Brad Dalke Endures Nightmare PGA Tour Return At Rocket Classic

Brad Dalke hitting an iron shot at the 2026 Rocket Classic in Detroit on the PGA Tour — (Image credit: Getty Images)

YouTube star Brad Dalke's eagerly-awaited return to the PGA Tour turned into a nightmare as he shot 81 in the opening round of the Rocket Classic.

After an impressive showing on the DP World Tour at the BMW International Open recently, hopes were high that his first PGA Tour start in a decade would go well.

Dalke, who last teed it up in a pro event in the USA at the 2017 US Open, received a sponsor's invite into the event in Detroit, but it could hardly have gone worse.

The 28-year-old carded seven bogeys, a double bogey and triple bogey against just one single birdie in his 11-over round that left him second bottom of the leaderboard.

Only Argentina's Alejandro Tosti with his 82 finished 18 holes below Dalke - who as a former college and amateur star is not your average YouTube golfer.

With so much online hype for his PGA Tour return, Dalke admitted it was a nightmare comeback after a disastrous day in Detroit.

“That round was nightmare fuel, my goodness," Dalke posted on social media.

"Goes without saying I played very, very poorly… but everything that could’ve gone wrong seemed to go wrong.

"Nothing I can do now except go play some more golf tomorrow.”

That round was nightmare fuel my goodness. Goes without saying I played very very poorly… but everything that could’ve gone wrong seemed to go wrong. Nothing I can do now except go play some more golf tomorrowJuly 30, 2026

Some of the YouTube golfing community came out to defend Dalke after his woeful first-round effort, with the Bryan brothers posting their support.

"Regardless of what @DalkeKong3 shoots he’s still an insanely good golfer," they wrote on their X account.

"One bad round doesn’t define someone and won’t change our minds on how good he is!! Team Dalke for life."

Dalke also admitted that it was "a lonely feeling playing golf like that" but vowed to make "a strong finish tomorrow" and respond in Friday's second round.

Thank you fellas. Tough day out there and it’s a lonely feeling playing golf like that. Appreciate you guys. Time for a strong finish tomorrow https://t.co/QyBdievMwoJuly 31, 2026

Former Good Good Golf star Dalke shot 69-66 to sit just a shot off the lead going into the weekend at the BMW International Open in Munich, before eventually finishing T30.

The NCAA champion with the University of Oklahoma and 2015 Junior PGA Championship winner is also a runner-up at the US Amateur and has played in The Masters and US Open so is arguably the best YouTube golfer out there.

Dalke won the Creator Classic at Philadelphia Cricket Club in 2025, before winning the fourth edition of the contest at East Lake later in the year, while also landing the inaugural Internet Invitational hosted by Barstool Sports and Bob Does Sports..

Regardless of his finish in Detroit, Dalke will peg it up again on the PGA Tour at the first ever Good Good Championship in Austin, Texas in November.

Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website. Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.