“No,” Spiranac said in her YouTube video when her tournament teammate asked whether she cheated as the group played golf. “I did it in front of you, Mo, multiple people, multiple cameras. I went to identify my ball. I didn’t think I did anything wrong. And I was shocked when like the whole thing happened, but no, I didn’t intentionally [cheat].”

Spiranac came under scrutiny during an alternate-shot match on the ninth hole after cameras caught her near teammate Malosi “Mo” Togisala’s ball in thick fescue. Footage appeared to show her pressing down or moving grass around the ball, prompting Peter Finch and online viewers to question whether she violated Rule 8.1.

“I’ve gotten a lot of hate in my career … I don’t feel like I’ve done anything to really deserve the amount of hate that I’ve gotten,” she continued. “This was the first time that I’ve given people something to talk about. I knew it was going to be an absolute disaster, and it was much worse than I could have ever imagined. All of it just boiled up, and I was exhausted.”

During the alternate-shot final match, Spiranac was paired with Frankie Borrelli and Malosi Togisala, and faced Francis Ellis, Cody ‘Beef’ Franke, and Brad Dalke.

The incident was flagged by others such as Dave Portnoy, sparking an intense on-course confrontation that left Spiranac visibly distressed and in tears. Her team ultimately lost the hole and the match. Although she went social media-silent for a while after the incident, Paige Spiranac later defended herself, claiming she was “painfully embarrassed that I did not know that rule.”

However, given Spiranac’s successful amateur career, it is hard to believe she was unaware of such a fundamental rule of golf. In any case, the 33-year-old had also revealed the backlash she was receiving from the fanbase, who believed she had cheated in the event.

Spiranac claimed her DMs were flooded with “tens of thousands of death threats” and messages urging her to “kill myself.” She described the attacks as some of the “most vile, horrendous” messages imaginable, adding that the situation had become so serious that discussions about potentially obtaining a “restraining order” had even taken place.

In any case, a 2019 GOLF.com anonymous survey of 34 European Tour players revealed that 45% had witnessed a fellow professional cheating during a tournament round. The figure was nearly identical to the 44% reported in a similar survey of PGA Tour players the previous year. However, only 3% admitted to having personally violated a rule without reporting it.

Television footage appeared to show him repeatedly placing different clubs behind his ball while assessing a shot from the rough on the 14th hole at Bellerive Country Club. CBS commentators Trevor Immelman and Frank Nobilo drew attention to the incident, with Nobilo suggesting that Clark’s lie might have improved, prompting criticism from golf fans on social media.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the Tour Championship, Clark denied deliberately improving his lie, explaining that he was simply trying different clubs to assess the shot. “I never fully put the club down behind it,” he said, insisting that the lie was never particularly bad and that he had not gained an unfair advantage.

Addressing the backlash, Clark added, “People can think what they want. I know I didn’t do anything that was costing the integrity of the field. That’s all I’ve got to say about that.”

Clearly, cheating allegations aren’t anything new in the sport. What is rare, however, is proving that such actions were taken deliberately and with intent to cheat.

The post “I Was Shocked”: Paige Spiranac Opens Up on Cheating Accusations That Rocked Last Year’s Internet Invitational appeared first on EssentiallySports. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.