“Product of the environment we were in” - Paige Spiranac explains why viewers had more context than players during the Internet Invite controversy

Paige Spiranac has addressed the Internet Invitational cheating controversy. The popular golfer and influencer defended the event and said that the edit was fair. However, she wished her colleagues had informed her that it was against the rules.

On Tuesday, November 25, Spiranac held an AMA session on Instagram. During the session, one fan asked if the Internet Invitational edit had done her dirty. The 32-year-old golf influencer compared the show to the popular reality show Survivor and said that it was supposed to be drama-filled and entertaining.

"It's not supposed to be a traditional golf event," she said. "The difference is, as a player, we have no context. We have no idea what's really going on because we’re locked in, and there was a ton of pressure. But as a viewer, you’re going to see everything in chronological order and you have all of the context."

Paige Spiranac added that she wished someone had come to her and told her that it was against the rules.

"I then would have had the opportunity to own it, say I'm sorry, and then go up to Brad Francis and brief myself, and tell them what had happened from my perspective, instead of a game of telephone and then it being reported to me on 10." she added.

"So it’s just things like that. But I think that’s more a product of the environment we were in. And the edit was fair, but again, sometimes you just miss certain things because we didn’t have the context and you did," she continued.

For the uninitiated, Spiranac came under scrutiny when she was caught pushing down the long grass before taking a shot. Fans online slammed her for cheating and stated that it was against the rules.

Paige Spiranac reveals receiving death threats

During the AMA session, Paige Spiranac said that she thought the high grass was a loose impediment, and that's why she pushed it. Further, she revealed that she received death threats.

The last week and a half has been probably the worst hate I've ever received in the 10 years of me doing this," she added. "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."

The Internet Invitational was quite popular on YouTube and garnered millions of views. Speaking of the event, the late Cody 'Beef' Franke's won the first-ever edition.

Edited by Shobhit Kukreti