Internet Invitational 2026 Episode 2: Winners and Losers

Updated on: October 31, 2026 • ~13 min read

Author: Graeme

Thirty-two players went home on Episode 2 of the 2026 Internet Invitational.

One of them was the captain who'd said he wanted to see at least one person in tears by the end of the day.

Another two had won the whole thing last year.

And the putt that sent Finch's team home came from a man who was nearly not invited.

However, as with Episode 1, the scoreboard isn't the interesting part.

Day one of the Internet Invitational ended with a sudden-death playoff, a wrong-ball penalty and a phone call to a rules official from the tee box, and some reputations came out of those four hours very differently to how they went in.

In this article, I'll recap how the event works, how the afternoon was set up, what happened in every match, and then the real winners and losers: the people whose channels, clout and standing in YouTube golf went up or down, whatever happened to their team.

About the author: Graeme Whiles is the founder of Three Putt Golf Clothing and plays off 12 in West Yorkshire. He has reviewed more than 100 golf clothing brands on this journal, including several you'll see at the Internet Invitational.

Short on time? Here are the key takeaways:

• The result: Team Bryan beat Team Dalke 10½ to 5½, and Team Ruffels beat Team Finch in a playoff after an 8 to 8 tie.
• Who's out: both 2025 champions still playing (Brad Dalke and Francis Ellis), plus Peter Finch, Luke Kwon and Rick Shiels.
• Biggest winner: Big John, whose birdie putt on the second playoff hole sent Team Ruffels through.
• Biggest loser: Andrew Santino, who rang the rules official when his opponents were four minutes late.

In this article:

• What is the Internet Invitational?
• How the afternoon was set up
• Episode 2, match by match
• The playoff
• Episode 2 winners
• Episode 2 losers
• Internet Invitational FAQs

What Is the Internet Invitational?

The Internet Invitational is a knockout golf series from Barstool Sports and Bob Does Sports, filmed at Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri and released in six episodes on YouTube.

This is its second year.

Sixty-four YouTube golfers, celebrities and former athletes play in four teams of 16, and the last three standing split $4 million, about $1.33 million each.

Day one is two sessions of nine holes:

• Morning (Episode 1): a two-person scramble, eight matches a side.
• Afternoon (Episode 2): two-person alternate shot, eight more matches.
• Scoring: a point per match, no handicaps, and the teams that win their head-to-heads go through while the other two go home.

If you missed the first episode, our Episode 1 winners and losers covers the draft, year one and the morning in full, including who wears what.

Episode 2 runs to four hours and 19 minutes on the Bob Does Sports channel, and it passed 4.6 million views in its first two days.

How the Afternoon Was Set Up

The morning left two very different contests.

• Team Finch 4½, Team Ruffels 3½: Ruffels had won the captains' challenge and picked Finch as his opponent, which Finch's players took as being called the weakest team. They spent lunch using that as fuel.
• Team Bryan 6, Team Dalke 2: the defending champion's team needed 6½ of the 8 afternoon points.

Then the matchmaking turned into a shouting match.

Teams took turns naming pairings, and the committee started to worry that some sides were deliberately sacrificing weak pairs to protect strong ones.

Portnoy brought in a veto on the spot: any pairing that looked like a throwaway would be rejected and replaced with a competitive one.

It quickly became known as the Gruden rule.

Golf Digest called the selection process the most chaotic moment of the episode, and that's saying something for a show where one player threatened another on the first morning.

Episode 2, Match by Match

Team Ruffels 4½, Team Finch 3½ (8 to 8 on the day)

• Trent Ryan and Jersey Jerry v Salim and The Duke: Finch's pair won 1 up, despite Trent whiffing a greenside chip and falling over with it.
• Peter Finch and Josh Kelley v Marissa Wenzler and Bubbie Broders: Finch came back from two down to win 1 up.
• Luke Kwon and Malosi Togisala v Big John and Fat Perez: Kwon got his revenge for the morning, winning 2 and 1.
• Grant Horvat and Justin Gaethje v Roger Steele and Short Game King: Ruffels' pair won 1 up, with Horvat holing on the last.
• Ryan Ruffels and Riggs v Rick Shiels and Martin Borgmeier: the captain's pair won comfortably.
• Bobby Ray and Jon Gruden v Frankie Borrelli and Francis Ellis: halved, after Gruden's side played a ball that wasn't theirs on the final hole.
• Micah Morris and Ryan Whitney v Jason Williams and partner: Ruffels' pair won 3 and 2.
• Paige Spiranac and Jake Adams v Joey Cold Cuts and The Jet: Ruffels' pair won 5 and 4.

