Big Cat, Portnoy fire back at Internet Invitational rant

The Internet Invitational is over, and the grievance videos have started. Dave got the first word in, and he only needed 3 of them.

Dave Portnoy

@stoolpresidente

Muppets with headphones????

Johnathon Sandos

@JohnathonSands

Tbh I liked Sam and thought he just had a bad showing in the invitational But what the hell happened to make him hate Barstool and @ForePlayPod so much? t.co/IzQFfWQ0yj

The line he's quoting comes from a selfie-style video posted by one of the golfers who played in the event. Sitting in an office chair and talking straight to the camera, he goes after the people making rulings from behind the screen with headsets on, and he defends how he handled himself during the tournament. It's a full airing of grievances, and the Barstool side found it very funny.

Big Cat

@BarstoolBigCat

Im not even sure what he’s talking about but I hope all the guys who lowkey hate Barstool come back to the Invitational next year. It will make it that much better. I also promise to be unbiased in any and all rulings where I’m standing next to the real rules official as I concur

Johnathon Sandos

@JohnathonSands

Tbh I liked Sam and thought he just had a bad showing in the invitational But what the hell happened to make him hate Barstool and @ForePlayPod so much?

That's peak Big Cat trolling. He opens with fake confusion, then invites everyone who secretly can't stand Barstool to come back next year, because a field full of guys with a chip on their shoulder makes the show better. The 'unbiased' promise is the punchline. Big Cat has never pretended to be the rules expert. That's Kevin Kisner, and the joke is that Cat's whole job is standing next to the real official and nodding along.

The rules mess has been the main storyline coming out of the Invitational. In Episode 4, Big John took a ball-moved penalty in the fairway in his match with Sam Heung Min, even though he said he didn't think the ball had moved. The best footage of the moment doesn't clearly show anything happening, and Big John won 3 and 2 anyway. Big John was the breakout star of the event, so a sketchy ruling against him was always going to blow up.

The Fore Play guys knew going in that whoever played rules official would take the heat. On the rules-controversy episode on 2026-11-10, Riggs explained why the job can't be won, mentioning that the crew had just heard about the Big John situation when the next rulings came in.

Fore Play Podcast

@ForePlayPodcast

“Anytime you come off on the side, you're the rules guy. You look like a douche no matter what, no matter how you frame it.” – Riggs

0:44

Big Cat clearly wasn't done, either. A few minutes after the first reply, he came back to make sure everyone understood that the guy who filmed a whole video about it is totally fine.

Big Cat

@BarstoolBigCat

Also he’s definitely not mad or bothered. He clearly said that so don’t you dare say he is.

So that's where it stands. Barstool's answer to 'you guys were biased' is basically 'please come back and keep hating us,' and honestly, that's the right call. The Invitational runs on drama as much as golf, and a guy with a grudge showing up next year is better TV than an apology. Watch Fore Play and Pardon My Take this week. If this turns into a back-and-forth, they'll be all over it.