Paige Spiranac is addressing rumors that emerged during her first professional golf tournament in 2015 — calling the experience the “worst moment of my life.”
Speaking with Mel Reid and Kira Dixon on the March 19 episode of their Quiet Please! podcast, the 32-year-old recalled playing in the 2015 Dubai Ladies Masters and the subsequent rumors that she had allegedly performed “sexual favors” to get an invite to the tournament.
At the time, Spiranac was also an influencer on social media, something that said other female golfers judged her for. She told Reid, who is a current LGPA golfer, and Dixon, a golf personality, that she was not ready for the media frenzy.
“I ended up going viral and this was back when people weren’t going viral all the time and I didn’t know how to handle it and my whole life got flipped upside down. I went from having 500 followers to 100,000 followers,” she said on the podcast.
“I show up and was doing hours of press, which I wasn’t prepared for. I had no training to do this. And I would say there were a couple of girls who were really supportive and who were nice, but the majority [of them], it was brutal. I would go on the range and girls would just scatter. No one wanted to hit next to me,” the self-proclaimed “OG Insta Golf Girl” added.
“There were constant comments like ‘I did sexual favors to get this invite,’ and I was listening to it — and they would say [it] within earshots of me. It was tough,” she continued.
She said in the interview that the pressure is likely what led to her less than favorable game play. “It was my first pro event, it was really difficult. I just wanted to be liked and I played so bad. It was horrendous,” she admitted.
Spiranac said that she understands why her brand deals and influencer status might have “ruffled feathers” among the golf community.
“You work your a– off, week in and week out, and here comes me and I just walk on in,” the model said.
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This isn’t the first time Spiranac has addressed the 2015 Dubai Ladies Masters and how the constant rumors affected her mental health.
In 2018, when she modeled for a swimsuit issue, she told Sports Illustrated that comments about her appearance and golf skills led to her ending up on the bathroom floor before the tournament.
“I was sitting in the bathroom just balling and was like ‘I don’t want to go through this pain, this feel of helplessness. Being alone. Scared.’ And I said I never wanted anyone to feel the way I felt in that moment. How scared I was. How helpless I felt in that I was bullied so bad to the point that I didn’t want to live anymore,” she said at the time.
Spiranac is now an ambassador for The Cybersmile Foundation, which raises awareness about the effects of cyberbullying.
If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.
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