Team Bryan 4½, Team Dalke 3½ (10½ to 5½ on the day)

• Cheddy and Kyle Forgeard v Mason Nutt and Josh Richards: Dalke's pair won 3 and 2, and Cheddy bent his putter along the way.
• George Bryan and Chaz Bowker v Johnny Manziel and Tyler Toney: Bryan's pair won 3 and 2.
• PFT Commenter and Callux v Keith Yandle and Daltoosh: Dalke's pair won 5 and 4. Daltoosh only played because Team Bryan appealed Dalke's original pairing.
• Evan Thompson and Tisha Alyn v Brad Dalke and Karol Priscilla: halved.
• Mac Boucher and Sabrina Andolpho v Tooms and Hailey Ostrom: halved.
• Cole Lantz and Seb Carmichael-Brown v Garrett Clark and Sara Winter: Bryan's pair won again, as they had in the morning.
• Sam Heung Min and Claire Hogle v DOD King and Andrew Santino: halved, after Sam and Claire arrived four minutes late and lost the first hole.
• Wesley Bryan and Robby Berger v Taco Golf and Biz: the captain's pair won 4 and 3.

So Team Bryan went through comfortably, and Team Dalke, the team with the first pick of the draft and last year's champion as captain, went out on day one.

The other contest needed a playoff.

The Playoff

Ruffels and Finch finished on 8 points each, so they went to sudden death: alternate shot on the 18th, with a new pair from each team on every hole.

On the first extra hole, Peter Finch and Luke Kwon met Ryan Ruffels and Micah Morris.

Both pairs made par, and it was Kwon who holed the putt Finch's team needed to stay alive.

On the second, Ruffels sent out Big John and Grant Horvat against Roger Steele and Rick Shiels.

Horvat had said he didn't want the ball.

Steele hit a big drive past Big John's, which found a bunker.

Horvat then splashed out close, Steele slid his birdie putt by, and Big John holed his.

Team Ruffels went through, and Team Finch went home.

The episode was billed as the greatest moment in YouTube golf history, and for once, a YouTube title wasn't overselling it.

Episode 2 Winners

Big John

"I was almost not even invited," Big John said.

Portnoy reportedly wanted no part of him over an old row, and by the end of Episode 2, he'd holed the putt that decided the day, with Portnoy, according to Golf Digest, praying it went the other way.

Golf Digest made it the shot of the episode, and as someone put it on the broadcast, Big John went from nearly not being invited to the central character of the whole thing.

You can't buy that sort of exposure.

He'll be on the thumbnail of every recap video for a week.

Who dresses him: Big John doesn't have a clothing deal that I could find. His only gear partner is Reaper Golf, which makes putters.

Grant Horvat

After a rough morning, this was Horvat's afternoon.

He holed the winning putt on the last hole against Steele and SGK, then played the bunker shot that set up Big John's putt in the playoff.

The bit that went viral, though, was his hand.

Barstool posted a clip of a short putt he holed with a visibly shaking hand, and plenty of fans said it showed how much pressure he was under.

That's a win for Horvat, not a loss.

He's spent years looking unflappable on camera, and seeing him admit he didn't feel good about his game and then deliver anyway made him more relatable than any perfect round could.

Who dresses him: Horvat co-owns Primo Golf, and he still promotes it in his videos. Here's our Primo review.

Wesley Bryan and the Green Team

Last year, most of the Bob Does Sports crew and the Bryans went out on day one.

This year, their team won by five points.

Wesley Bryan and Robby Berger won 4 and 3, George Bryan and Chaz Bowker won 3 and 2, and Cole Lantz and Seb Carmichael-Brown won twice in a day.

