Grant Horvat, Big John win Internet Invitational playoff

Sudden death, the match on the line, and Horvat stuck in the sand with a WHOOP strap reading out his pulse to everybody watching.

Fore Play

@ForePlayPod

Sudden death playoff. Tournament on the line. Heart rate through the roof. GRANT HORVAT. What a SHOT. @Internetinvite @WHOOP

That's a 50-beat jump, from standing over the ball to the swing. Horvat paired with Big John against Roger Steele and Rick Shiels, and it took extra holes to settle. Horvat got out of the sand, and Big John holed the birdie putt that sent Team Ruffels on. Ryan Ruffels' squad had been behind after the scramble round, so this was a comeback, and it ended on a putt the big man will be talking about forever.

The heart-rate overlay is the gimmick of this year's event and it works. WHOOP sponsors holes, guys are wearing the straps, and in Episode 1 one of the players was already dreading what the numbers would say about him.

F

Fore Play Golf

on YouTube

“Don't ask me about my heart rate though because I like to look really intimidating and sharp”

0:44

That's the whole bit. You can act as calm as you like, and the strap shows everyone you're at 147 in a fairway bunker. Horvat hit it anyway, which is why this clip is everywhere. It's also not his first viral moment this season. Episode 2 also had his shaking hand over a 5-footer, and he made that one too.

Then there's Big John, who's having a great week. He posted his DMs with Dave Portnoy to Instagram, and the review from El Pres was exactly what you'd expect.

Viva La Stool

@VivaLaStool

Big John Golfs posted this on his Instagram today

From Dave, 'nice episode dickhead' is about as good as a review gets, and the Nantucket mention suggests Big John has an invite to the island lined up. Put that next to a playoff-winning birdie putt and he's 1 of the stories of the tournament so far.

The stakes are huge. Portnoy raised the purse to $4 million, up from $1 million in 2025, and expanded the field to 64 creators on 4 teams of 16, captained by Ruffels, Wesley Bryan, Brad Dalke and Peter Finch. It was filmed at Big Cedar Lodge in August. After Episode 2, 32 players are left. Dalke's team and Finch's team are both out, so last year's winning captain is already gone.

Episode 3 drops Monday, November 2 at 1 p.m. ET on YouTube, and there are 6 episodes in total, with the finale on November 12. Horvat and Big John are still alive. Look for the WHOOP number every time Horvat stands over a big shot, because 147 is now the number to beat.