Nearly two weeks after the Internet Invitational’s dramatic conclusion aired, one of its stars, Paige Spiranac, has addressed what happened in the final episode.
The YouTube golf tournament put on by Barstool and Bob Does Sports had a first-place payout of $1 million (to a three-person team) and drew more than 20 million views over six episodes. But it was the sixth part that still has had the golf community talking. Our talk with Francis Ellis, one of the Internet Invitational winners
Our Coleman Bentley broke down two controversial rules moments as well as the feel-good finish, and Shane Ryan gave further review of the popular event. Good Good’s Malosi Togisala has talked about one of those rules issues—what’s become known as “Slopegate” because it involved the slope function on his rangefinder—but Spiranac had yet to speak about the cheating allegations she faced.
Cameras showed the Instagram star tampering with fescue around the golf ball on the ninth hole before Togisala played his shot (The final was a three-person alternate shot format). When confronted about it by her opponents, Spiranac didn’t deny doing it, got emotional, and said she had no idea she had broken any rule. Her response was a curious one considering she was a high-level Division I golfer who has also played in plenty of pro events.
Since the final aired on Nov. 13, Spiranac has stayed off social media. But she answered a couple questions about the event on Tuesday. Here’s the video:
“I haven’t really talked about it because there’s not much to say about it, honestly,” Spiranac says in the video. “I am painfully, painfully embarrassed that I did not know that rule . . . but I would never intentionally cheat. In all my years of playing golf, I have never been accused of cheating.”
Spiranac then addressed the backlash she’s received online, including death threats that had her considering filing for a restraining order.
“The last week and a half has been probably the worst hate I’ve ever received in the 10 years of me doing this, 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,” Spiranac says. “I mean, to the point where we were discussing me having to potentially get a restraining order. I mean, it’s like serious stuff.”
Spiranac has approximately 7 million followers across her various social media platforms. But she says she’s had to rely on those closest to her to get through this time.
“It hasn’t been easy,” Spiranac says. “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. . . . Luckily, having a good support system and family around and just trying to stay distracted.”