‘Both said yes’: Internet Invitational eyes 2 big stars for 2026 event

As we approach the professional golf season, two amateur golf stories have dominated the game over the past month. Firstly, the hugely entertaining Internet Invitational captivated golf fans with its first edition. Second, WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark and YouTube golfer Kai Trump expanded golf audiences at the LPGA’s Annika event.

Now the two viral stories appear to be on a collision course.

According to Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, he has asked both Clark and Trump to play in the next Internet Invitational. And they both said yes.

Here’s what you need to know.

How Internet Invitational, Caitlin Clark and Kai Trump made golf go viral

When the first episode of the highly anticipated Internet Invitational went live, it immediately struck a chord with golf fans. And the audience seemed to go well beyond the already large group of YouTube golf enthusiasts.

In six episodes and around sixteen hours, 48 ​​YouTube golfers with vastly different skills put on a show, competing against each other in an inventive format. collected tens of millions of views to date.

Meanwhile, the Annika LPGA event two weeks ago similarly transcended the LPGA’s typical crowd, with the help of Clark and Trump. Clark, one of the most famous athletes in the world, played the pro-am and brought a few of her Indiana Fever teammates along for the ride.

And as always, wherever Clark goes, a huge audience follows. They were further reinforced by Trump’s own performance, not in the pro-am, but during the actual event. The 16-year-old and popular YouTuber, the granddaughter of President Donald Trump, made her LPGA debut at the Annika. And although she missed the cut, Trump similarly generated great interest in the event and women’s golf in general.

Which brings us back to the Internet Invitational. Despite the enormous success, organizers like Portnoy hope that the next edition will have even more impact.

And as an avid WNBA and Caitlin Clark fan, Portnoy came up with an easy way to do that.

Caitlin Clark and Kai Trump to play 2026 Internet Invitational?

Portnoy, the mind behind the Internet Invitational, appeared on Barstool’s “The Named Show” on Thursday, and he quickly made it clear that he plans for the popular event to become an annual affair.

Then he came up with his big idea to take the tournament to the next level: invite Clark and Trump to play. Incredibly, Portnoy revealed that they both said yes, but he made it clear that this is not yet certain given Clark and Trump’s busy schedules.

“I’ve invited two people so far and they’ve both said yes,” Portnoy said. “I don’t know how serious the yeses are, Caitlin [Clark] said yes; Kai Trump said yes. Those are my two that I asked. Whether push comes to shove and those two are available and doing it, who knows?

He also revealed another big idea he has for the next Internet Invitational. He wants the prize pool to increase from $1 million to $10 million. And he hopes the success of the inaugural event will help attract new sponsors who can make that idea a reality.

“I would like to do a $10 million pool next year. I think it will be a lot easier to get money, sponsors and all these things,” Portnoy explained. “We proved it. In year 2 you really prove it, and then you have something.”

You can watch Portnoy’s full appearance on “The Named Show” can be found here.

“>