Golfer Paige Spiranac has amassed an enormous following on social media with more than 3.7 million followers on Instagram and more than 1.5 million on TikTok.
Spiranac was a standout golfer at San Diego State before entering the space of influence in the sports world. She appeared on the latest episode of «Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre» and was asked about influential women in the space and if there was a sense of community there.
«I stick to myself. I’m very introverted. I just keep my head down, do my job, and be done with it. But if any of the young ladies approach me, I’m more than willing to give you some advice.» ,» she said.
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Former professional golfer and now social media personality, Paige Spiranac performs for Points Bet during Melbourne Racing at Flemington Racecourse on March 11, 2023 in Australia. (Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images)
«I think I’m a little more cautious because of all the hate I’ve gotten from women in the industry, so I’m a little hesitant to reach out or want to collaborate because I’ve been burned in the past, but if any of them approach, I always I’m willing to lend a hand.»
Spiranac said he received backlash from LPGA golfers when he first tried to play professionally.
«When I first got into the industry and when I was trying to play professionally, a lot of the LPGA players didn’t like me and were very outspoken about it, and in addition to a lot of influential people who supported me, they said they didn’t want to take the path that I was taking, that they weren’t going to ‘oversexualize’ themselves, and they turned around and did the exact same thing.
«Sometimes there just isn’t a level of respect for everything I’ve been through, and if I hadn’t done this, they wouldn’t even be doing this now. They wouldn’t even have a job without all the hardships I’ve faced and the path I’ve paved for they».
Spiranc spoke more about his quest to play golf professionally on an episode of his podcast, «Playing A Round.» She said that she was trying her best to get the LPGA Tour card, but she started to have more followers on social media.
Paige Spiranac attends the Maxim Hot 100 Experience in Hyde Beach at SLS South Beach on July 16, 2022 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Aaron Davidson/Getty Images)
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«I was playing very well and then my whole life was turned upside down,» Spiranac said. «I blew up on social media. I didn’t end up going back to being an assistant coach. I didn’t even finish my last semester of college. I never got my degree, which is such a crazy thing and I’ve never talked about it. I was two credits short of getting my qualification».
She noticed that things really changed when she traveled to Dubai to play.
«…Then I got the invitation to go play in Dubai. I blew up there. I played golf professionally for a year and I was mentally exhausted. In golf, you fail more than you succeed, and I was doing it in the public eye. Everybody told me, ‘You should quit. You should give up. You’re no good.'»
«All these things, and I was already dealing with these mental issues from years and years and years of trying so hard and coming up short, and I broke down. I honestly broke down. I broke down and stopped. I said, ‘Maybe I’ll come back,’ and I’ll never I’m back to try to play golf professionally again.
Paige Spiranac attends The ESPYs at Microsoft Theater on July 10, 2019 in Los Angeles. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
He currently works with various brands and attends events as a golf influencer. Spiranac said that she is happy with her current career, but given the choice, she would choose to play competitively rather than influence.
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«If I had the option to do what I’m doing to play on the LPGA Tour, I would probably choose the LPGA Tour because that was just a goal that I always wanted to achieve and it was a dream of mine and I wish I would have marked it off before I went on to work on the full-time media,» Spiranac said. «But that’s not how life works.»
Fox News’ Chantz Martin contributed to this report.