Paige Spiranac proud of earning 'legend' status for SI Swimsuit issue

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After building herself up into one of the biggest golf influencers in the world, Paige Spiranac has a lot to be proud of.

And one recent milestone has her puffing out her chest.

During a Q&A session on Instagram this week, Spiranac was asked if she is prouder of her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover or her golf career.

She responded by detailing the pushback she overcame and the validation she felt from being chosen to appear on one of this year’s 60th anniversary “legends” covers of the iconic magazine.

“With Sports Illustrated and the cover, that one means so much to me because I was considered a ‘legend’ and, throughout my career, I’ve always been told ‘no, you can’t do this, don’t do this, you’re doing it the wrong way,’ all of these things and so, it was validation that throughout all of those hard times, it was worth it because when I look around at my ‘legend’ class, I can’t believe the women I’m surrounded with and it’s just really cool to be recognized in that way,” Spiranac responded during the live stream.

After making her SI Swimsuit debut in 2018 with a photoshoot in Aruba, Spiranac was one of 27 women featured on three different “legends” covers to go along with four more traditional covers, featuring the likes of Kate Upton, Gayle King, Chrissy Teigen and Hunter McGrady.

While the blond bombshell was understandably stoked about the opportunity with SI, she also reflected on her golf career, during which she played at the collegiate level for the University of Arizona and San Diego State before one season playing professionally.

Also during the Q&A, Spiranac said that while she “didn’t accomplish everything I wanted to on the golf course,” it is “special” to see other women “want to get into the game of golf.”

Last year, Spiranac opened up about the hardships she endured during her playing career.

“I did one year of playing golf professionally and I was just mentally exhausted,” she told the Playing A Round podcast.

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“In golf, you fail more than you succeed, and I was doing that in the public eye. Everyone was telling me, ‘You should quit. You should give up. You’re not good.’

“… But instead of sitting down and feeling sorry for myself, I picked myself back up and threw myself into my media work. My background of just grinding, hard work has really helped me in my media career, because I work so incredibly hard — and the difference is here, the harder I work, the more successful I’ve become and I think that’s why it’s been a more fulfilling journey for me than professional golf, the outcome is positive.”

With more than five million followers across her social media platforms and a thriving subscription-based website, OnlyPaige.com, we’d definitely say that she has become a bonafide success.