Golfer Paige Spiranac received death threats 'because of her cleavage' at Dubai Masters
Golfer Paige Spiranac has revealed she received death threats during the 2015 Dubai Masters because her outfits were too revealing.
The 24-year-old has become an internet sensation with more than a million followers on Instagram and one of the sport’s most recognisable stars.
Spiranac is not ranked in the top 1,000 players on the female circuit and has come under fire from some sections of the sport.
Despite her lowly ranking, she was invited to play in the prestigious Ladies Tour event in a move that divided fans.
READ MORE: Paige Spiranac on a mission to change the face of golf
Some claimed she was being promoted due to her sizeable social media following and others felt the competition organisers were looking to capitalise on her appearance.
Spiranac has now come forward to explain the shocking level of abuse she received for participating in the event.
“I had a really rough go of it both times I was here,” she told The Guardian.
“I probably do more community service than any other professional golfer.
“For people to say: “You only show some cleavage, that’s why you have what you have,” is unfair.
“That’s the injustice that we face every day as women and I see it a lot in golf.
“There was a lot of media, it was really stressful and I found the experience really hard. I said I wasn’t coming back to play.
“People seem to think I got where I am because of the clothes that I wear. That’s unfair to me and unfair to all of my accomplishments.
“I was harassed, my family was harassed. I was receiving death threats, people were invading my privacy, I was being blackmailed. This was going on whilst I was trying to play.”
Spiranac returned to Dubai last month for the Omega Desert Classic, playing in the tournament and hosting coverage on social media with Rory McIlroy and One Direction’s Niall Horan.
