You probably know golfer Paige Spiranac, just probably not for her golf game. The recent San Diego State graduate is an Instagram celebrity … for golf-related pictures and trick shot videos.
Like this one:
Or this one:
Or this one:
Or this:
Or this clearly golf-themed picture:
Spiranac, 22, has 95 total Instagram posts, most of which show her playing golf in a suggestive manner.
Her public visibility earned her a sponsor's invitation to the Ladies European Tour's Omega Dubai Ladies Masters this week. However, her on-course performance was not up to par. She struggled through rounds of 77 and 79, missing the cut. Spiranac officially finished 101st out of 107.
Spiranac's fellow competitors reportedly expressed distaste at her presence. After all, the Dubai event, the richest on the Ladies European Tour, is also its final event of the season, and Spiranac is not currently at an elite level.
"I understand where they are coming from," Spiranac says. "I mean, I've played golf and have had good results, but when you look at my game compared to the top players in the world, I'm not in the same league.
"But I wish they could see that I'm working as hard as I can. I may make it, I may not make it. But I'm just trying to focus on what I need to do to get to the next level and trying not to focus on what they say."
Spiranac documented her experience in Dubai via social media, including the luxurious Emirates flight:
Most people in interviews, "feeling confident and ready." Me in interviews, "I'm so nervous that I'm going to throw up and cry"
— Paige Spiranac (@PaigeSpiranac) December 8, 2015
Great to walk the course today with @PaigeSpiranac hits it great and is a lovely girl....perfect for a lovely boy https://t.co/xbGImDq05c
— Coach Lockey (@CoachLockey) December 7, 2015
.@PaigeSpiranac driving towards Dubai in the @OmegaDLM practice round. pic.twitter.com/WeCf83Vs8d
— Mark Crossfield (@4golfonline) December 8, 2015
Notice that Spiranac has not posted an Instagram in four days. Although she may receive sponsor's exemptions in the future, she questions if she should accept.
"I wanted to before all of this, but I'm just not sure if I have it in me or if I'm cut out for this," she said.
And Instagram may get shut out of her competitive life.
"I'm definitely not going to look at my phone for a while, probably take a break from social media to step away and re-evaluate everything," she says.
Spiranac, who transferred to SDSU from the University of Arizona, had a 76.73 average in nine events as a senior. Her best San Diego State finish came in the spring of her sophomore year, when she finished 5th out of 60 players in the Cal Classic.
Spiranac's father, Dan, played free safety for the 1976 Pittsburgh Panthers national championship football team, which included Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett. Her mother, Annette, was a professional ballet dancer. Outside of golf, Spiranac spent part of her childhood training as a gymnast at the Karolyi Ranch in Huntsville, Texas, home of the U.S. training center.
Despite playing in a pro event, Spiranac is still currently an amateur (although, based on her Instagram, she has some sponsorship deals).