If you haven’t been watching the 2026 Internet Invitational, consider this your formal invitation. It’s also something of a condemnation, because with all due respect to midseason NFL games, the best on-screen sports event right now may be a pre-taped, months-old amateur golf tournament on YouTube.
The second-annual Internet Invitational, the team-based YouTube-creator golf tournament from Barstool Sports and Bob Does Sports, has taken over nearly every algorithm I have, and that is in no way a complaint. The final round, filmed in August in Missouri and furiously protected by NDAs, premieres at 1 p.m. ET on the Bob Does Sports YouTube channel. Will it be Big John, Salim the Dream and former NHL player Ryan Whitney who each leave the Ozarks with $1.33 million, or will the fat prize package go to Fat Perez, Riggs and Bobby Ray?
The Internet Invitational is Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy’s creation and financial burden. But his YouTube Golf gang, Fore Play Golf (689,000 YouTube subscribers), cannot do it alone. Enter: Robby Berger, the “Bob” of Bob Does Sports (1.56 million subscribers), another huge YouTube Golf success story, and its most likable personality this side of Good Good Golf’s (2.17 million subscribers) Tom “Bubbie” Broders. (How big has YouTube Golf become? Big enough to be a proper noun in our book.)
Berger, the popular genre’s glue guy, spoke with The Hollywood Reporter from his Jupiter, Florida home the day prior to (the premiere of) the Internet Invitational’s final round. Our Q&A is below. But first, more numbers.
The 2026 Internet Invitational teed off on the internet on Oct. 26 with 64 of the golf-iest YouTube Golf golfers. Why say it that nonsense way? Well, they’re definitely not the 64 best golfers on YouTube. They’re not the worst 64 either (but shoutout here to The Duke). Some are pros and some are amateurs, but it isn’t a pro-am per se. And somehow, despite streaming nowhere near live, it all works.
As of this writing, the first five episodes (of six) of the tournament have amassed a combined 40 million views across 17 days of staggered Monday/Thursday releases, with the highly-anticipated final round still to go. While there is no real apples-to-apples ratings comparison with the PGA Tour’s biggest events, it is fair to say the Internet Invitational is pushing its way into major-tournament territory.
This year’s Masters tournament averaged 7 million viewers per round, per Nielsen; the U.S. Open averaged 3.9 million viewers (not including round one), the PGA Championship averaged 3.2 million viewers and the British Open brought in 2.5 million viewers. (It is important to note here that a YouTube view is tallied after just 30 seconds of consumption and duplicate views count toward the total; Nielsen reports the average minute audience of television programming.)
Without further delaying the pace of play…
Alright Robby, I am loving every minute of this tournament. We’re speaking hours ahead of you filming the Bob Does Sports Thanksgiving episode and a day ahead of the Internet Invitational’s finale, so I appreciate the time.
No, I appreciate it. Thanks for your interest, and I’m glad to hear you’ve been enjoying it.
Tell me about the joint venture structure: Portnoy puts up the money, what’s your official role?
It’s a full 50-50 partnership. We went in on it together. Dave had the idea, put up the money as well. For so long it had been talked about — people have tried to get all of these personalities in the same room at these tournaments, and it just didn’t make sense for everybody to get there. It was hard with schedules. For Dave to go out, put up the money that he did — he was the voice that helped really get this thing together. I just knew Dave would be the guy that could really get it done — between the financial aspect and then just him and what he’s able to do.
The three winners each get $1.33 million, which is both a ton of money and kind of a random amount of money (adding to $4 million). How did you and Dave arrive at that number?
To be honest, again, I’ve got to tip the cap to Dave — he led the charge there. I think he was able to gauge after the first one…the demand for brands and partnerships as well, and everything that went into it. But really, what we decided to do was put everything back into it. That was what Dave suggested. So, we haven’t made really any money from it — it’s all been pretty much put back into the tournament. That was [Portnoy’s] idea for the first one [and] for the second one as well. And obviously, it’s paid off and paid dividends. So I’m happy we did it.
Forget winning, simply being featured in the Internet Invitational can now be a career-maker. Do you already have YouTube Golf creators in your DMs begging for a 2027 invite?
Yeah, there’s been a few. There’s been like some guys and girls where it’s like, “Alright.” Like, they could be— they should be in for the next one, or we might have missed this name or that name, and a lot of people talking about that.
As far as what it’s done for peoples’ careers, I always look at like Brad Dalke last year who had won the whole thing to see what it did to his career. That to me is the coolest thing, and you nailed it — it’s like win or lose, that can completely change your career. I mean, I’m seeing now with Evan Thompson the amount of people going to his page. So like, I think people know that if you go, even if you don’t win, you have a chance to really help your career. And the thing that we noticed from even the first one, people who were knocked out were hanging around. It was amazing. That was really cool, really special to me. On the last episode of the first year, I I looked around, I was like, “Man, all these people could have gone home and they’re all here.” And that was really special.
It also seems like the most fun party possible.
[Laughs] Yeah, that too.
