Golf and drinking have a long and complicated history. John Daly knows that better than most. In 1997, a drinking binge during The Players Championship led to a trashed hotel room, a cancelled Wilson contract, and the end of his marriage. Daly later spoke openly about his struggles with alcohol. Nearly three decades later, a similar conversation has returned to golf, but this time on YouTube. Salim Sirur‘s drinking became a major talking point during the $4 million Internet Invitational final. As the criticism grew, one of golf’s biggest British YouTubers, Rick Shiels, stepped in to defend him. The YouTube Golfer understands the struggle himself, having spent two years sober.
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On his podcast, Shiels pointed to Sirur’s response since the final: “He’s authentically apologetic, like he’s really, really, you can see it. He’s so, so apologetic, not just to his teammates, to the organizers, to Dave, to the viewers, to all the participants. You can see it. He’s so gutted with himself.”
Sirur’s own words back that up. He says his last drink was on August 13, and on November 10 he posted “87/90,” a count of days sober. His apology video followed on Friday: “I prioritized drinking over the match… I had a huge problem back in the day.”
He added that the footage was filmed three months ago and that he is now 90 days sober.
YouTube star didn’t excuse the outcome, saying everyone felt let down. But his sympathy came from experience. “I actually went recently July 2024 till pretty much July 2026, I went totally sober for two years because I just felt like I had a bit of an issue… when I’d had a few, I wanted more and I wanted more and I wanted more and it felt like it was kind of going out of control.”
He had marked a year alcohol-free on Instagram in July 2025 and drew support from the golf community. Anthony Kim, who has been vocal about his own sobriety, replied “sober is dope.” Shiels has since reintroduced drinking “slowly but surely but sensibly,” as he put it.
The final was filmed in August at Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri. Team Blue (Fat Perez, Riggs and Bobby Ray) beat Team Red (Big John, Ryan Whitney and Sirur) 5&3, and each winner took about $1.33 million.
Sirur asked for tequila shots on almost every hole while drinking beers on top of them. At one point, he even took a beer from teammate Big John’s hand, forcing Ryan Whitney to step in and smooth things over. The drinking continued into the final, an 18-hole alternate-shot match. Dave Portnoy eventually stepped in, telling Sirur, “We’re going to give you a driver so you don’t run anybody over.” The scenes also drew strong reactions from viewers, with one fan calling Sirur’s behavior “completely unwatchable.”
During the match, Dave Portnoy voiced concern in his live commentary, Paul Bissonnette and Robby Berger spoke to Sirur on the course, and Portnoy stepped in over golf cart safety. Sirur’s reply was “I’m not hammered!”
Shiels was there that day. “It was uncomfortable watching it in real life. Like it was really uncomfortable with all the hugging and the emotion and everything that was going on.”
Portnoy said the series attracted more than 30 million viewers. That meant the finale reached a huge audience, and Sirur’s drinking became a major talking point.
But Portnoy is not ready to give him another chance just yet. He wants Sirur suspended for at least a year, preferably three to five years. He has also made it clear that he will walk away if Sirur is invited back. Still, Portnoy added, “Salim’s a nice kid, and I hope he gets the help he needs.” He also revealed that not everyone in the organizers’ group chat shares his view. Some believe Sirur could return as part of a villain-to-redemption story.
Sirur, however, is already hoping for another opportunity. “I would love to get invited again,” he said. Golf has seen its share of comeback stories. John Daly went through rehab in Arizona in late 1992 before winning the 1995 Open Championship at St Andrews.
But a comeback takes more than a second chance. It takes time and effort. Sirur has reportedly committed to 90 days of sobriety, which could be a first step. Shiels, meanwhile, spent two years sober before he began drinking again in moderation. For Sirur, the real challenge will be staying on track when the cameras are no longer rolling.