Paige Spiranac was involved in a rules controversy during the final match at the Internet Invitational, and the well-known influencer became emotional when questioned over what happened.
The Internet Invitational was a tournament featuring a $1 million purse that was organized by popular media companies Barstool Sports and Bob Does Sports. The event, which was pre-recorded and had episodes that aired over the last two weeks, featured 48 influencers and internet personalities with varying levels of golf skill. It was held at Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, Mo.
The final match of the six-part series was released on Thursday. A team of Spiranac, Frankie Borrelli and Malosi “Mo” Togisala faced the trio of Brad Dalke, Francis Ellis and Cody “Beef” Franke, who died unexpectedly at the age of 31 last month. The latter team won and split the $1 million prize.
There was plenty of drama throughout the tournament, most of it lighthearted in nature. Things got a bit more serious during the final match, however, when Spiranac was accused of improving a lie for teammate Togisala on the 9th hole.
Spiranac’s team lost the hole in question, but Ellis chose to make her aware of the accusation. When questioned over whether she improved Togisala’s lie by pressing down grass around the ball, Spiranac said she thought that was within the rules. She then began crying and said she doesn’t “want people to think that I would try to cheat.”
Folks, we may have a bit of a controversy on our hands… @Internetinvite pic.twitter.com/X68T1l3jfn
— Fore Play (@ForePlayPod) November 14, 2025
Spiranac, who has more than 4 million followers on Instagram, was a professional golfer before she became a full-time influencer. Many fans found it difficult to believe that she would not know basic rules about improving a player’s lie.
Last week, Spiranac broke down crying in an Instagram video in which she revealed that she had received hateful messages over the Internet Invitational. She said she has “struggled socially” her entire life and that the negative feedback from the tournament brought back her “deep insecurities of childhood.”
The Internet Invitational was, by all indications, a massive success. Spiranac may not view it that way, however.
