Readers who are up to speed with the fevered, whiz bang activity of the internet may be aware of Paige Spiranac. Others, whose idea of cutting edge technology is the horse drawn plough, perhaps need an introduction. So here she is.

Utilising her social media savvy, Arizona golfer Spiranac, who is competing in this week’s Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open at Dundonald Links, became what’s known in this rapid fire world as an ‘internet sensation’ with a variety of uploads, posts and pictures of herself in various places, posturings and poutings. The 23-year-old rookie had not actually played in a tour event until her burgeoning online profile led to her being invited to the Dubai Ladies Masters at the end of last season, a decision which caused much harrumphing among those who questioned whether there was any golfing substance behind the selfies.

Rounds of 77 and 79 led to a missed cut and a tearful departure from the scene. In the cruel, split-second courtroom of that inter-thingymebob, where damning judgement is passed in a thumb-tapping instant, Spiranac went from sensation to something resembling an abomination. Social media doesn’t do calm reason. Here in Ayrshire, this bubbly young woman is dipping her toe back into the cut and thrust of the Ladies European Tour after that chastening experience.

“People seemed to like it when I played bad better than when I actually played well,” she said. “Dubai was an amazing experience but everything, the media and the criticism, just got into my head. You blow everything out of proportion and I was like ‘everyone hates me, everyone wants me to fail’. In reality, that really wasn’t the case. But I set myself up for a failure because I was reading into everything. Nothing will be worse than Dubai. I didn’t think I would get the criticism I got. I felt like it was more of a personal attack on myself. I overreacted. I wasn’t prepared for it. I learned a lot from that so it was probably the best thing that happened to me. Now I’m clear on what I want. And that is to play golf. I stopped a lot of the social media stuff.”

Having retreated from the spotlight Spiranac has knuckled down and she claimed her first win as a professional on the Cactus Tour, a mini-circuit in the US, at the start of June. “It was good to cash a cheque and get some confidence,” added Spiranac who is getting her first taste of links golf here at a demanding Dundonald. “My scoring average has improved by four shots too. Since Dubai, I’ve been approached to play in other events but I’ve turned every invitation down. I wasn’t ready but this was too good an opportunity to miss. Everybody says ‘go to Europe and learn’. I really want to get on the Ladies European Tour because this is where I’ll improve my all round game.”

Like Spiranac, Cheyenne Woods, who is back for her second appearance in the Scottish Open, has a fair bit of baggage to carry around. Being the niece of Tiger is hardly something you can keep quiet, after all. Having been a member of the Ladies European Tour since 2013, and a winner on the circuit the following season, she continues to make her own way in the game.

“The longer I’m out here on tour the better it gets and there are only so many questions you can ask about Tiger,” she said to a posse of scribblers who were poised to ask her about Tiger.