Brad Dalke was perhaps the biggest winner of Barstool’s Internet Invitational event.
Dalke was on the winning team in the YouTube event, earning his share of the $1 million prize pool, which was split among him and his two teammates, Cody “Beef” Franke, and Francis Ellis.
The event had a variety of abilities on display, from high-handicap amateurs to current and former professionals, such as Wesley Bryan, Luke Kwon, and Dalke. Kwon was the villain at the event after sleeping in and missing his tee-time, while Dalke represented himself admirably.
Dalke led his team to victory with impressive poise and calm, making a strong case for being the best YouTube golfer on the platform.
He finished runner-up at the 2016 U.S. Amateur, which meant Dalke was invited to the 2017 Masters and the U.S. Open. After the Internet Invitational, he confirmed whether he would make his return to professional golf.
Brad Dalke says if he will return to professional golf
Dalke was immensely impressive during the Internet Invitational, leading to calls from fans for him to make his return to professional golf, which he clearly has the talent to do.
But speaking on his victory on the Good Good Podcast after the event, Dalke said there’s more money and less stress for him on YouTube.
He explained: “There’s enough money in YouTube now, and I’m having so much fun with it, and it’s so stress-free, like there’s no desire for me to go into the most stressful environment of Q-School, Korn Ferry, PGA Tour Americas, all that.
“I just don’t feel any desire to do that. Now again, if I got a couple sponsor exemptions and got opportunities through that way, then, you know, we’ll see what happens. I mean, it’s just crazy how much money is in YouTube golf now.
“Now all these events are having like huge purses like this, and I think it’s going to get even bigger and bigger, it’s just wild to see, and it’s cool to see. I think the audience loves it. Even the audience is shifting to YouTube golf, and I think that’s where the money is headed to.”
Dalke said the Internet Invitational was the biggest purse of his career, and the event’s finale was viewed over two million times on YouTube.
That makes it likely that these events, with eye-popping purses, will be coming in the future, and it would take a brave man to bet against Dalke taking victory once again.
Brad Dalke could face PGA Tour ban
The decision could well be taken out of Dalke’s hands, as he faces a potential ban from the PGA Tour for his decision to play in the Internet Invitational.
Another pro at the event, Bryan, was suspended by the PGA Tour earlier this year for participation in a LIV Golf influencer event.
Bryan played in the event, called “The Duels: Miami”, alongside his brother, George Bryan. Because the event wasn’t authorized by the PGA Tour, he was subsequently suspended.
The Internet Invitational was also an unauthorized event in North America, meaning the players could face suspensions from the PGA Tour. Whether the Tour plans to take action is currently unknown, but Dalke’s decision could be made for him depending on what they decide to do.
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