As we ease into golf’s offseason, two amateur golf stories have dominated the game over the past month. First, extremely entertaining Internet invitations wowed golf fans with its inaugural edition. Second, the WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark and YouTube golf star When Trump expanded golf’s audience in the LPGA’s Annika event.
Now the two viral stories seem to be on a collision course.
According to Sports Barstool founder Dave Portnoy, he has asked Clark and Trump to play in the next Internet Invitational. And they both said yes.
Here’s what you need to know.
As the Internet Invitational, Caitlin Clark and Kai Trump made golf go viral
When the first episode of the much-anticipated Internet Invitational went live, immediately struck a chord with golf fans. And the audience seemed to be reaching far beyond the already large base of golf fans on YouTube.
Over the course of six episodes and around 16 hours, 48 ​​YouTubers of varying abilities put on a show, competing in an inventive format and garnering tens of millions of views so far.
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Meanwhile, two weeks ago the Annika LPGA event similarly bypassed the typical LPGA audience with the help of Clark and Trump. Clark, one of the most famous athletes in the world, played pro-am, bringing some of her Indiana Fever teammates along for the ride.
And as always, wherever Clark goes, massive audiences follow. They were further fueled by the appearance of Trump himself, not at the pro-am, but at the actual event. The 16-year-old and popular YouTuber, who is the granddaughter of President Donald Trump, made her LPGA debut at Annika. And though she missed the cut, Trump similarly spurred huge interest in the event and women’s golf in general.
Which brings us back to the Internet Invitational. Despite its huge success, organizers like Portnoy hope the next edition will have an even bigger impact.
And as a rabid WNBA and Caitlin Clark fan, Portnoy thought of an easy way to do just that.
Caitlin Clark and Kai Trump to play 2026 Internet Invitational?
Portnoy, the mind behind the online invitation, made an appearance on Barstool’s The Unnamed Show on Thursday, and he quickly made it clear that he intends to make the popular event an annual event.
Then he hit on his big idea to take the tournament to the next level: invite Clark and Trump to play. Incredibly, Portnoy revealed that “they both said yes,” but he made it clear that it’s not a sure thing yet, given Clark and Trump’s busy schedules.
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“I’ve invited two people so far, they’ve both said yes,” Portnoy said. “I don’t know how serious they are. Caitlin (Clark) said yes; Kai Trump said yes. Those are my two that I’ve asked. If, push comes to shove, and those two are available and do it, who knows?”
He also revealed another big idea he has for the next Internet Invitational. He wants the prize pool to increase from $1 million to $10 million. And he hopes the success of the inaugural event will help attract new sponsors who can make that idea a reality.
“I’d like to make a $10 million pool next year. Look, I think it’s going to be a lot easier to get money, sponsors, all that stuff,” Portnoy explained. “We proved it. Year 2 you really prove it and then you have something.”
You can watch Portnoy’s full appearance on The Unnamed Show here.
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