Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. Tiger Woods and Phil Michelson. Brooks Koepka and Dave Portnoy.
Welcome to golf rivalries in 2021.
Portnoy will play Koepka in a charity match for $250,000 on Sept. 7. However, Pennsylvania sportsbooks will not be offering it for users to wager on.
Koepka vs. Portnoy golf match
It should come as no surprise that a Twitter feud was the impetus for the charity match. Portnoy replied to a Tweet from Koepka with “buddy I beat you by like 20 strokes.” Koepka shot back “I could beat you lefty.”
Who: The event is being billed as “Champion vs. Champion.” Brooks Koepka has eight career PGA tour victories and finished tied for second at the PGA Championship in May. Dave Portnoy is the founder of Barstool Sports.
Shots fired: On Varney & Co, Portnoy said:
“He’s mentally weak. In his backswing, when a phone goes off, he freezes. We are going to bring cell phones and are going to be yelling and creating noise in his backswing. I never understood golfing. They are country club kids. What other sport are you not allowed to make noise in the crowd because they concentrate through it?”
Host Stuart Varney then asked Portnoy “do you realize what you are doing to the whole idea of gentlemanly golf play?”
“I have no problem with gentlemanly golf play but if they are going to call themselves professional athletes they should have the mental fortitude if someone yells, cheers or says boo that they don’t cry and walk off the course. Don’t be a pro athlete if you can’t handle the atmosphere,” answered Portnoy.
Where: Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City
When: September 7
How to watch: Live stream on YouTube, Portnoy’s Instagram, and Koepka’s Instagram.
What’s at stake: $250,000 for charity. Portnoy is playing for the Barstool Fund and Koepka is playing for his charity.
Who’s your caddie? Frankie Borelli, a member of the “Fore Play” podcast, is Portnoy’s caddie. Dan “Big Cat” Katz, host of “Pardon My Take,” is on Koepka’s bag.
Can you bet on Portnoy vs. Koepka?
Currently, there are no betting markets for Portnoy vs. Koepka at any Pennsylvania sports betting apps including Barstool.
A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board said they have not reviewed the event for approval since no operator has made a request to offer it.
And it shouldn’t come as a surprise. Koepka, the No. 10 golfer in the world, versus Portnoy who shot a 66 at Shinnecock with “unlimited mulligans.”
Barstool PA online sportsbook is having a Champion vs. Champion ticket giveaway. The first 450 players to place a single $1,00 cash bet that settles between Aug. 28 – Sept. 3 will win a pair of tickets and a ride share credit to watch Portnoy vs. Koepka at Liberty National Golf Course.
The summer of Portnoy
Pennsylvania based-Penn National Gaming acquired a 36% stake in Barstool in Jan. 2020. Barstool online sportsbook first launched in Pennsylvania in Sept. 2020. The first Barstool Sportsbook on the East Coast opened at Hollywood Casino York in August and more are planned in PA. Portnoy, aka, “Stool Presidente” aka “Davey Trader” and his baby Barstool have had quite a summer. Penn National gaming acquired theScore for about $2 billion in cash and stock in August. As is tradition for many in Pennsylvania, Portnoy has also spent time at the Jersey shore. Barstool sportsbook launched in New Jersey on Aug. 19 and Portnoy has also spent time reviewing pizza in Wildwood and Ocean City.
Lead image from Barstool sportsbook.
