News

Who needs a caddie? Meet the social media manager who won in his tour debut on the bag

April 25, 2016

As Callaway Golf's social media manager, Chad Coleman spends much of his life on Twitter. But it was a tweet over which he had no control that wound up producing one of the best experiences of his life.

Web.com Tour pro and trick-shot artist Wesley Bryan needed a caddie for last week's El Bosque Mexican Championship, as his usual looper -- his brother, George -- was trying to qualify for the tour's next event. So Wesley, a friend of Coleman's, came up with a fun idea.

"I just tweeted it," Bryan said. "I texted his boss, who said it would be OK. Then I called Chad and told him to pack his sunscreen."

"I knew he was going to be great company," Bryan added.

Great company, perhaps, but how did he do as a caddie?

Bryan said he mainly used Coleman for "simple addition and subtraction" with yardages since they were playing at a high altitude. Bryan only called him in to help read a couple of putts, but that's typical of how he plays. He laughed when recalling one instance in which Coleman was more than 100 yards off when giving him a yardage.

"He's learning," Bryan said.

Coleman agreed.

"I was a little rusty at first, but it got better," Coleman said. "By mid-round Friday, when he shot 63, I felt like I was finally getting the hang of it. Like I said, Wesley and I are great friends off the golf course, so I think that really translated to making him feel comfortable when he was competing. Heck, I think I was more nervous than he was on Sunday."

Whatever Coleman did, it worked. After that 63, Bryan shot 71-67 over the weekend to win by four shots. It's his second win of the young Web.com Tour season, meaning he's already earned his PGA Tour card for next season. A third victory this year would give him a rare Web.com Tour "battlefield promotion," and instantly put him in the big leagues.

"I witnessed some of the best golf I’ve ever seen for 4 days in a row — just surgical — and I know how hard Wesley works at his game to put himself in those positions," Coleman said. "To see it all pay off for him, and to be there in that moment to celebrate with him was pretty special."

Of course, Coleman documented the week on the various social media accounts he runs. That included Instagramming practice sessions, snapchatting a game of hotel room H-O-R-S-E between the two, and tweeting from the trophy presentation.

It's been quite a whirlwind for Bryan as well. Previously, he was best known as being half of the trick shot tandem, the Bryan Bros. Then he made it through Q School last year and won in Louisiana last month with his older brother on his bag (He says it's still "his job to lose"). And now, he's headed for the PGA Tour and winning big tournaments in runaway fashion with novice caddies.

"It’s surreal look back and see where I was five or six months ago," Bryan said. "It really is a dream come true."

"Dream" was the same word Coleman used to describe his magical week by Bryan's side. So is he ready to give up his day job at Callaway?

"Not a chance. My calves are so sore I can barely walk!" Coleman said. "And I think it’s really cool to say that I’m batting a thousand -- so might as well quit while I’m ahead. This is a story I’ll be telling my grandkids someday."