DES MOINES, Iowa — Caitlin Clark has turned packed arenas into her personal stage. Now she may be on the verge of doing the same thing to YouTube. In a move that stunned both the basketball and golf worlds, the Iowa legend and current WNBA phenom has officially been invited to compete in next year’s Internet Invitational, a rapidly growing golf tournament featuring influencers, online entertainers, and high-profile athletes.
The bombshell came straight from Barstool Sports CEO Dave Portnoy, who revealed on Thursday’s episode of The Unnamed Show that Clark is one of only two people he has personally reached out to for the 2025 event.
“I’ve invited two people so far,” Portnoy said. “They’ve both said ‘yes’… Caitlin said yes, Kai Trump said yes.”
But even he couldn’t guarantee the outcome, adding: “Whether push comes to shove and those two are available and do it, who knows.”
Regardless, the internet didn’t wait. The moment Clark’s name was dropped, social media exploded with predictions, memes, debates, and speculation about whether the WNBA superstar would truly step into a competition that blends athletic talent with pure internet spectacle.
And here’s the kicker: this is no casual exhibition.
Portnoy says he wants to blow up next year’s tournament with a $10 million prize pool — a staggering figure that would make the event one of the most lucrative entertainment-driven competitions ever hosted on YouTube.
If Clark joins, she’d become one of the biggest crossover stars the tournament has ever landed. Already, her golf abilities have drawn significant attention. She has played in the pro-am portion of The Annika, an LPGA Tour event in Florida, for two consecutive years — and each time, she pulled massive galleries of fans who followed her down every fairway. The golf world knows she’s legit. The basketball world knows she’s a natural draw. The online world… is about to find out.
The Internet Invitational itself has developed a cult following since its debut. Last year’s field was a chaotic mix of personalities: former NFL coach Jon Gruden, comedian Andrew Santino, internet golf stars, former pro players, and a swarm of entertainment groups including Barstool Sports and Bob Does Sports. The tournament is filmed over several summer days and then chopped into a multi-episode YouTube series released throughout October and November — a format that dominates the algorithm.
In 2024, the event carried a hefty $1.7 million purse. A jump to $10 million would blast the tournament into an entirely new stratosphere, turning it from an internet novelty into a landmark sports-entertainment showdown.
But the big question looming over everything: Will Caitlin Clark actually do it?
Her “yes” came casually during early conversations, and schedules in the WNBA offseason can be unpredictable. Still, her involvement would instantly transform the tournament’s reach, possibly drawing the biggest audience the series has ever seen.
Fans are already imagining it — Clark stepping to the tee, cameras rolling, millions watching.
If she shows up, the Internet Invitational won’t just be a tournament.
It’ll be an era-defining moment where college legend, WNBA star, and crossover icon collide on the world’s biggest digital stage.
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