Barstool Sports and ForePlay Golf have announced two confirmed participants for the second annual Internet Invitational, a highly anticipated online golf tournament with a $10 million prize purse. The new additions bring Caitlin Clark and Kai Trump into the fold, both of whom impressed during last week's ANNIKA Driven by CoreBridge at Pelican event.
Clark and Trump played a significant role in boosting attendance numbers during their appearances, significantly increasing viewership during the Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday rounds. This trend has been consistent throughout the first six episodes of the Internet Invitational, which have accumulated over 23.5 million views. Surprisingly, early episodes have nearly doubled the views of the finale, indicating room for growth in terms of content maturity.
The inaugural event's viewership surpassed that of most professional golf tournaments in the 2025 season, with major championships and the Ryder Cup being notable exceptions. With increased sponsor involvement expected to boost the prize pool, Portnoy is confident that he can reach the $10 million mark.
While Portnoy hasn't publicly announced additional participants, ForePlay Golf's members Frankie Borelli, Trent Ryan, and Sam "Riggs" Bozoian are likely to return, as well as champions Brad Dalke and Francis Ellis, who defended their inaugural title. A return to Big Cedar Lodge is also expected, with the venue featuring an unplayed championship 18-hole course, Ozark National, along with two par-3 courses and a Tom Watson-designed putting course. This could provide fresh visuals and variety for viewers in 2026.
Notable omissions from the first event may find their way into the lineup this time around, including Golficity's Mike Fasano, No Laying Up members Chris Solomon, Todd Schuster, and Neil Schuster, Random Golf Club's Eric Anders Lang, The Fried Egg's Andy Johnson, Break80's Mike Fore, Mr. Shortgame's Matt Fisher, and Stinger King Zac Radford.
As the stage is set for an exciting sequel, fans can expect a thrilling competition with increased stakes and even greater opportunities for new faces to emerge.
Clark and Trump played a significant role in boosting attendance numbers during their appearances, significantly increasing viewership during the Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday rounds. This trend has been consistent throughout the first six episodes of the Internet Invitational, which have accumulated over 23.5 million views. Surprisingly, early episodes have nearly doubled the views of the finale, indicating room for growth in terms of content maturity.
The inaugural event's viewership surpassed that of most professional golf tournaments in the 2025 season, with major championships and the Ryder Cup being notable exceptions. With increased sponsor involvement expected to boost the prize pool, Portnoy is confident that he can reach the $10 million mark.
While Portnoy hasn't publicly announced additional participants, ForePlay Golf's members Frankie Borelli, Trent Ryan, and Sam "Riggs" Bozoian are likely to return, as well as champions Brad Dalke and Francis Ellis, who defended their inaugural title. A return to Big Cedar Lodge is also expected, with the venue featuring an unplayed championship 18-hole course, Ozark National, along with two par-3 courses and a Tom Watson-designed putting course. This could provide fresh visuals and variety for viewers in 2026.
Notable omissions from the first event may find their way into the lineup this time around, including Golficity's Mike Fasano, No Laying Up members Chris Solomon, Todd Schuster, and Neil Schuster, Random Golf Club's Eric Anders Lang, The Fried Egg's Andy Johnson, Break80's Mike Fore, Mr. Shortgame's Matt Fisher, and Stinger King Zac Radford.
As the stage is set for an exciting sequel, fans can expect a thrilling competition with increased stakes and even greater opportunities for new faces to emerge.