Paige Spiranac: In Photos, What To Know About The Instagram Golf Sensation

If you don’t know who Paige Spiranac (otherwise known as Paige Renee) is at this point, you must be hiding under a rock. The social-media celebrity grew to fame in just a few short years after her brief professional golf career, thanks to her flirtatious social-media posts and flattering pictures. Before her internet fame, Spiranac was a golf star at the University of Arizona and San Diego State University.

Spiranac has athletic genes in her blood. Her father played for the Pitt Panthers, and was apart of the 1976 National Championship team. Her mother, meanwhile, was a professional ballerina. It’s safe to assume Spiranac was bound to become an athlete. Golf wound up being the winning ticket, but only after she suffered a brutal injury at a young age.

Once a young gymnast, Spiranac twice suffered a broken kneecap, ending her gymnastics career. Spiranac eventually fell in love with the tricky game of golf. She had countless hours to train during her high-school years, thanks to being homeschooled by her mother. All the hard work during her formative years paid off when she wound up on the University of Arizona golf team.

Spiranac eventually transferred to San Diego State, which is where her talent really started to blossom. During her senior year, she led the Aztecs to their first-ever Mountain West Conference title. It served as a springboard to her professional career.

Spiranac was considered a star in the making once her professional career began, but like many others, the professional game proved to be too daunting. She unofficially retired in 2016 after she missed the cut at the Ladies European Tour in Dubai. Despite her dreams being dashed that year, she never could’ve guessed how much her following would grow in coming years.

Fast forward to the tail-end of 2020, the 27-year-old is one of the most-followed athletes. She’s amassed millions of followers on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. What’s the reason for her social-media success?

(Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)

Why is Paige Spiranac so famous on Instagram, Twitter?

Most athletes struggle to gain large followings on various social-media channels. The same couldn’t be said for Paige Spiranac. Despite failing to become a prominent professional golfer, the 27-year-old has one of the largest social-media followings out there.

Spiranac’s largest following can be found on Instagram, where she’s amassed 2.9 million followers. How did she gain so many followers? It all started with a few trick-shot videos.

During her college days, Spiranac started posting impressive trick-shot videos, just like the one seen below.

Trick shots aren’t the only reason for Spiranac’s social-media success. She somewhat broke the rules of golf etiquette, wearing flirtatious outfits on the course and posting flattering images on all her social-media channels. She eventually caught the eyes of a college blog website called Total Frat Move. The blog didn’t exactly highlight her impressive golf career, instead pointing out her “beauty.”

“There I was going about my business, punching the clock, continuing with the whole 9-to-5, blue collar, simple existence I have going here in the great state of Texas, when I was blindsided, stopped dead in my tracks, and flattened by this little beauty out of San Diego State. I just never saw her coming,” wrote Dan Regester of Total Frat Move, five years ago.

Those simple words sparked a social-media movement. Spiranac’s following reportedly grew from 10,000 to 100,000 in just a matter of days, and it didn’t stop there.

Check out some of the 27-year-old’s latest Instagram posts below.

Why isn’t Spiranac a professional golfer anymore?

Paige Spiranac is one of the biggest celebrities in the golf world, but she hasn’t participated in a professional event since 2016. Why? Simply put, she wasn’t good enough.

She missed the cut at many of the professional tournaments she participated in. But that isn’t to suggest she wasn’t talented. Spiranac captured a sudden-death win a Cactus Tour event at Scottsdale’s Orange Tree Country Club in 2016, which then earned her the No. 1 ranking in the female amateur’s list.

Spiranac competed in her first-ever LPGA qualifying tournament in 2016, hoping to earn a card on the tour, but she wound up missing the cut. It proved to be the second-to-last professional tournament she ever played in.

In addition to her struggles at the professional level, Spiranac has also been a victim of vicious internet bullying.

(Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images)

Why is Paige Spiranac such a polarizing figure in the golf world?

Spiranac became a polarizing figure once her racy social-media pictures hit the web. Spiranac hasn’t exactly followed the rules of golf, a sport known for its etiquette, class and tradition. The 27-year-old has found a way to bring the sport to life, mixing tips and tricks with seductive posing and revealing photos to garner a massive following.

Most athletes gain a following by their success in their respective sport. Naturally, Spiranac’s social-media success – which has little to do with her professional golfer success – irritates traditional fans of the sport.

She even landed on the cover of Golf Digest in 2016, which didn’t sit well with ESPN’s Sarah Spain.

“I don’t give many props to Golf Digest but I’ll give them props on finding a way to make it seem like it made sense to have this total nobody on their cover,” Spain said of Golf Digest’s cover choice.

Spain wasn’t the only one that took issue with Spiranac’s influence on social media and within the golf world. Plenty of internet bullies have sent her nasty DMs over the years. At first, Spiranac was conflicted about her influence, but then realized it’s a positive change for golf.

“I have been a bit conflicted on it, to be honest,” Spiranac said of her social-media influence. “When I started my pro career, I didn’t have any financial backing so I needed to leverage my social media. I started out with good intentions. Then the Insta-golf girl morphed into something I wasn’t really proud of, where girls who aren’t into golf started posing to get followers.”

Like most social media celebrities, Spiranac revealed back in 2018 that she’s made a career out of her following, despite “people hating” on her “every single day.”

“When you have a lot of followers, you get the good and bad,” Spiranac said, via AZcentral.com. “So I had a career out of it. But unfortunately, I had people hating on me every single day.”

Spiranac’s critics started attacking her all the way back in 2016 – some of those critics even included women on the LPGA tour – when she rebuked the tour’s strict dress code.

“I totally understand why the girls on the LPGA don’t like me,” Spiranac said, via the New York Post. “There are so many women athletes who need to get more recognition. I would like to use my platform to amplify them. If we worked together, it would be better to bring a bigger spotlight to the sport.”

Despite constant hate from internet bullies, and even those within the game of golf, Spiranac continues to be a successful internet celebrity. And as she’s pointed out countless times, she’s even made a career out of her internet fame.

(Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images)

What is Paige Spiranac up to these days?

Paige Spiranac doesn’t compete professionally anymore, so what is the 27-year-old up to these days? Despite walking away from the professional ranks, Spiranac still spends plenty of her time on the course.

Almost every one of her Instagram or TikTok posts feature impressive golf clips or photos. At this point in her career, she spends plenty of her time playing around at various courses across the nation.

Outside the golf world, Spiranac isn’t on the single market anymore. The 27-year-old is married. Who’s the lucky lad? His name is Steven Tinoco. He’s an Arizona native and current personal trainer in the Scottsdale, Arizona area.

Take a look at the happy couple.

Other than her actual on-course play and marriage life, Spiranac also takes to social media to discuss the latest golf gear. She’s even spent some time engaging fans about TaylorMade Golf balls and other various gear.

Based on her social media posts, it’s safe to say Spiranac is living a happy life. She’s no longer competing at the professional level, but still spends plenty of time out on the golf course.

We’re excited to see what the internet celebrity has in store in coming years. There’s no doubt she’ll continue to garner thousands of more social-media followers.

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