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.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here