A golf tournament in a style that has never been seen before, where creators turn into competitors and team-mates into enemies. Sounds good, right?

For those living under a rock or unaware of the concept of watching sport on different platforms, you may have missed the most intense YouTube golf series ever seen – The Internet Invitational.

Some huge names in the social media world were invited to take part in the tournament, ranging from TikTokers to sports stars, with Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri the venue for the inaugural edition.

It was created by Dave Portnoy and his team at Barstool Sports, paired with Robby Berger (Bob Does Sports), with an initial prize pool of $1m (£760,000) up for grabs and the event generating huge interest across social media.

How did it work?

Over three days of intense competition, including multiple challenges, skins games and on-course side bets, 48 influencers and content creators were whittled down to just a six-person final.

Included in the list of entries were two of Britain’s best-known golf YouTube creators – Rick Shiels and Peter Finch – while Grant Horvat, Brad Dalke, Luke Kwon, Paige Spiranac, Gabby Girl Golf and Kyle Berkshire were among the other familiar names involved.

Teams were decided each morning before play, with captains selected via a vote and teams then picked in a draft like those seen in the NFL and NBA. Captains then put players into pairs and matched them against the opposition.

Formats included nine holes of two vs two scramble and nine holes of alternate shot, with the losing team at the end of each day then cut from the event. This process continued for day two, before the remaining 12 players were split into four groups of three on the final day.

The creators played 18 holes of alternate shot at the stunning Cliffhangers par-three course and the top two teams then progressed to an 18-hole final, while the whole event led to a six-part YouTube series watched by millions.

What happened in the final?

The final was between ‘Team Dalke’, consisting of Dalke, Cody ‘Beef’ Franke and Francis Ellis, and Team Spiranac, made up of Spiranac, Malosi Togisala and Frankie Borrelli.

Team Spiranac were the heavy favourites and there was drama early after a putt wasn’t conceded by Ellis, with Spiranac taking offence and accusing them of ‘never playing tournament golf’ during a row at the next tee box.

More drama followed with Togisala being accused of using ‘slope’ on his range finder – a feature that calculates adjusted distances factoring in elevation changes – with the tournament coming to a standstill during an investigation about whether he had intentionally cheated.

It was decided there was no conclusive evidence to suggest foul play, although a social media clip led to some fans suggesting it looked like settings were changed before the range finder was inspected!

It appeared the whole saga weighed on Togisala for the rest of the round, as Team Dalke closed out victory. The ending scenes were emotional as a tribute was played out in memory of ‘Beef’, who passed away shortly after winning the event and before the series was released.

What were the other big talking points?

The main talking point of day one was who had the better players in their team, with former PGA Tour player Wesley Bryan the favourite but then – much to the delight of many of the creators – knocked out in the opening round.

Bryan was knocked out by his brother George Bryan, who has also played on the PGA Tour, with Horvat, Shiels, Garret Clarke and Kwon also among those who failed to progress to the second day.

Kwon made headlines that week for sleeping in and missing his opening tee time. Event organiser Portnoy felt disrespected and gave him a five-hole penalty when he did eventually turn up, with the mishap going viral on social media.

Other viral moments included two players being offered $250,000 by organisers to replay one hole, which Tom “Bubbie” Broders and Togisala both declined before progressing to the next round.

What’s happening next?

Now that the Internet Invitational is over, many fans have been left wanting more. There was something exciting and groundbreaking about watching a tournament where cameras never cut and golf was relatable to that played on a Sunday morning at your local course.

Portnoy, Barstool Sports and Bob Does Sports have all confirmed that it will be coming back next year, but could something more regular be required to meet the demand and interest?

Do fans want to see this every week? Is Fat Perez going to be the next Tiger Woods? I think not on the latter, but this event has certainly opened the possibility of more tournaments like this in the future. I will definitely not be missing next year’s one!

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