All indications are that the inaugural Internet Invitational was both a critical and commercial success. But the golf event wasn’t without controversy, as influencer Paige Spiranac faced accusations that she helped a teammate cheat to hit a cleaner shot.
After taking a break from social media in the aftermath of the event, Spiranac broke her silence on Tuesday, addressing the scandal in a post to her Instagram stories. According to the 32-year-old, she received thousands of death threats, some of which prompted her to consider legal action.
“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, referring to her career as a golf influencer. “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 — that’s been in my DMs. I mean to the point where we were discussing me having to potentially get a restraining order.
“I mean, it’s like, serious stuff. It’s not easy, and it hasn’t been easy. And I know people were wondering why I haven’t posted or why I haven’t talked about it. I just needed to remove myself for my mental health.”
The controversy stemmed from a shot that took place on the ninth hole of the event, which was run by Barstool Sports and Bob Does Sports. According to footage from the event, Spiranac seemingly brushed aside grass in the rough to allow Good Good’s Malosi Togisala to hit a cleaner shot — a rules violation that she says she wasn’t familiar with.
“I would never intentionally cheat,” she said in a separate post to her Instagram story. “In all my years of playing golf, I have never been accused of cheating.”
Ultimately, Spiranac’s team lost the match on the 18th hole, with a team featuring Brad Dalke, Francis Ellis and Cody “Beef” Franke winning the event and its $1 million prize. The inaugural Internet Invitational was filmed in mid-August and released via YouTube earlier this month, just weeks after Franke’s tragic passing in October.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.