YouTube golfer Brad Dalke was just awarded a sponsor’s exemption for the Rocket Mortgage Classic taking place next month in a first-of-its-kind move by the tournament.
The Rocket Classic has announced that they have extended a sponsor's exemption to Brad Dalke from Good Good Golf.
— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) June 2, 2026
Dalke is set to make his PGA Tour debut this July. pic.twitter.com/7GxKDO5TYA
YouTube golf has exploded amongst the youth and many of the more bro-Barstool sports crowd. In some ways, it’s good to grow the game and reach a new, younger generation that helps instill great values in its players. Unfortunately, the expansion of golf has resulted in some of the most insufferable sports slop we’ve seen.
At the Masters, we were forced to watch comedians and celebrities parade around like characters instead of respecting the institution that is Augusta National. The Masters had always been a place where no patron was more special than another because of their fame or status. You didn’t get tickets just because you made your way into Hollywood or the NFL. Now, we have Kevin Hart and Jason Kelce making a mockery of the sport in the hopes that a few people on TV will laugh or clap like seals.
Granting a sponsorship exemption to a guy who plays golf well on YouTube is very similar. Instead of awarding it to a guy who has been grinding away in hopes of making it on tour one day, you give it to a guy who makes challenge videos on the Internet. And it’s not as if I don’t respect that people have grown to love golf through guys like Dalke, because I coached high school golf and many of the players loved and were inspired by people doing the same as Dalke.
The problem is that what is shown on YouTube isn’t real, competitive golf that is deserving of a free ride into the chance to play for millions of dollars. It would be no different from offering a Harlem Globetrotter a 12-day contract in the NBA, and if they win their games they get written a $2 million check. The notion is ridiculous as they simply don’t play real basketball. They make an entertaining show.
Dalke has had a professional career. He has played in majors before. He is a great and gifted player, but I do not see him competing with the best in the world when he hasn’t played in a PGA tournament in a decade. I honestly hope that I am proven wrong and that this won't be more than a sideshow.
While I wish him the best and wouldn’t be upset if he played well, I would hate to have these types of opportunities stripped from more deserving athletes just because a guy managed to get a few more followers on Instagram.
