Former collegiate golfer turned social media star Paige Spiranac has broken her silence after facing a torrent of online harassment stemming from a rules controversy at the Internet Invitational.
In a series of Instagram Stories on Tuesday, Spiranac disclosed the emotional toll she endured, including what she described as “tens of thousands of death threats” in the aftermath of the tournament.
She also maintained that she did not intend to cheat, saying, “I would never intentionally cheat, in all of my years playing golf I have never been accused of cheating.”
The incident occurred during the Barstool Sports’ Internet Invitational, a high-stakes, invitation-only event held at Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri, which featured 48 golf content creators competing for a $1 million prize.
Spiranac was part of a team with Malosi Togisala and Frankie Borrelli facing off against Brad Dalke, Francis Ellis, and Cody “Beef” Franke.
The controversy erupted on the ninth hole when footage appeared to show Spiranac flattening the long fescue in front of her teammate’s ball, a move that many viewers interpreted as improving his lie.
Content creator Peter Finch was among the first to raise concern, stating, “There’s no way he could have hit that shot without that assistance.”
Confronted on camera at the time of the event, Spiranac insisted she had acted without intent to cheat.
“I thought you could do that,” she said. “I wasn’t trying to cheat. I would never do that.”
Despite her defense, the public reaction was swift and brutal. Her team ultimately lost the hole, so no official penalty was enforced, but the backlash had already begun to mount.
Tournament oversight
The controversy highlighted ambiguities within the tournament’s rules.
According to the United States Golf Association’s rules, Rule 8 Course Played as It Is Found states that players may not move, bend, or break natural objects to improve conditions for a stroke, technically making Spiranac‘s action a rules infraction.
Some observers also raised concerns about Togisala potentially using the prohibited “slope” function on his rangefinder, further fueling debate over tournament compliance.
The match concluded with Dalke, Ellis, and Franke claiming the $1 million prize, leaving Spiranac to grapple with both public scrutiny and personal disappointment.
Borrelli defended his teammate on the “Fore Play” podcast, emphasizing that Spiranac had no intention of cheating. “There’s so many cameras out there. She’s been at this for so long,” he said, highlighting the pressures of performing in highly publicized influencer-driven events.
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