Hailey Rae Ostrom made a simple request ahead of the 2026 Internet Invitational, but tournament organizers ultimately rejected it. The golfer and social media influencer received an official invitation to the high-stakes creator golf event, which features a $4 million prize pool backed by Barstool Sports. However, she wanted female participants to have the option to play from a tee box ahead of the men’s.

Ostrom explained her concerns in a post on X, highlighting how the tournament’s setup could affect women’s handicaps and draft positions. “One part of the internet invitational that didn’t make the final edit: I asked Dave, Kisner, and Riggs if the women can play a tee box up,” she wrote. “The women have certain handicaps, but playing from the same tees as the men changes our handicaps. Also, why we get drafted so much later.”

The tournament’s official rules retained a strict no-handicap format, rejecting the request for separate female tee boxes. The decision has drawn attention to how the event’s format could affect women’s chances in the team draft.

How the rules could affect women in the draft

The Internet Invitational uses a draft system to assemble three-player teams, with captains selecting competitors to help them compete for the substantial prize money. On a championship-length course such as Ozarks National, female golfers may need long irons or fairway woods to reach greens that male competitors can approach with shorter clubs.

That distance gap can influence scoring opportunities and how captains assess players during the draft. With teams competing for a $4 million prize pool, captains have strong incentives to prioritize players they believe offer the best chance of winning. Ostrom’s argument is that the format can affect both women’s effective handicaps and their perceived value during team selection.

Organizers have nevertheless retained the format, prioritizing straightforward, scratch-match play. However, identical tee positions do not eliminate the performance gap created by differences in driving distance.

Paige Spiranac weighs in on the handicap debate

Paige Spiranac, another prominent golf creator expected to return to the event, also addressed the issue with a touch of humor. Spiranac, who has cited a plus handicap in the past, acknowledged that her handicap could look different under the tournament’s conditions.

“I’m a +2, but I probably was drafted too high honestly. We are all playing from the same tees, so from those tees, I’m probably a 3-4 handicap depending on the course,” she wrote on X.

Her comments echoed Ostrom’s concern that conventional handicaps may not accurately reflect performance under the tournament’s specific conditions. A golfer’s handicap depends partly on course difficulty and the tees being played, so a number established from one set of tees does not automatically translate to another.

In a draft-based competition, the distance gap can affect how captains value female players before the first shot. For now, organizers are standing by their rules, leaving women to rely on accuracy and short-game execution to compete. Whether the tournament will reconsider its format remains to be seen.