If you thought the controversy surrounding Luke Kwon’s missed tee time was going to be the primary drama of the Internet Invitational, well, you were in for quite a surprise.
A quick refresher: the Internet Invitational, a made-for-YouTube event produced by Barstool Sports and Bob Does Sports, was filmed earlier this year and recently released for the masses in the form of six hour-long episodes. The tournament featured a cast of 48 golf-world influencers competing for a million-dollar prize, and has accumulated more than 20 million views.
When participant Luke Kwon overslept for his tee time and was unperturbed about it, the resulting avalanche of online criticism directed toward him seemed destined to be the story of the tournament. That is, until the end, which revealed two even juicer scandals: a question of an improved lie, and accusations of cheating by engaging a rangefinder’s slope functionality.
Which drama ruled the tournament? Good Good’s Brad Dalke, who ultimately won alongside teammates Cody “Beef” Franke (who tragically passed away before just before the YouTube episodes aired) and Francis Ellis, appeared on this week’s episode of Subpar to share his take with hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz.
SHADY RAYS GOLF x THEEGALA
Engineered for golfers. Backed by a pro. Performance golf eyewear here to elevate your game.
“Slopegate would probably end up being the biggest one, which I think Kwon is very thankful that both of those things happened on that last episode,” Dalke said. “It took a little more heat off him. But yeah, there’s a lot of drama, and luckily for me, on that last day, I tried to stay away from it as much as possible because I was the ‘A’ player on my team. I knew I had to keep playing well for us to have a chance to win coming down the stretch. So, I literally just made a promise to myself, I’m like, hey, I’m staying out of this drama. I am not getting involved.”
That was easier said than done for some. Dalke said avoiding the distraction of the controversy was necessary for his concentration.
“There was at one point, you know, like 25 people huddled up around one laptop trying to find or trying to see the video of Mo [Malosi Togisala] with the rangefinder, and I’m just like, I’m just standing on the tee box,” Dalke said. “I’m not getting involved. I don’t care. I’m just focusing on my game and trying to give ourselves the best chance to win, and I’m glad I did, you know, because like some of that drama is very easy to get wrapped up in. I think a lot of people did, and I was able to just kind of focus on my game and just keep playing golf and try to help me, Beef and Francis win that thing.”
Dalke, who films alongside Mo as members of the Good Good squad, said that Mo has been dealing with the fallout from the situation at the Invitational, battling internet trolls that have been criticizing both him and members of his family.
“People going at his family, which is just obviously obnoxious and just unbelievable that people do that,” he said. “But again, it’s the internet, and when you have that many eyeballs on you for one video, it’s like, if you do the right things, you’re going to get praised. If you possibly do the wrong things, you are going to get heat.”
“I saw the video,” Knost said. “Do I think he moved the button? Absolutely. Do I think it’s a big deal? No. This isn’t a PGA Tour event. I mean, it’s a slope on a rangefinder. Who cares?”
“Exactly,” Dalke responded. “I mean, the video does not look good. I will say that. But also at the same time, it’s like, no one will ever know for sure if he did, except for Mo. He’s the only one who will ever know whether he was or not. Maybe he was just freaking out and checking it and it just looked wrong. I don’t know, but only he’ll know for sure.”
For more from Dalke, including additional insights from the Internet Invitational, check out the full episode of Subpar below.
; "Good Good's Brad Dalke weighs in on drama that ruled the Internet Invitational 1")