Bryan has been the entertaining villain of the show so far.

Villains who win get a lot more airtime than villains who don't.

Who dresses them: Wesley and George Bryan are both sponsored by Rhoback (here's our Rhoback review), and Robby Berger wears Breezy, the brand the Bob Does Sports crew built themselves (our Breezy review).

Justin Gaethje

Short Game King told a UFC fighter that his favourite fighter was Paddy Pimblett.

Gaethje beat Pimblett for the UFC interim lightweight title in January.

Gaethje and Horvat then won the match 1 up.

He barely needed to say anything, and the internet did the rest.

Luke Kwon

Kwon's team is out, and he still wins the week.

He and Malosi Togisala beat Big John and Fat Perez 2 and 1, and in the playoff, Kwon holed the putt that kept Finch's team alive for one more hole.

Not bad for the man who couldn't get out of bed last year.

There was one more classic moment, too: while hunting for a ball in thick rough, Malosi asked the officials whether a lost ball meant going back to the tee. Kisner and Big Cat both told him "absolutely".

Who dresses them: Kwon wears Manors, the London golf brand (here's our Manors review), and Malosi wears his group's own Good Good range (our Good Good review).

Trent Ryan

Trent whiffed a greenside chip and fell over doing it.

"I missed. I just missed it," he said, and carried on.

His pair still won the hole, and the match, 1 up.

Golf Digest praised his complete lack of embarrassment, and that's exactly the right reaction.

Nobody shares a clip of someone taking a whiff badly.

Who dresses him: Trent wears Barstool's own Fore Play golf range, which has included adidas co-branded pieces since January 2026. Here's our Barstool review.

Episode 2 Losers

Andrew Santino

Santino and DOD King were on the tee for their 4:20 alternate-shot match against Sam Heung Min and Claire Hogle.

Their opponents weren't.

So Santino rang Kevin Kisner from the tee box. "We need a penalty assessment for this," he told him.

Kisner ruled that if Sam and Claire weren't there by 4:25, they'd lose the match.

They arrived at 4:24, lost the first hole, and still came back to halve.

Technically, Santino was right.

A tee time is a tee time, especially with $4 million on the line.

However, after Episode 1's gimme row with Wesley Bryan, it all added up to the same picture: the angriest man on the course, chasing a penalty against the pair who'd given the show its sweetest moment in Episode 1. His team went out, and I suspect his reputation with YouTube golf fans took a bigger hit than his scorecard did.

Who dresses him: Santino doesn't have a golf clothing deal that we could find, although his partner DOD King has his own collection with 1764 Golf.

Short Game King

Episode 1 was SGK's.

Episode 2 was not.

After the Pimblett line to Gaethje, he told everyone his team had the advantage on the last hole, because Steele would be driving while Gaethje had to drive for the other side.

Then he missed a knee-knocker to lose the match, and Portnoy chirped him for it.

Trash talk is great when it lands.

When it doesn't, it's the clip everyone remembers.

Who dresses him: SGK lists Stitch Golf as a partner. Here's our Stitch review.

Jon Gruden and Bobby Ray

Gruden holed a putt on the 17th to put his pair 1 up with a hole to play.

Then, on the last, his side played a ball that wasn't theirs.

They lost the hole, the match was halved, and that half point is the reason Team Ruffels needed a playoff at all.

They were saved by Big John, but the wrong-ball penalty on the day the Gruden rule arrived is the kind of irony the edit loves.

For Bobby Ray, after the morning's row with SGK, it rounds off a day he'll want to forget.

Who dresses them: Gruden has his own "Coach Gruden" merch with Barstool, including a Peter Millar polo. Here's our Peter Millar review. Bobby Ray lists himself as a Druids partner on Instagram, and here's our Druids review.

Brad Dalke and Francis Ellis

Two of last year's three champions went out on day one.

Dalke captained the team with the first pick of the draft, arrived in last year's pink jacket, and halved his own afternoon match as his side lost by five. Ellis and Frankie Borrelli halved theirs, and then watched their team lose the playoff.

Being a former champion buys you a lot of goodwill.

It doesn't buy you a place in Episode 3.

