Internet Invitational 2025 Episode 5: The Semifinal

The last 12 were allowed to pick their own threes, if they could all agree, rather than draft them. Spiranac's worry was length: the morning was par 3s but the final was a full course, and her side did not hit it nearly as far. A trial draft gave her DOD King; after an argument over which team was unfair (“anyone with Brad is going to be scary”) King went to Finch's three and Togisala, the long hitter, to hers.

That made it Spiranac, Togisala and Borrelli; Dalke, Ellis and Franke; Finch, King and Richards; Morris, Broders and Snell. “So you guys now are teams for life.”

All 12 played together at 8:30, 18 holes of alternate shot, stroke play, no putts conceded, two threes through. There was $100,000 for an ace and a pontoon boat beside one tee. Portnoy spent the round in Borrelli's ear (“The more I know you, the more I don't want you to succeed”) and Borrelli called him his horcrux and holed putts anyway; by the 5th he was “Front nine Frankie.”

Spiranac's three were level through 5 with everyone else 3 over, and 2 over at the turn to 5 over for Finch's and Dalke's threes. Morris's three were 10 over through 9, and a flyaway shot of Broders's hit Keith Yandle in a cart.

With Spiranac's three running away from it, the semifinal was Dalke's against Finch's. Dalke's three got up and down 5 times in a row without hitting a green, then Dalke stuffed one for birdie and holed the big putt late: “The Brad Dalke show.” Finch missed an ace for $100,000 by a couple of centimeters and Ellis by an inch.

On the 18th Spiranac left it in the front bunker and Borrelli, who has a history with bunker shots, nearly holed it. Spiranac's three finished 1st, Dalke's held 2nd, and Finch's and Morris's threes went home.

Semifinal · Cliffhangers

18 holes · alternate shot · stroke play

2 through

1. Paige Spiranac, Malosi Togisala, Frankie Borrelli · through2. Brad Dalke, Francis Ellis, Cody "Beef" Franke · through3. Peter Finch, DOD King, Josh Richards · out4. Micah Morris, Bubbie Broders, Lacey Snell · out

Portnoy's last offer: the two qualifiers play a sudden-death 19th hole; if both win through, the final is worth $2 million, $666,000 a player, and a qualifier that loses goes home in favor of an eliminated three.

Bob Does Sports

@Bobdoessports

“I can't throw a 50/50 shot at a million versus a 25% shot at two.”

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Someone asked for a guaranteed $100,000 for the losers. “No. We're not doing charity. You got to come here and gamble.” Neither three took it, and the final was set for that afternoon at $333,000 a player.