As the golf world continues to embrace the age of the internet, tournaments featuring influencers have become commonplace. And now, Barstool Sports and Dave Portnoy are getting in the game.
In a video posted to X on Thursday, the Barstool Sports founder announced the “Internet Invitational,” an upcoming golf tournament featuring various influencers with a $1 million prize pool. Portnoy had previously floated the idea of such an event months ago, before turning it into a reality in the form of a tournament that will take place Aug. 12-16 at Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, Missouri, in conjunction with the popular golf YouTube channel “Bob Does Sports.”
“People probably thought I forgot about it. Well, I didn’t,” Portnoy said. “I reached out to different people. I said, ‘get me Fat Perez. Get me Robby Berger. Get me Joey Coldcuts. Get me these guys.’ And I did. So Barstool, Bob Does Sports, have combined forces. And August 12th to August 16th, you are going to see the Internet invitational, invite-only at Big Cedar Lodge, the Ozarks, Missouri. One of the great golf resort destinations in the world. We will be there.”
Dave Portnoy said he won’t be playing in the invite-only tournament, but that he will be providing commentary on the broadcast. In total, he expects between 30 and 60 influencers to participate.
“By the way, this isn’t your mother’s golf tournament. We’re not going to be quiet in a thing like this,” he said. “We want bad shots. We want you to feel the pressure. It’s going to be 30 to 50 to 60 of the most well-known golfers, celebrity athletes, internet people with big money, big stakes and us in your ear chirping.”
While the idea of an influencer-based golf tournament isn’t anything new, the Barstool brand gives this potential to be one of the higher profile versions. It’s also noteworthy to see the irreverent sports brand once again attaching its name to an event — albeit on a smaller scale — after previously getting out of the college bowl game naming rights game.
Moving forward, it will be interesting to see who participates in the tournament, especially considering Portnoy’s connections. It will also be worth monitoring to see what the media distribution for the event looks like and how that ultimately fits into Barstool’s strategy moving forward.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.