Who dresses them: we couldn't find a current clothing deal for Dalke or Ellis. Frankie Borrelli wears Barstool's own Fore Play golf range, which has included adidas co-branded pieces since January 2026. Here's our Barstool review and our adidas review.

Rick Shiels and Roger Steele

Rick Shiels is the biggest golf YouTuber in the UK, and his afternoon was a tough watch.

He and Martin Borgmeier lost heavily to Ruffels and Riggs, and then he was paired with Steele on the hole that decided the day.

Steele's drive was huge, his birdie putt slid by, and Big John made his.

Steele had the best chance of the playoff to win it for Finch.

That's the moment people will remember, however unfair it is on a good player.

Who dresses them: Rick Shiels was signed with Lyle & Scott in 2022. Here's our Lyle & Scott review. Roger Steele is a lululemon golf ambassador, alongside Max Homa and Min Woo Lee. Here's our lululemon review.

PFT Commenter

PFT was one of the stars of year one.

This year, he and Callux lost both their matches.

The afternoon one stung most: Team Bryan appealed Dalke's original pairing, got Daltoosh instead, and lost 5 and 4.

His team went through, but it wasn't his day.

Who dresses him: PFT wears his own Pardon My Take merch from Barstool rather than a golf brand. Here's our Barstool review.

Final Thoughts

Episode 2 delivered the drama Episode 1 promised.

The people who came out of it looking best are the ones who looked human: Big John holing the putt of his life, Horvat with a shaking hand, Trent laughing off a whiff and Kwon finishing his redemption arc.

The people who came out worst are the ones who looked like they wanted it more than they were enjoying it.

Day two starts with Team Ruffels against Team Bryan in Episode 3, out on Monday, November 2, at 1pm ET (6pm UK).

And if you're settling in for day two in a hoodie, make it a heavyweight one.

Three Putt makes golf hoodies, sweatshirts, tees and polos with hand-drawn designs, from £29.99 ($42). Our Happy Place range is a good place to start.

Frequently Asked Questions About Internet Invitational Episode 2

Who was eliminated in Internet Invitational Episode 2?

Team Dalke and Team Finch were eliminated, 32 players in total. That includes captains Brad Dalke and Peter Finch, 2025 co-champions Dalke and Francis Ellis, plus Luke Kwon, Rick Shiels, Roger Steele, Short Game King, Malosi Togisala, Johnny Manziel, Andrew Santino and Frankie Borrelli. Team Ruffels and Team Bryan go through to day two.

Who won the Internet Invitational playoff?

Team Ruffels won the sudden-death playoff against Team Finch after the two sides tied 8 to 8. The first extra hole was halved in par. On the second, Big John holed a birdie putt after Grant Horvat splashed out of a bunker, while Roger Steele missed his birdie chance for Finch's side.

What happened with the late tee time at the Internet Invitational?

Sam Heung Min and Claire Hogle were late for their 4:20 alternate-shot match against Andrew Santino and DOD King. Santino called rules official Kevin Kisner, who ruled they would lose the match if they weren't there by 4:25. They arrived at 4:24, lost the first hole, and still halved the match.

What is the Gruden rule at the Internet Invitational?

The Gruden rule is a veto Dave Portnoy introduced before the afternoon matches in Episode 2. If a team put out a pairing that looked like a deliberate throwaway to protect its stronger players, the committee could reject it and make the team name a competitive pairing instead. It was named after former NFL coach Jon Gruden.

When is Internet Invitational Episode 3?

Episode 3 comes out on Monday, November 2, 2026, at 1pm ET, which is 6pm in the UK. It starts day two, with Team Ruffels taking on Team Bryan and 32 players left. Episode 4 follows on November 5, Episode 5 on November 9, and the finale on November 12.

How many players are left in the Internet Invitational?

Thirty-two players are left after day one: the 16 from Team Ruffels and the 16 from Team Bryan. They include Grant Horvat, Big John, Paige Spiranac, Justin Gaethje, Jon Gruden, Ryan Whitney and Ryan Ruffels on one side, and Wesley Bryan, George Bryan, Robby Berger, PFT Commenter and Kyle Forgeard on the other.