The 2026 Internet Invitational got underway on Monday, October 26, with 64 golfers competing for a share of $4 million in prize money.
The tournament features some of the biggest names in internet golf, along with athletes and celebrities, but not everything that happened behind the scenes made the final edit.
Golfer and social media personality Hailey Rae Ostrom recently revealed that she approached Dave Portnoy, Kevin Kisner and Riggs with a request involving the female competitors.
The request concerned the tee boxes women would use during the competition, a decision Ostrom believes helped influence where they were selected in the tournament’s draft.
Ultimately, the organizers declined her request.
However, Ostrom made it clear that she wasn’t complaining about the decision. Instead, she wanted to explain something that viewers had been questioning since the opening episode aired.
Dave Portnoy and Internet Invitational Organizers Rejected Golfer’s Request
Ostrom shared the previously unseen discussion in a post on X following the release of Episode 1.
“One part of the internet invitational that didn’t make the final edit: I asked Dave, Kisner and Riggs if the women can play a tee box up,” Ostrom wrote.
“The women have certain handicaps, but playing from the same tees as the men changes our handicaps. Also why we get drafted so much later.”
The women have certain handicaps, but playing from the same tees as the men changes our handicaps. Also why we get drafted so much later.
In a follow-up reply, Ostrom confirmed that the organizers ultimately said no to her request.
She also emphasized that she was fine with that decision.
Did the Tee-Box Rules Affect the Internet Invitational Draft?
According to Ostrom, the tee-box rules played a role in why some female golfers were selected later than their listed handicaps might have suggested.
The issue comes down to how golfers’ handicaps translate when everyone plays from the same tees.
A golfer who establishes a handicap while playing from one set of tees might face a substantially different challenge when required to play from farther back.
For women accustomed to competing from shorter distances, that can affect how their abilities compare with male golfers who regularly play from longer tees.
The Internet Invitational does not apply handicap strokes during its matches, meaning team captains had to consider how each golfer would actually perform under the tournament’s conditions.
That likely made driving distance an important consideration during the draft, even though hitting the ball farther doesn’t necessarily make someone a better golfer.
After all, some of the male participants struggle with consistency, while several of the female competitors are accomplished golfers in their own right.
But with everyone playing from the same tees, the captains had to account for more than each player’s listed handicap.
Ostrom’s explanation suggests the tee-box decision influenced the draft strategy, potentially pushing some women further down the board than they might have gone under different rules.
With $4 million at stake, it’s understandable that captains would factor those conditions into their selections.
Hailey Ostrom Clarifies Her Position on Internet Invitational Draft
Despite explaining the disadvantage created by the tee-box setup, Ostrom was careful not to criticize the organizers or suggest the women deserved to be drafted earlier.
In another reply, she said she believed the women were selected in the appropriate positions given the rules everyone had agreed to play under.
She explained that her reason for sharing the behind-the-scenes discussion was that people had been asking why some female golfers weren’t drafted ahead of other participants.
It’s an important distinction.
Ostrom wasn’t suggesting that the tournament should change its rules after the fact. She was providing additional context for how the captains evaluated players.
Other female competitors have also acknowledged how the format affects their expected performance.
Paige Spiranac, for example, suggested that her usual plus-2 handicap could translate to something closer to a 3- or 4-handicap when playing from the same tees as the men.
Ostrom’s revelation provides a different kind of insight into the competition.
While viewers see the selections and the golf itself, they don’t necessarily see every discussion that helped shape the rules and draft strategy.
The next episode arrives Thursday, October 29, when the opening round continues, and two teams face elimination.
Whether the women outperform their draft positions remains to be seen, but Ostrom has offered an interesting explanation for why some were selected later than viewers expected.
Dave Portnoy Rejected Female Golfer’s Internet Invitational Request