Popular golf influencer and former college champion Paige Spiranac has revealed she was subjected to an overwhelming wave of online abuse, including tens of thousands of death threats, following a controversial rules incident during a recent golf tournament.
The situation, which Spiranac described as the worst hate she's received in ten years in the public eye, forced her to take a mental health break from social media, where she boasts a combined following of over five million people.
The Emotional Aftermath and Online Abuse
During an Instagram Live Q&A session on Tuesday, November 26, 2025, Spiranac broke her silence about the intense backlash. "The last week and a half is probably the worst hate I've ever received in the ten years of me doing this," she confessed to her followers.
Spiranac detailed the severity of the threats, stating, "I'm talking tens of thousands of death threats, people telling me to kill myself, the most vile, horrendous stuff you could ever say to an individual." The volume and nature of the messages were so severe that she and her team discussed the possibility of obtaining a restraining order.
To protect her mental well-being, the 32-year-old influencer temporarily stepped away from her platforms. "I know people are wondering why I haven't posted or why I haven't talked about it, I just needed to remove myself for my mental health," she explained.
Unpacking the Internet Invitational Controversy
The controversy that sparked the online firestorm occurred during the final round of the made-for-streaming Internet Invitational golf tournament. Spiranac was playing on a team with Barstool's Frankie Borelli and Good Good Golf's Malosi Togisala against a team that included the late Cody 'Beef' Franke.
The incident unfolded when English professional golfer and YouTuber Peter Finch noticed Spiranac appearing to trample down long grass in front of her teammate's ball in the rough, thereby improving Togisala's lie. Under golf's rules, improving the line of play in this manner is a violation.
After Togisala played an impressive recovery shot, Barstool founder Dave Portnoy, who organized the event, quipped, "Paige put that on a tee" for him. Finch later pointed out the potential infraction, but since Spiranac's team lost the hole, no penalty was assessed, rendering the issue moot from a competitive standpoint.
A Tearful Admission and a Lesson Learned
When confronted about the action after the round, Spiranac became visibly emotional. Through tears, she insisted she was unaware of the specific rule. "I thought you could do that. I didn't realize you couldn't do that. I didn't move the ball," she said at the time.
Reflecting on the incident during her Instagram Live, Spiranac expressed deep embarrassment for her lack of rules knowledge but maintained that any cheating would have been illogical. "I am painfully, painfully embarrassed that I did not know this rule," she stated. "There were so many cameras on me, to blatantly cheat with that many people around, that many cameras around would be insane."
Despite the torrent of hate, Spiranac also acknowledged the support she received from many fans and followers. "It's been an interesting week and a half, but I just want to thank everyone for reaching out, asking me how I'm doing, all the support really means so much to me," she said, ending her comments on a note of gratitude amidst the turmoil.
