Forgive me for being late to the party, I have recently got back from a two-week vacation and saved the final two episodes of the Internet Invitational for the 13-hour flight home.
I tried my utmost to avoid spoilers by swiping away from anything Internet Invitational-related I spotted while scrolling away on social media, but I did accidentally see Brad Dalke had won and was also aware of some cheating allegations – but that was all I knew heading into the semi-finals.
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I enjoyed it…a lot
I have watched my fair share of YouTube golf through the years but I most certainly am not a massive week-to-week follower. I do not watch Bob Does Sports, Good Good, the Bryan Bros or any golf channels regularly.
I did not know a number of the competitors in the Internet Invitational to start with, but they were clearly chosen for a reason and they made the event what it was. They were also clearly taking it very seriously, too, as how often do YouTube golfers play for $1m? Never.
The controversies, from Luke Kwon not waking up for his day one tee time to the cheating allegations in the final round were very entertaining and Barstool and Internet Invitational chief Dave Portnoy’s blunt way of looking at things and lack of sympathy was hilarious.
Barstool and Bob Does Sports got the format spot on, I thought.
I had no idea what the video would look like when clicking on a 48-person, $1m golf event but the team draft system was very simple to follow and I love that there were no handicaps with every single player teeing off from the same place.
Wesley Bryan, a PGA Tour winner, played alternate shot with Robby Berger from Bob Does Sports, which still makes me laugh to think about, but this worked so well with the mix of teams, lack of handicaps and single tee box. ‘When I have you as a partner, I almost feel like I have no partner, which frees me up,’ is along the lines of what Bryan said to his partner at one stage.
I can’t imagine the format will be much different for next year’s event, which Portnoy has confirmed will be happening. Very well played.
The editing was also remarkable and the production value of the event was high class and well worthy of the views it received.
Shout out to Big Cedar Lodge, too. It is definitely a resort for my bucket list.
Can the PGA Tour copy anything from the Internet Invitational?
Can the PGA Tour copy anything from the Internet Invitational?
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The PGA Tour would kill for a six-part series that receives circa 25m views, so would an exact copy work? I think so. I just don’t think it would ever materialize and the players may be less inclined to show their true personalities in the way YouTubers do.
The PGA Tour would surely be less liberal with its editing than Barstool Sports, too.
For years we’ve asked for every player to be mic’d up and for years that simply hasn’t happened. The current way pro golf works on TV just does not allow fans to get to know the players’ characters so there always feels like something is missing.
That has to be one of the key reasons why YouTube golf is so successful. There are also limited commercial interruptions and no instances of slow play, again things the pro game struggles with.
Imagine if 24 or 48 PGA Tour players agreed to go and have their own knockout tournament while all wearing microphones with big money on the line and then signing NDAs to keep the result a secret until episodes are released? It could be huge – but then again perhaps it is best left for the YouTubers, as I’m starting to think parts of the YouTube golf audience pay zero attention to pro golf.
I am almost certain this will not happen, which is a shame as this format worked so well – although that isn’t what professional golf is about and this is the exact niche YouTube golf has carved out.
It’s hard to say what else the PGA Tour can copy other than the obvious – mic up the players!
The controversies
Unfortunately, and unsurprisingly in this day-and-age, some of the participants have received disgusting abuse.
Paige Spiranac admitted she had received over 10,000 death threats while Luke Kwon was public enemy number one after the first couple of episodes aired.
Paige Spiranac has been subjected to disgusting abuse after a rules controversy in the final episode
(Image credit: Getty Images)
But people love controversy, and the drama certainly added to the event.
The first episode wouldn’t have been the same without Luke Kwon inexplicably missing his tee time, which led to coach Gruden’s incredible speech to try and rally his team to a comeback.
The cheating accusations in the final episode nearly brought the entire thing to a halt, which as a long-time club golfer I found very funny.
Barstool’s Frankie even pleaded with Portnoy to avoid making the entire Internet Invitational about a ruling, to paraphrase.
Again to paraphrase, Frankie also said he was playing for a million dollars but the golf was not even being spoken about.
The way Good Good’s Malosi’s slope debacle was handled was very entertaining, it has to be said, with almost all of the competitors and watchers-on reviewing the video footage. Some may say the drama was contrived but it certainly felt real as a viewer.
My question is why was slope not allowed, though? This was a YouTube golf tournament, not The Masters.
Still, we wouldn’t have had the drama we did had slope been allowed.
Paige Spiranac’s controversial padding down of the rough was another moment that nearly overshadowed the entire final episode, and I do feel sympathy with her while also being surprised she didn’t know what she was doing was against the rules.
Drama makes for entertainment, and the Internet Invitational had it in heaps.
Bring on next year’s Internet Invitational
The way the format worked meant that a number of big characters were eliminated early, so the final was missing some household YouTube names from the Bryan Bros to Rick Shiels as well as many of the Bob Does Sports and Good Good members.
This was a shame but I still felt they got it spot on, so I will be excited to tune into next year’s event for what will be a completely different cast of golfers on the final day – perhaps aside from Brad Dalke, who is surely good enough to be playing on the Korn Ferry Tour (although I’d guess he’s earning more from YouTube golf these days, especially after a $333,000 win).
Portnoy has said both Caitlin Clark and Kai Trump have said yes to next year’s tournament so it is already looking like being another must-watch.
Some will be critical of YouTube golf or just avoid it as it isn’t their ‘thing’ but as the 24m+ views say, it is well worth a watch.
48 Golfers Compete For One Million Dollars! – YouTube
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