The 23-year-old, Michael Brennan , entered the Bank of Utah Championship as a sponsor-exempt player. Who knew he’d make most of it by winning and earning a 2-year PGA Tour exemption? Not us, not him. Pro winning on a sponsor invite hadn’t happened since Nick Dunlap pulled it off as an amateur back in 2024 at American Express. This was indeed a big moment for Brennan, but this sponsor exemption phenomenon has its own drawbacks.

“I’ve learned this year that the sponsor invites are kind of a cr*p shoot. And you have like no idea what’s going on,” Brennan told Smylie on his show . “After my third win in Utah, I started texting my agent like I’m playing all the fall events, right? You know, that’s what I thought, kind of. I was like, you know, I’m playing great golf. Get me into every sing

See Full Page