifying at Hesketh to make it this far, but erred down the stretch with a series of bogeys to slip out of the mix.
Wesley – the other half of the Bryan Bros – is also the more accomplished player – a PGA Tour winner with four major starts to his name, though not since the Masters in 2018. He has been embroiled in a legal battle with the US circuit since taking part in a LIV Golf-branded video last year.
But since then his popularity has surged online – and the Bryans attracted crowds across a wide demographic at West Lancs that could only be bettered by Sergio Garcia. The attention was also on Wesley’s caddie, more YouTube golf royalty in Peter Finch, who made the trip after failing to qualify from the regional round. They both chatted with fans throughout in a relaxed atmosphere, despite what was at stake, and Wesley matched Bryan’s two-under 70 in the morning wave.
While a rusty George stuttered as the rain descended on the glorious links through the second nine, Wesley showed his class to leap temporarily into the playoff positions.
After reaching the final hole on eight-under par – and incredibly six-under for his round – Wesley required a par on the 18th hole which would have ultimately got him into a playoff with English trio Joe Dean, Sam Easterbrook and Matthew Jordan.
This is what happened next:
Weekly reminder that golf is HARD.
Wesley Bryan missed this par putt on the 18th hole of final qualifying today and missed out on playing in the Open Championship by just ONE shot. pic.twitter.com/vPR71mTpHV
— Fore Play (@ForePlayPod) June 30, 2026
A brutal finish for Wesley, who was still all smiles with his brother, signing autographs for fans alongside Garcia after missing out on what would have been his first major in eight years.