The Super Bowl of YouTube Golf is back

Assuming this is a safe space, please allow me to admit that I’m not a big YouTube golf guy. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of those guys yelling at the Grant Horvaths of the world to get off my lawn. I know it’s a popular space that has actually done a lot to GROW THE GAME, but it was never my thing. That is, until the Internet Invitational came along.  

The event, first put on by Barstool Sports and Bob Does Sports last fall, features 64 creators, celebrities and athletes competing for a LOT of money. At first, I only saw shared social clips that were going viral, but as the event went on, I started watching full episodes. And when the Season 1 finale aired, I tuned in live. And I wasn’t alone, as the six episodes drew more than 30 MILLION viewers. This thing is the Super Bowl of YouTube golf.   

Did last year’s event just catch lightning in a bottle? There were some crazy moments that you can’t script, from one player oversleeping his tee time and (rightly) turning the world(wide web) against him to a pair of rules controversies in the championship match to an all-time choke—with a funny backstory—that effectively ended the competition. And then there was the tragic backdrop of Barstool’s Cody “Beef” Franke, who died between filming and airing, and wound up being on the winning three-person team that split $1 million.  

I’m not sure how Season 2 of the Internet Invitational can ever measure up to all that (the purse being bumped up to $4 million won’t hurt), but it is here and it’s already drawn more than 6 million views in less than 48 hours. I will be one of those watching. And so will our Coleman Bentley, who went through the entire FIVE-hour first episode to write this wrap-up of the action thus far (Yes, there are spoilers, but maybe that’s just what you need to get hooked like I did). We also have a breakdown of the strangest swing on display in the event, a look back at some viral social videos involving the PGA Tour’s surprisingly hottest player and a podcast interview with the Hollywood stars of another golf show about to make a return.

Internet Invitational superlatives, Ep. 1: From Luke Kwon’s redemption to Claire Hogel’s bizarre conversation starter

Join us as we recap the best, worst and weirdest moments from the 2026 Internet Invitational.

By Coleman Bentley

What You Need to Know

Christopher Powers

No disrespect to Charles Barkley, Emmitt Smith or any of the number of PGA Tour pros we've had on as guests of The Loop podcast in our 300-plus episode history, but this week we had by far our most famous guest — Owen Wilson. The "Wedding Crashers" legend is now the star of one of Apple TV's newest hit shows, "Stick," a golf comedy series in which Wilson plays Pryce Cahill, a former pro golfer whose career collapsed after a public meltdown.

As famous as Wilson is, he was rendered a fellow mortal when we brought up his real-life golf game. Instantly, he recalled a recent run of poor form that was immediately followed by a hot stretch that featured a near career highlight on one of golf's most iconic short par 4s.

"Last week, after struggling for a month where I was like, 'I don't even know how to hit it anymore,' I had this great stretch where I was really playing well," Wilson said. "I even drove the green on 10 at Riviera and I was like, I've never gotten an eagle. I've got a 12-foot putt for an eagle. I missed it, but at least I had a tap-in birdie." 

From any of us, a rather boring birdie story. From a movie star, we were on the edge of our seats. So, too, was Wilson's co-star in Season 2, Rhea Seehorn, who plays Amanda, a skilled swing coach who steps in to help Cahill make a run at the U.S. Open. Hear our full chat with Wilson and Seehorn, who also showed impressive golf knowledge by recalling Shane Lowry's winning Ryder Cup putt at Bethpage Black.

And like and subscribe to The Loop wherever you get your podcasts.

Alex Myers

No one is having a better fall than 32-year-old journeyman Austin Smotherman. Or, should we say, former journeyman? After needing 100 PGA Tour starts to earn his maiden win, Smotherman has now won back-to-back titles. But you already knew that if you’ve been paying attention this week. What you might not remember is that he was once a co-star in a hilarious “Seinfeld” parody from his days on the Korn Ferry Tour. In this week’s installment of The Grind, we look back at that while examining other topics like LeBron’s controversial golf swing and the most clutch finish of 2026.

Coleman Bentley

Check out the Handicap Indexes of the Internet Invitational’s biggest stars (and scrubs). The beauty of the Internet Invitational is that handicaps don’t really matter. It’s all about THE TEAM. Captains will draft their squads from a wildly diverse field of 64, but come draft night, who will be the most in-demand players? And who will be plummeting down the draft boards like Brady Quinn? Our friends at the USGA dropped a big hint this weekend, compiling the handicap indexes of 37 of the biggest names we’ll be watching over the next several weeks. Read ‘em and weep, folks.

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