I never thought I’d be this into a non-live sporting event, but with the number of cameras, the care taken in post-production, and of course, the NDAs, it works — though it is quite the editing task. Sports are valued on traditional TV due to their live nature — do you think the Internet Invitational will ever go live?
You know, it’s a good question. I thought about maybe doing the final live. That’s a conversation that we’ve had, but I think you’ve got to be able to protect all the moments that we’re able to get, and I think the Barstool production guys do such a good job editing it that I think live would take away a lot of the drama and the moments.
So yeah, that’s something we’ve talked about. I think if anything, down the road, the conversation we’ve had is: “Do you do the finale live?” Maybe one day, but for now, I just think it’s so good as it is, it’s one of those things where, you know, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
How do you pick the field? Some of the players are obvious: they’re yours or Dave’s or Good Good, etc., but there are always a few randoms and a few “Why nots?” Like, why not Golf Sidekick?
We are so entrenched within the YouTube Golf space, between Bob Does Sports and then [Barstool Sports’] Fore Play Golf as well. We really know what’s going on around the YouTube Golf space. So we always are constantly looking out for new people and new names that have come up. For us, I think the biggest thing that we go for, really, it’s personality above all. Like you know, some people have put in their request to me of, you know, “I’m a scratch.” It’s like, that’s great, but we don’t really care because our thing is having all ranges of golf handicaps and whatnot. So really, it’s personality above all. Who has traction around the YouTube Golf space? Who do people want to see as well? So all of that goes into it. And then there’s always new names that are popping up. It’s funny. I’ll give you a name that probably could have been in it that really popped up after we had done the list. There’s a name like Chance Taylor who really popped up after the list was done. [He] will probably get an invite for next year.
And of course, there’s always going to be the names of, “What about this guy, that girl?” And to me, that’s a good thing. Like, people talking about that — that’s great. We’re always open to looking at that and seeing who is next. So I think that kind of dialogue of, “How come not this person or that person?” — to me, that’s a really good, positive thing.
Wesley Bryan, the tournament’s former PGA Tour winner, put out a controversial tweet asking if the Internet Invitational would be made better by dropping the worst eight golfers from this year’s field and adding the best eight PGA Tour pros. It was not especially well-received by YouTube Golf fans, whom I agree with: the special part of the tournament is its average-Joe golf-game quality. What is your response to Wesley’s tweet?
Wesley’s a good friend, and look — Wesley definitely knows how to stir the pot. He definitely did a good job of doing that. But I agree with you. The Duke, who I worked with at the Four Seasons— seeing a guy sweat over a shot, having no idea where the ball is going to go, there’s a certain beauty to that. Seeing people scratching and crawling to win life-changing money. I look at Beef — you know, last year and rest in peace — asking him what he would do with the money, and he got choked up just talking about buying his parents a house, and he did exactly that.
When you put the average Joe, who’s not a great golfer— that, to I think a lot of people, was riveting. I mean, it’s kind of what Bob Does Sports was built off of. Not on purpose — I’d love to hit shots, knowing where it’s going — but people love that of not knowing where it’s going, not having the best golfer. So I think a whole range of handicaps is great. And again, for us, it’s personality above all. But yeah, I think there’s a certain beauty to that. So I’m all for higher handicaps. I would rather watch that type of shot with a mix of good golfers. So I think it’s a perfect mix.
Let’s talk about The Duke who is, by far, the worst golfer out there. Because he had strong teammates, Duke was carried through to the final 12. But then the alternate shot format made it impossible for his teammates (Ryan Ruffels and Marissa Wenzler) to carry the burden. Because of the serious money on the line, it created a really unfortunate situation for two very good golfers who could have won — especially Ruffels — will The Duke be invited to play again next year?
As it went on, you’re exactly right. That is something that’s cool with this tournament, is somebody with a very high handicap that isn’t that good can get carried to the finals and get carried, you know, a really long way. Look, I think you’ve got to listen to the audience for sure, and what they’re asking for, and at the same time, the conversation that I’ll have to have with the Barstool guys as well. I think it was perfect for the time that we had The Duke, but it’s definitely something that we’ve got to look into.
Obviously, it’s been cool to watch him— I mean, I remember seeing him at the Four Seasons when we worked there together. We didn’t really talk at all, so we met on the golf course. But you’ve got to listen to the audience, it’s the conversation that we have to have because there are a lot of people that got left [behind], and there are certain times where people can be exposed the further they go. It’s something we’ve definitely got to look into for sure. I don’t have the answer yet, but we listen to everything, and it’s it’s something we gotta look into.
Did Big John’s ball move in his match against Sam?
Well, to be honest, I didn’t see much. Sam had posted a clip on Instagram where it does look like it moved, but that’s something where, if we’re going out to film a regular YouTube Golf video, you call somebody out for that, and the YouTube Golf Community would find that to be a very nervy thing to do. I don’t question anybody for anything they do when it comes to that amount of money on the line. Things definitely change, and again, it’s something you would never see going out to film a regular YouTube Golf video, but when you put that type of money on the line, you know, it does things.
