Paige Spiranac opens up about ‘death threats’ after Internet Invitational

The Internet Invitational put Paige Spiranac in a bad light and she said she received a lot of hate afterwards.

Spiranac was part of the final group in the 48-person tournament of golf influencers and YouTubers led by Barstool Sports and Bob Does Sports. She was paired with Barstool’s Frankie Borrelli and Good Good Golf’s Malosi Togisala against Good Good’s Brad Dalke and Barstool’s Cody “Beefe” Franke and Frances Ellis.

Spiranac’s team lost the $1 million prize on the 18th hole of the final match, and many spectators considered it karma after both Spiranac and Togisala became embroiled in cheating scandals. Spiranac was caught on video improving a lie in the final match, claiming she thought it was allowed and then started crying. Later, it was speculated that Togisala had been using the slope of his rangefinder; Rangefinders were allowed, but slope use was not.

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Spiranac, who became irritated early in the championship by criticizing Ellis for not having played “competitive golf” before, said he has received “tens of thousands of death threats” since the championship match was posted on YouTube during what has been “an interesting week.”

“The last week and a half is probably the worst hate I’ve gotten in the 10 years I’ve been doing this,” Spiranac said on his Instagram Story. “I’m talking tens of thousands of death threats, people telling me to kill myself, the most vile, horrendous things you could ever say to an individual, that’s been in my DMs up until the point where we were discussing potentially having to get a restraining order. I mean, it’s serious stuff. It’s not easy, and it hasn’t been easy.”

Spiranac has been noticeably silent on social media since the championship game began.

Paige Spiranac attends the 2025 US Open with Maestro Dobel Tequila, the “Official Tequila” of the US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 28, 2025 in New York City. (Anna Webber/Getty Images for Maestro Dobel Tequila)

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“I know people are wondering why I haven’t posted or talked about it. I just needed to get away for my mental health,” she said.

“One thing I really struggle with is wanting to be liked and accepted, and I don’t want anyone to dislike me, and I always try to do everything I can to make people like me. So it’s hard for me as a person how I process things, and obviously the situation hasn’t been easy either. But luckily, having a good support system, a family around, and just trying to keep myself distracted.”

Spiranac again claimed that he did not know the rules for improving lying and said he would never cheat on purpose.

“I feel painfully embarrassed for not knowing this rule…” she said in an Instagram story, hinting at the karma that affected her for her comments about Ellis. “I would never intentionally cheat. In all my years of playing golf, I have never been accused of cheating. There were so many cameras watching me, to blatantly cheat with that many people around, that many cameras around, would be crazy. So, I made a mistake, now I learned it was a rule violation and I will never do it again.”

Paige Spiranac plays the 17th green during the Creator Classic at the Philly Cricket Club, prior to the Truist Championship at the Philadelphia Cricket Club on May 7, 2025, in Flourtown Philadelphia. (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)

The event was filmed over the summer at Cedar Lodge Resort in Ridgedale, Missouri, and the final game was played in Payne’s Valley. Franke, one of the winners, died earlier this month.

Spiranac was one of several former professionals in the field, including Dalke and Wesley Brian.