FROM BROKEN TO BOOMING: Paige Spiranac’s Shocking Confession

Living under a rock might be the only excuse for not knowing sports influencer Paige Spiranac today. While her social media presence now shines brighter than ever, there was a time when she was a prominent part of the golf world. Back in 2016, she even snagged a tournament win against Hannah O’Sullivan. But despite her talents, her attempt to break into the LPGA Tour didn’t quite work out.

The pressure to succeed took a heavy toll on Spiranac, leading her to eventually walk away from competitive golf. Yet she didn’t leave the sport entirely. Reflecting on her journey, Spiranac has been candid about the mental challenges she faced. “For me, it was never physical ability. It was always mental,” she once said. “I think it has gone better now that I just play it for fun… That’s why my game is even better than when I was playing pro.”�She truly is playing better than she was before, her handicap is pretty impressive at +3.4.

Though she loved golf, it seems life had other plans for her—maybe ones that suited her even better. In a recent YouTube video, Spiranac shared a raw and vulnerable side of her journey, opening up about the emotional struggles she went through on the pro circuit. She recalled how she kept track of her handicap in junior and college golf because it was a must, but once she went pro, she dropped it.

“I struggled, I crumbled under the pressure; it got so bad where I had The Yips off the tee. I would cry before and after rounds; I really just did not enjoy competitive golf,”�she admitted. Her self-worth got so tied up in her scores that it drained her emotionally, ultimately making her resent the sport she’d always loved.

She was just 12 when she decided to quit gymnastics and pursue golf. In one of the episodes of her podcast last year, she talked about how being a pro golfer was something she knew she wanted from the very beginning of her journey; “From the first golf ball I ever hit, I dedicated everything I had to being a pro golfer. I was homeschooled. I practiced every single day, morning until night. It was my only goal.” Spiranac said.

“Golf is such an interesting sport because you can work out, eat right, practice, and still not achieve your goals. That was something for me that I just couldn’t wrap my head around,” said Spiranac on her podcast before she turned 30 as she opened up about the complexities of golf. This just did not sit right with Spiranac as her parents told her otherwise. She was doing everything in her power to be a stellar golfer and dedicated her life to it, but she wasn’t really going anywhere. It drove her “crazy.” “I had everything to be a world-class golfer, but I just couldn’t put it together and I didn’t know why. It was driving me actually insane. I just got to the point where I just stopped caring,” said the beautiful diva.

Luckily, her story didn’t end there. Even though competitive golf didn’t turn out to be the dream she thought it would be, Spiranac found other ways to make her mark. Through content creation, Spiranac has carved out a career that suits her perfectly because she always wanted to have a social life. While she made it out of the golfing career in the beginning, another golfer stayed thought it and is now exiting, having collected quite a few accolades.

LPGA Tour pro also had similar struggles to Paige Spiranac

Earlier this year, Lexi Thompson announced she would retire from professional golf at the end of the 2024 season. The reason? The same one Spiranac shared: mental health. In an open letter on Instagram, Thompson expressed, “I think we all have our own mental health struggles, especially out here. Unfortunately in golf, you lose more than you win, so it’s an ongoing battle to continue to put yourself out there in front of the cameras and continue to work hard and maybe not see the results you want and get criticized for it. So it’s hard. I will say, yes, I’ve struggled with it. I don’t think there’s somebody out here that hasn’t. It’s just a matter of how well you hide it, which is very sad.”

While fans may still catch her on the greens in the season’s remaining tournaments, Thompson has found a new way to connect. Well, yes, Thompson is now actively on Cameo, where she will be sending custom greeting videos. While Spiranac dove into social media and modeling, Thompson’s taken a more personal route with custom video messages. Different paths, same shared struggles.

It’s admirable to see these golf stars opening up about their mental health battles. It brings them closer to their fans and even helps others feel safe to speak up, too.