Phil Mickelson calls on US government to take action after PGA Tour star banned

Phil Mickelson has urged the Department of Justice to "do your f****** job" following the suspension of Wesley Bryan by the for his participation in a LIV event. Earlier this month LIV debuted 'The Duels,' a new format that paired six professionals from the Saudi-backed league with social media influencers.

The teams of two competed in a nine-hole scramble event, which was exclusively broadcast on Grant Horvat's channel. The pairings included Sergio Garcia and George Bryan, Bubba Watson and Luke Kwon, Joaquin Niemann and Rick Shiels, Mickelson and Horvat, Dustin Johnson and Wesley Bryan, as well as Cameron Smith and Fat Perez.

Alongside his PGA Tour career, 35-year-old Bryan has also become a content creator, teaming up with his brother to launch a YouTube channel that has seen a surge in popularity.

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With his playing status dwindling to just three event appearances in 2025, he has turned to his content creation side and taken part in two PGA Tour influencer events in the past year, including the Player Championship last month.

He then participated in 'The Duels' in Miami, which had a £188k purse, reports . Bryan's older brother George teamed up with Garcia, and the duo emerged victorious in a playoff over Watson and Kwon.

The younger sibling doesn't have a PGA Tour Card. But his decision to compete in LIV Duels , which has left Mickelson seething.

The six-time major champion took to X. "Here's a question," he penned. "Normally when an entity violates independent contract law, they deny that it happened and forces the contractor/individual to prove that it did.

"In this case the PGA Tour blatantly admits they are illegally banning an independent contractor, so why doesn't they DOJ step in and enforce the law? Why does the individual have to sue to enforcer the law? DOJ do your f****** job!"

Despite not holding a PGA Tour card, Bryan's suspension comes as a shock, especially given his track record of 134 starts, including clinching victory at the 2017 RBC Heritage. However, since his first year on the circuit, he's struggled to make a mark, never ranking above 156th in the FedEx Cup standings post-rookie season.

On the day 'The Duels' were made public, March 26, the PGA Tour put Bryan on probation, as per . This warning was echoed to other content creators, though subsequent threats got retracted, with Horvat even receiving an invite to partake in a PGA Tour event.

With over two million views so far, Horvat's broadcast has certainly made waves. Speaking with MondayQ, Bryan was unapologetic about his participation in the match. "No, I don't have regrets," he insisted.

"That video is one of the most powerful videos in YouTube golf. We are going to continue to support Grant and grow the game through YouTube."

Bryan has voiced his concerns about the future of his career but remains hopeful, saying: "For the last eight or nine years, the opportunities have been amazing. I'm extremely grateful to the Tour for that. I don't want this to be the end of my professional golf career."