In some ways these controversies only exist because of the generosity of the purse. If not for the huge money, neither The Duke thing nor the penalties (that may or may not have happened) would matter.
A hundred percent. There was a lot of talk around— and look, I’m not saying that it can’t happen, but there’s certain athletes that have even reached out to me — like big time athletes — about being in the Internet Invitational. I think the downside to that is you want it to be life-changing money for the people there. That brings out that drama, that brings out everything. Whereas, you know, there’s a lot of athletes where that money wouldn’t affect them as much. So I think that’s the problem you have if you put in real athletes. I think there’s a way to work them in — whether they be captains and not in it for the money — but that is the beauty of the tournament that might get taken away if you have big time athletes partaking in it. Not to say it can’t happen, but that is definitely a downside to it.
There’s been some athletes that have called and said things to me where it’s like, I don’t know how you turn down that person, but it’s definitely a conversation we’ll have, and I think we’ll make the right play with it and see where it goes. But it’s just a testament to how how big this thing has gotten, and to see that they’re all watching.
I want to talk a bit about the drinking. I’m no teetotaler, definitely like to have a few on the golf course. But in the Internet Invitational, we see people getting absolutely sloshed deep in a team-based tournament, which could again cost someone else a huge prize. The most obvious example is with Salim the Dream, who appeared blackout drunk in the semifinals episode. Now, he played so well in that state it hasn’t cost anybody — yet. What are your thoughts on that topic?
We want to trust everybody that we have to drink responsibly and not give it away. And I know there’s definitely nerves and everything that, you know, to a degree people like taking the edge off or whatnot. But we expect them to do that responsibly to where it doesn’t affect the play. Up until this point, I think it’s kind of worked for Salim because he’s playing good. But then there’s the downside of it. If you’re not playing good and you’re affecting your team, and you’re at a level where you’re so drunk — it does come to a thing where it’s not necessarily fair to your teammates, and absolutely can bother people for sure. So I think we’ve got to trust people to do the right thing and to make the right decisions on that front, and and see kind of how it plays out from there — but yeah, you’ve got to be very very mindful of that. You’re not just playing for yourself.
And it’s worth me repeating again for the story that, as far as what we’ve seen, Salim has played exceptionally well as drunk as he was. (Salim also issued this statement following the release of episode five: “There’s a reason I challenged myself to 90 days sober after the Internet Invitational. Watching these episodes back is a good reminder of why I started. 87/90.”)
You know what’s so funny is I struggle with my tempo, Tony. I’m watching him and I’m like, “How can a man be that intoxicated and swinging so smooth?” I thought the exact same thing.
OK, I saved this one a bit: Are you able to quantify just how much money, followers, success the 2026 Internet Invitational will bring to Big John, who has been its breakout star after sinking arguably the biggest putt in YouTube Golf history?
I went to him after he hit the putt, and I said, “It doesn’t matter if you win this thing or lose this thing. What you just gained far outweighs any money that you can win. That is a career changer.” So he’s gonna make way more than even what the prize purse was, just based off what it now has done to his career. Brand deals are gonna come in— I mean, I remember seeing Brad Dalke right after he won, had a new sponsor, and that’s awesome. That’s the stuff we really, really love to see.
And you know the thing with Big John is meeting him — of course he likes to have fun and likes to party and all of that stuff — he could not be a nicer guy. To see it happen to people that you truly want to root for, I really think that the people that win in YouTube Golf and have a lot of longevity are the people that are easy to root for and that are very likable. He is one of those guys, and his career will never be the same in a really good way.
The other guy I expect this to help go from relative unknown to potential YouTube Golf superstar is Bobby Ray. The interesting thing about his Internet Invitational debut is that he went from tournament villain for basically scaring Short Game King to one of its more-likable guys. I thought he was kind of a dick after episode one, and then a few episodes later I’m rooting for him.
Oh, totally! A lot of times it’s like who you’re matched up with, who you’re playing, what clip, who brings what out of you where things can totally change. It’s unbelievable what can happen week to week.
Finally, I want to give a shoutout to (four-time PGA Tour winner) Kevin Kisner — how great has he been as the rules official for the tournament?
People talk like, you know, “Should Kisner play in it?” My thing against it is you want as much Kisner as possible. So if you have him playing, you don’t get him bouncing around to all these different holes. So he’s so good in that role and just so likable and just fits in perfectly.
He’s really fun and funny, but also extremely effective in what becomes a surprisingly important role for what is purposefully the opposite of a PGA Tour event.
It was very smart to have him. The first year it was Dave and Big Cat [as rules officials], and they don’t know the golf rules too well, and it got to a point where when you have that amount of money on the line, you have to have somebody there that knows the actual rules. So you’re exactly right. I mean, he was so perfect to have there, and it was amazing how much he was needed throughout.
The Internet Invitational finale episode rolls out on YouTube on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 1 p.m. ET.
Original Article on Hollywood Reporter