It will be a make-or-break Sunday for Wesley Bryan.
Bryan entered this week’s Valspar Championship, the final start of his major medical extension, needing to finish solo sixth or better to keep his full PGA Tour card. While such finish is likely out of reach after 54 holes at Innisbrook Resort, Bryan, who sits T-49 at 4 under, can still retain conditional status by placing 51st or better.
“It’s going to take a special one,” Bryan told PGATour.com‘s Jeff Babineau.
The 31-year-old Bryan broke through on Tour by winning the 2017 RBC Heritage, but he owns just one top-10 finish since as injuries have piled up. He underwent surgery on a torn left shoulder labrum in January 2019 and then last year needed another surgery, this time after injuring his left wrist while practicing at home.
In the past four seasons, Bryan has made just 25 starts on Tour.
“It’s not necessarily golf that I missed,” Bryan told PGATour.com. “Golf frustrates the crap out of me. It’s the competitiveness and the guys out here, your buds, and hanging out playing practice rounds on Tuesdays. Those are the parts that I miss the most.”
Full-field scores from Valspar Championship
Upon recovering, Bryan resumed playing under a major medical with six more starts remaining from his total allotment of 21 and needing to earn about 125 FedExCup points to keep his full card. Entering this week, he had about 96 points left for full and almost eight for partial.
“Time to get after it,” Bryan’s brother, George, tweeted before the tournament.
Following an opening 3-under 68, Bryan found himself sweating out the cut line as he reached his penultimate hole on Friday, the par-3 eighth. He ended up hooking a hybrid into a bush, but the former trick-shot artist was able to play the next shot from his knees and then get up and down for a clutch bogey.
Almost surely needing to birdie the par-4 ninth to make the cut, Bryan wedged to 4 feet and sank the putt, which would be just good enough to qualify Bryan for the weekend.
And with 18 holes to go after a Saturday 70 (and closing bogey), Bryan would love something special on Sunday.
But as his card hangs in the balance, he’ll certainly take anything that keeps it.
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