Paige Spiranac shares feeling ‘weird’ watching herself at the Internet Invitational

Paige Spiranac has opened up about how it felt to see herself play at The Internet Invitational. The former golfer said seeing her intensity on screen reminded her why she stepped away from professional golf.

The $1 million YouTube creator event, backed by Barstool Sports, began airing this week. Taking to X on October 31, Spiranac wrote:

“It’s so weird watching myself in a competitive setting at The Internet Invitational lol I never knew I got this intense and serious. Probably why I had an unhealthy relationship with competitive golf and had to quit😂”

She had previously addressed her struggles with professional golf. In a video shared in August, Spiranac explained that constant anxiety on the course made the game mentally exhausting for her.

"I have a really toxic love-hate relationship with the game of golf. One of the reasons why I stopped playing golf professionally was that I just could never get over the golf course anxiety. My mind always won, and I was weak and I could just never overcome that feeling."

Paige Spiranac played college golf at the University of Arizona before transferring to San Diego State University where she helped the Aztecs win their first Mountain West Conference Championship in 2015. After graduation, she briefly competed professionally but was unable to earn an LPGA Tour card. She also played on developmental circuits, including the Cactus Tour, before stepping away from competition due to the mental demands of the pro game.

Since leaving professional golf Spiranac has built a strong presence in digital media. With over 4 million Instagram followers she is now one of the sport’s top golf influencers. She also serves on the PGA Tour Creator Council and has competed in two editions of the Creator Classic keeping her connected to the sport through media and content creation.

Paige Spiranac apologizes to Nadeshot after playful jab at The Internet Invitational

Paige Spiranac also drew attention for a brief awkward moment with fellow participant Nadeshot during The Internet Invitational. In the opening episode, she joked that he “wasn’t very good at golf,” and the clip quickly circulated online.

Spiranac apologized on X explaining that her comment was based on old footage and acknowledging his improvement:

"I'm sorry! To be fair my only first hand experience watching you play was years ago and you improved so much since! Please forgive me."

Nadeshot took the comment in stride, joking about the crowd’s reactions and making it clear there were no hard feelings:

"I shoulda been walking around the Rocket Mortgage with a helmet on. Spectators were clapping just for teeing up the ball straight. At one point I thought Rickie Fowler was gonna sign a ball for me and call me an inspiration. No apology necessary," he said.

The Internet Invitational follows a Ryder Cup-style format, with Nadeshot competing for Team Pink and Paige Spiranac representing Team Orange.

Edited by Sonali Verma