YouTube golf is up and rising. And it has been doing so consistently now. Even elite golfers, including Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson, are leaning towards YouTube to connect with fans. Thanks to the platform, many internet personalities have gained recognition that even many professionals fail to earn. Rick Shiels, Wesley Bryan, and George Bryan IV are just a few names on a long list. When such popular internet stars come together for a $1 million event, fun, laughter, and even controversies are bound to happen. YouTube golfer Luke Kwon was at the center of one such controversy at the Barstool Sports Internet Invitational.

After oversleeping and missing his 9:30 AM tee time by eight minutes, Kwon got a 4-hole penalty in a 9-hole match. While this was a controversy in itself, the bigger problem with fans was his behavior afterwards. “Well, that’s the part that, and I’m gonna probably say this now, but, like, that’s the part that I can’t say in public because I can’t say YouTube golf is not that serious. Like, I don’t know. Yeah, I messed up. But what are we, what’s going on? I got a few death threats in my messages. I’m like, I missed it, brother. It’s not that serious. You guys gotta chill out,” Kwon said on the Flushing It Golf podcast.

Luke Kwon was part of the 2025 Internet Invitational. Hosted by Dave Portnoy’s Barstool Sports and Bob Does Sport, the event featured more than 40 YouTube golfers on the field. It was a Ryder Cup format, a mix of alternate shot and skins game event. The first day had two teams with 12 pairs from each team playing against each other. Kwon was paired with PFT Commenter to play against Frankie Borrelli and Bubbie.

After missing the tee time and waiting till the first 4 holes, Ryan Whitney, a member of his team, sarcastically applauded him at lunch, saying, “Luke Kwon, too good for the Internet Invitational.” To this, Kwon said, You can shank it over and over again, I don’t give a s—.” This is what got both internet golfers and fans heated up. People even started calling him the most hated man in golf for this mistake.

While this is all very serious, Luke Kwon tries to find humor in it. For instance, Tom Hobbs, the host of the Flushing It podcast, humored him by saying that he arrived on time for the podcast. “Yeah. I’m not gonna lie. The last couple of days, I keep getting these dreams where I, like, wake up late. Really? It’s getting weird. It’s getting weird. I’m getting trolled by myself now,” Kwon said, replying to Hobbs. “I mean, correct me. I think that’s a little bit extreme, but if you wanna hate me for waking up late in that, like, by all means, do it, I guess. I mean, I don’t know. I think there’s worse things in the world that you can do.”

Later, Kwon apologized to PFT Commenter and the opposition on the same day the event occurred. He said it to their faces, and even uploaded a story for the same. And recently, he even made a public apology through his YouTube channel. “I apologize sincerely from the bottom of my heart. If I haven’t said this to you in person yet, I hope you hear this now. I’m sorry for waking up late. I’m sorry for disrespecting. I’m sorry I was disrespectful to your time, this event,” Kwon said in the apology.

Despite all the apologies, fans and some fellow YouTube golfers remain unhappy with Luke Kwon. However, he is not the only one facing criticism. The field also included Paige Spiranac, who recently opened up about the hateful comments she is receiving post the Internet Invitational.

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Paige Spiranac got emotional while opening up about hate after the Internet Invitational

Paige Spiranac became emotional as she exposed the hateful and negative comments she received online during the recent Internet Invitational. She shared multiple Instagram stories showing the hate in her direct messages. Some of the comments and messages were very vulgar. One read, “I f—ing hate you. You stupid b—- think you’re so much better than everyone at the Internet Invitational. Go k–l yourself, you stupid c—.”

“This hate, for some reason, has just been really hitting home for me,” Spiranac said. Spiranac has faced harsh criticism throughout her professional golf career, and even now, after switching to a golf influencer. In a March 2025 interview with the Quiet Please podcast, she opened up about her debut at the Ladies European Tour (LET) event.

She said that only a few golfers were supportive; others were not. “I would go on the range, and girls would just scatter. No one wanted to hit next to me,” Spiranac said. She even said that some spread rumors about her doing se–al favors to get an invite to play on the Ladies European Tour.

The Internet Invitational was meant to celebrate the lighter side of golf, but it ended up revealing the darker edge of online fandom. For Luke Kwon and Paige Spiranac, it served as a reminder that viral fame can come with a heavy personal cost.