Internet Invitational 2025 Finale: The One Million Dollar Golf Match

By JRNov 13, 2025·3 min read

TLDR: Brad Dalke, Francis Ellis and Beef Franke won the first Internet Invitational and its $1 million, 1 up over Paige Spiranac, Malosi Togisala and Frankie Borrelli, when Borrelli's chip on the 18th went in the water. Two rulings ran through the round, Spiranac's long grass and Togisala's rangefinder, and Dave Portnoy penalized neither.

The final teed off about half an hour after the semifinal ended, in about 100 degrees, with players who had been hitting off mats all morning. It was 18 holes of alternate shot, match play, for $1 million split 3 ways. Spiranac's three came in as the favorites.

Each three set its tee order so its best driver would hit the 18th. For Spiranac's, that was Borrelli: “So you're giving me the 18th tee shot with Dave Portnoy in case it comes down to it.” For Ellis's, it was Dalke.

It started with an argument. Spiranac's three made Ellis putt out from a foot and a half, and when he did there was a dig about never having played competitive golf and an answer about five U.S. Amateurs before both sides called a truce. Borrelli holed a long putt on the 2nd, Dalke drove the 3rd green, and it was all square after 3.

Togisala hit a 49-yard shot close and Spiranac holed to halve the 4th. Dalke's full flop on the 5th was “a disgusting shot” and Spiranac's three still won the hole to go back 1 up. Portnoy refused Ellis's three relief from a divot on the 7th and Franke hit it out of the divot anyway. Borrelli snap-hooked his drive on the 9th, his three lost the hole, and it was all square at the turn.

Ellis's three said Spiranac had pressed down the long grass around Togisala's ball before he played it. Her three had lost the hole anyway, so nothing was called; she said she had not known it was against the rules, and was in tears.

From the 10th the question was Togisala's rangefinder. The event banned the slope setting, his own cart had noticed his numbers running 5 yards long, and after an anonymous tip he was filmed taking the rangefinder out of the cart to show it was off. The cart-camera footage looked “horrible,” and somebody called it the Zapruder film. Portnoy pulled Togisala aside and took his word for it.

The event's own account posted the accusation.

He explained afterwards why that ruling and Luke Kwon's went differently.

Ellis holed a long putt on the 12th for his three's first lead of the day. Spiranac's three squared it on the 13th and Dalke's won the 14th. Borrelli slammed his club after his drive on the 15th went over the cart path, and Togisala saved the 16th with the comebacker. Then Borrelli's approach into the 17th won the hole (“I've been waiting for a feeling like that all day”), and it was all square going to the 18th.

Portnoy set the tee: “Frankie Butter Knives Borrelli versus Brad, 2017 Masters, Dalke.” Borrelli's drive was short and fine on a three-shot par 5; Dalke sent a missile down the fairway. Togisala hit an 8-iron from a tough lie, Spiranac's third went left, and Borrelli had the chip for their 4th. It came out heavy and went in the water. Dalke's three won the hole and the match.

Borrelli's verdict on himself came a minute later.

Dalke's biggest payday before it had been a mini-golf event earlier in the year. Franke had played 36 holes that day after getting, as someone put it, the wrong invitation and then winning the thing. Asked before the final what he would do with his share, he said he would give some to charity and pay off his parents' house.