Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers about how The Internet Invitational ends.
If the screenwriters pulled the strings behind the scene, the sixth and final episode of the Internet Invitational it was full of controversy and theatrics.
Produced or not, much of the online golf community took to YouTube Thursday night as the tournament—produced by Barstool Sports and Bob Does Sports—provided more entertainment than anyone could reasonably have asked for.
The 48-person event was based on team competition all the way through, cutting the field in half until only six players remained. It left an alternate 18-hole 3v3 match with $1 million for the winners.
On the one hand it was Creator Classic winner Brad Dalke (Good Good), Francis Ellis (Barstool) and the late Cody “Beef” Franke (Barstool) who was part of the event before he died last month at the age of 31.
On the other side was Frankie Borrelli (Barstool), influencer Paige Spiranac and Malosi Togisala (Good Good).
Here’s what went down during the final round at Big Cedar Lodge’s Payne’s Valley Golf Course near Branson, Mo.
Dalke, Ellis and Beef prevailed
At the beginning of the match, Beef is asked what he would do with the money if his team won.
“I’d donate some to charity and I think I’ll pay off my parents’ house,” he said.
Those words took on extra meaning when his team finished with a 1-up victory, Beef’s eyes filled with tears on the 18th green.
Incredibly, Beef struck first AND the last shot at the tournament (petition to rename this the Beef Invitational?). The video ends with a tribute to him. I didn’t make it without crying.
The game itself was a barnstormer as both teams battled back and forth. The incredibly volatile format of the alternative knock-off match play (with a wide range of flaws included) gave the feeling that no one was out of it.
Dalke, the clear ace of the course, made his three-way lead 2-up with three holes to play. Some slow play on the par-3 16th and par-4 17th pushed the match all square heading into the par-5 18th.
The story of the final hole was Borrelli, who struggled for most of the round. He pulled his car into the weeds, putting his group in a tough spot. And then, needing a putt to maintain par, Borrelli chipped his pitch across the green and into the water.
Moments later, handshakes were exchanged.
Spiranac caused some controversy
The match started casually on the first hole.
Spiranac’s team had a short but tried shot, while Dalke’s team was looking at a 10-footer for bogey. The first shot was missed before the shot was attempted.
Spiranac then said, “It just shows you’ve never played competitive golf.”
it it Was a very short putt. However, Dalke mentioned that there were many slopes. Given that everyone outside Dalke is far from a professional golfer, it’s reasonable to ask to see that putt.
However, Elis missed the free throw, making it a moot point.
That adage about competitive golf came back to bite Spiranac later in the round on the 9th hole, when her team was getting ready to hit a shot from the foul mouth.
Spiranac was seen on video stepping on the grass directly in front of the ball, allowing the shot to be played. Her team lost the hole, but she was told about the foul a hole later.
This led her to say she didn’t know it was against the rules, directly contradicting her supposed golfing experience she boasted about earlier in the match.
Spiranac played college and pro golf. It’s kind of hard to believe she didn’t know a pretty standard rule.
But it was not the only controversy
Spiranac’s partner, Togisala, is embroiled in another controversy.
Earlier in the tournament, Micah Morris called him out for possibly activating the tilt function on his putter, which is against USGA rules. It would be very useful to have on a course like Payne Valley where elevation changes are everywhere.
During the final round, “rules official” Dave Portnoy did a check of everyone’s distances to see if the slope was on. Togisala appeared to grab his rangefinder and turned off the slope before handing it to Portnoy.
Ultimately, the game went without a penalty because there was no way to definitively prove that was what happened. It depended on Togisala’s word.
It may have been an honest mistake, but it seemed mean.
The Internet Invitational eclipsed 20 million views
My final impressions of the Internet Invitational are overwhelmingly positive. Easily a 10/10. Please make this an annual event.
This won’t be for everyone. I understand it’s reality TV next door. You could call it contrived and I would disagree with you.
But hey, it was super fun. Each episode had a little bit of everything.
As of this writing, the six episodes have combined for more than 20 million views.
Of course, this isn’t the exact equivalent of a live professional golf tournament, but these videos will also have a place on YouTube for a very long time.
Exposure, format, production – all this was very impressive. Top golf content on YouTube.
What did you think of the Internet Invitational? Let me know in the comments.
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