The Duke’s semifinal exit may have been a blessing in disguise, at least according to Dave Portnoy. Following the golfer’s elimination from the 2026 Internet Invitational, the Barstool Sports founder suggested that The Duke’s near-miss carried a hidden cost, one the polarizing personality simply could not have survived.
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Portnoy made the blunt remark in a Wednesday video while addressing growing demands from fans to ban The Duke from the 2027 tournament. While no decision has been reached regarding his future eligibility, Portnoy issued a stark warning about what might have happened if the golfer had claimed his $1.3 million individual share of the $4 million purse.
“To be honest with you, if The Duke won $1.3 million dollars, he’d probably be dead. Like, he wouldn’t be able to take that much money,” Portnoy said, per Golf Digest.
Delivered in Portnoy’s trademark exaggerated style, the remark highlighted psychological pressure, not literal danger. According to Portnoy, The Duke was “smelling” the $1.3 million prize and grew visibly rattled, causing his demeanor to shift and his golf game to unravel even by his own standards.
That pressure boiled over during Episode 5’s nine-hole semifinal round at Payne’s Valley, where The Duke competed alongside accomplished teammates Ryan Ruffels and Marissa Wenzler. Playing in a stroke-play alternate-shot format, where teammates rotate hitting the same ball and every mistake is magnified, the trio finished last at seven over par, abruptly ending their run at the $1.3 million per-player prize.
His presence in a high-stakes, creator-driven tournament has long been a source of controversy. A golf entertainer and Planet Duketown creator who gained viral notoriety for his unorthodox swing and appearances alongside Bob Does Sports, The Duke carries a high handicap.
Because he was invited for his comedic personality and viral appeal rather than his scorecard, The Duke quickly became a lightning rod for viewer frustration. His deliberate pace of play and constant on-course chatter drew sharp backlash from YouTube golf fans, many of whom argued that pairing an amateur entertainer with elite players like Ruffels and Wenzler unfairly torpedoed their chances.
Ahead of Wednesday’s video, however, Portnoy pushed back on social media against claims that The Duke was solely responsible for the loss. He noted that Wenzler also played well below her usual standard during the round and insisted that having The Duke on the roster was far from an automatic loss.
Even so, the fallout has left The Duke’s future in the event uncertain, though Portnoy clarified that he does not hold sole control over the invite list. Sharing organizational duties with Robby Berger of Bob Does Sports and the Fore Play podcast crew, Portnoy stressed that no final call has been made for 2027.
“We’ll see. I don’t think a decision has been made on that either way,” Portnoy said. “I don’t think I have enough input where I’m like, ‘we absolutely can’t have this guy anymore.’ I think Bob and Fore Play would value that. But for the billionth time, I do not make the list. I don’t invite people. I don’t disinvite people.”
In the wake of the episode’s release, The Duke apologized to Ruffels and Wenzler on Instagram, writing that he felt he owed them $1.3 million for costing them the victory while praising Wenzler as the best female golfer in the tournament. Ruffels publicly defended his teammate on X, urging fans to ease up on him because he gave everything he had. Meanwhile, the 2026 Internet Invitational finale aired Thursday at 11:30 p.m. IST, pitting Team Big John against Team FP in an 18-hole alternate-shot match for the $4 million purse.