Paige Spiranac revealed one horrifying truth about the price of fame after golf scandal
Paige Spiranac found herself at the center of a firestorm that shocked the golf world.
The backlash went far beyond what anyone expected.
And Paige Spiranac revealed one horrifying truth about the price of fame after golf scandal.
The Internet Invitational was supposed to be fun entertainment for golf fans.
Barstool Sports and Bob Does Sports put together a six-episode YouTube series featuring 48 content creators competing for more than $1 million.
The tournament was filmed last summer at Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri and released earlier this month.
But what started as lighthearted competition turned ugly fast.
Golf influencer caught in rules controversy that sparked national debate
During the final match, cameras caught Spiranac pressing down tall grass around her teammate's golf ball.
The moment quickly went viral after the episode dropped on November 14.
Her opponents confronted her on camera about improving the lie, which violates golf's rules.
Spiranac broke down in tears claiming she didn't know matting down the grass was illegal.
"I thought we could do that. I didn't realize that you couldn't do that," Spiranac said through tears. "I wasn't trying to cheat, like I would never do that."
Her team ended up losing the match on the 18th hole.
But that didn't stop the internet mob from coming after her with pitchforks.
The golf influencer vanished from social media for nearly two weeks as the controversy raged.
Spiranac breaks silence on vile harassment that forced her to consider legal action
On Tuesday, Spiranac finally addressed the situation in a series of Instagram Stories.
What she revealed was absolutely sickening.
"The last week and a half is probably the worst hate I've ever received in the 10 years of me doing this," Spiranac said. "I'm talking tens of thousands of death threats, people telling me to kill myself."¹
The harassment got so severe that she had to discuss taking legal action.
"The most vile, horrendous stuff you could ever say to an individual that's been in my DMs to the point where we were discussing me having to potentially get a restraining order," she explained.¹
Think about that for a second.
Someone pushed grass down during a made-for-YouTube golf tournament and strangers told her to kill herself.
Tens of thousands of them.
Spiranac explained why she hadn't posted or addressed the controversy earlier.
"I just needed to remove myself for my mental health," she said. "One thing that I really struggle with is wanting to be liked and accepted, and I don't want anyone to ever dislike me."¹
The 32-year-old golf influencer admitted she was "painfully, painfully embarrassed" about not knowing the rule.¹
But she maintained she would never intentionally cheat.
"In all my years of playing golf, I have never been accused of cheating," Spiranac stated. "There were so many cameras on me, to blatantly cheat with that many people around, that many cameras around, would be insane."¹
Spiranac fires back at haters with perfect response
After breaking her silence about the death threats, Spiranac made her next move.
She released her 2026 calendar on Tuesday, complete with a message for everyone who came after her.
"My 2026 Calendar is now available!" Spiranac wrote on X. "Sorry for the tall grass in the way, I'm never touching fescue ever again."²
That's how you handle the mob.
You don't grovel or beg for forgiveness from people sending death threats.
You make a joke at their expense and move on with your life.
The calendar features 12 photos of Spiranac including shots on golf courses and in various outfits.
One promotional image shows her in a brown lace bralette with an oversized plaid shirt.
https://twitter.com/PaigeSpiranac/status/1993435939411251542
The calendar is available on her website for $34, with signed versions selling for $75.
Fans immediately rallied to support her.
"The tall grass didn't stand a chance. The shot looks amazing and the 2026 calendar is going to break records," one fan commented on social media.²
This whole situation exposes something rotten about internet culture today.
People sit behind keyboards and send death threats over a golf tournament filmed months ago for YouTube entertainment.
These keyboard warriors need to get a grip on reality.
Spiranac improved someone's lie in a made-for-content event that her team lost anyway.
She didn't steal state secrets or commit treason.
Yet tens of thousands of people thought it was appropriate to tell her to kill herself.
That's not normal behavior from functioning adults.
Social media has created an environment where outrage mobs feel empowered to destroy people's lives over the smallest perceived infractions.
Spiranac has 4 million Instagram followers and has built a successful career as a golf influencer.
https://twitter.com/barstoolsports/status/1989122411506384963
She played collegiate golf at the University of Arizona and San Diego State before turning professional.
The Internet Invitational controversy also involved her teammate Malosi Togisala, who was accused of using the slope function on his rangefinder.
While rangefinders were allowed in the tournament, the slope feature that measures elevation changes was banned.
Both controversies became major storylines as the six-episode series gained over 20 million views across all episodes.
Cody "Beef" Franke, one of the winners of the tournament, tragically passed away in October at age 31, just weeks after filming concluded.
¹ Paige Spiranac, Instagram Story, quoted in "Paige Spiranac says she has received 'tens of thousands of death threats' after cheating controversy," Fox News, November 25, 2025.
² Paige Spiranac, X (formerly Twitter), November 25, 2025.
