Ladies and gentlemen,

It was my honor to attend the first leg of the YGT (Your Golf Tour) put on by Grant Horvat and Bryan Bros.

Grant, Wesley, and George tapped Brad Dalke in to play captain #4, and it’d be up to them to build their teams out of this year’s tour roster:

Pursell Farms hosted leg one. Starting with Draft Night, here’s what happened:

This was a behind closed doors event — I got jump in, eat some great apps, sip a tasty bev, and get to know a few creators before they went into the draft room.

The producers then said, hey if you’re not behind a camera or an actual player, you’re not in here. Fair.

We did get to meet the Wild Cards before they made their entrance into the draft room, and it was nothing short of electric. Spoiler: Michael Block is the life of the party.

Michael Block also filmed a happy birthday video for my mom that I couldn’t send to her because I signed an NDA and no one knew that Block would be there. Sorry mom. Anyway, here’s how the teams (wild cards bolded) stacked up after draft night:

Team Grant:

Grant Horvat, Luke Kwon, Sam Heung Min, Chance Taylor, Michael Block

Team Wesley:

Wesley Bryan, Ryan Ruffles, Micah Morris, Roger Steele, John Peterson

Team George:

George Bryan , Taco Golf, Tooms, Josh Kelley, JP Mehu

Team Brad:

Brad Dalke, Sean Walsh, Garrett Clark, Peter Finch, Ben Hadden

Brad got tricked into wearing a suit for draft night, while everyone else was in pretty standard golf attire. Great bit.

MY INITIAL THOUGHTS: I thought Wesley put together the most complete team. Wesley and Ruffles are two of the most complete golfers on the tour, and Micah can go just as low on a good day. With the different formats, Roger adds major value with his distance off the tee — great for vibes too.

After the draft, we were treated to a fantastic dinner out on one of the farm’s practice facilities. Steak, chicken, mac and cheese, salad, some bread, all the fixins you could want.

Is it the Wynn Las Vegas? Of course not. They’re eating outside in a little bit of Alabama humidity under some string lights. Though I’d argue that beats the Wynn Las Vegas 9 times out of 10, but that’s just me. I think Pursell created an unforgettable experience for these guys.

Yes they’re going to get put up in nice places over the span of the next 3 events. Yes they’re going to be given a ton of stuff I’m sure.

But Pursell Farms welcomed them in as some of their own. There’s not a guy here who didn’t feel like not only a guest of honor, but also part of the Pursell Family by the end of the trip.

I think often, these guys get treated as such celebrities (as they should). But they also probably like to feel like normal people more often than not, and I think they got this here unlike they’ll get it at other places.

All the creators stayed in one lodge. Not 10 different hotel rooms. There’s something different about this place is all I’m saying. Okay, I’m getting off track.

Let’s get to the golf.

Round 1: Two-Man Scramble

9 holes, stroke play. Each team goes out together, split into two scramble teams. Take cumulative score from both teams.

Round 2: Two-Man Alternate Shot

9 holes, stroke play. Each team goes out together, split into two alternate-shot teams. Take cumulative score from both teams.

The two teams with the lowest scores after both rounds will advance to the final round, where each of their players will compete in an 18-hole singles match with a member of the other advancing team.

Round 3: Singles Stroke Play

18 holes, strokeplay. You could be down a few holes, down a few shots, and get it all back in one hole. That’s the beauty and the drama of stroke play.

After Round 1, the scores were as follows:

Team Wesley: -14

Wesley Bryan & Micah Morris: -9
Ryan Ruffles & Roger Steele: -5

Yes, this was a 9-hole round, and yes Wesley and Micah went -9. Dangerous.

Team Brad: -14

Brad Dalke & Garrett Clark: -7
Sean Walsh & Peter Finch: -7

Team Grant: -13

Grant Horvat & Luke Kwon: -7
Sam Heung Min & Chance Taylor: -6

Team George: -10

George Bryan & Josh Kelley: -5
Tooms & Taco Golf: -5

I got to tag along with Team Brad. Wonderful golf. Brad lit it up all round long, but to Garrett’s credit, they used a lot of Garrett’s approach shots.

I love Peter Finch, and he played well, but Sean kept him afloat a few times in the scramble. I REPEAT I LOVE PETER FINCH.

All around solid play from Team Brad — a ton of fun to be a fly on the wall. Here’s me being a fly (big fly) on the wall (golf cart):

Team Wesley and Team Brad find themselves in the driver’s seats, with Team Grant not far behind.

George has some work to do, but in Alt-shot, pretty much anything under par is a good score, and anyone could sneak their way into or out of contention in Round 2.

My initial thoughts about Team Wesley were confirmed, but after following Team Brad around, they have very few weaknesses. Team Grant being one stroke behind means drama come round 2. Even more drama if George and Co. make some magic happen.

WHO MAKES IT TO THE FINALS OF YGT PURSELL FARMS? Tune in next week to find out.

CHEERS,

Luke Mangan
On Golf