Paige Spiranac on How People Underestimating Her Has Contributed to Her Success

The SI Swimsuit legend and golf instructor loves proving people wrong.

Paige Spiranac was photographed by James Macari in Aruba. / James Macari/Sports Illustrated

Golf instructor and content creator Paige Spiranac has built an incredible platform over the years, which today is composed of a combined 5.6 million followers on TikTok and Instagram alone. The 31-year-old former pro golfer is also an SI Swimsuit legend, having first posed for the brand in Aruba, when she was photographed by James Macari.

That year, the styling on set was all-black everything, and Spiranac stunned on the sandy beaches while clad in monochromatic bikinis and strappy one-pieces, allowing for her true beauty and the location itself to really shine on camera. Following that initial feature, she was welcomed back to the fold this year as a brand legend. Spiranac took part in a group photo shoot in Hollywood, Fla., captured by visual artist Yu Tsai earlier this spring. The feature resulted in a triptych of stunning covers for the 60th anniversary magazine, and while on set, we were able to catch up with Spiranac about her career and more.

One thing that really stood out during our chat was Spiranac’s revelation that being in the male-dominated industry of golf has actually helped, not hindered, her career development.

“I think some people look at being a woman and think ‘I don't really like this,’ or ‘There are so many disadvantages.’ I see it quite differently,” she stated. “I think being a woman in a male-dominated industry has been the reason I’ve been so successful. I’ve used every tool in my tool bag, and I’ve never shied away from it. I created a few new ones as well. People will look at me and underestimate me; I think that’s actually what’s so amazing about being a woman. It’s people underestimating you and always being able to prove them wrong.”

Spiranac has really paved the way for female athletes and content creators who wish to merge their two interests into one career. In fact, fellow brand model and LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne has spoken out about how appreciative she is of Spiranac for her support in the face of online backlash that comes with being in the public eye, something both women are unfortunately familiar with.

“I wanted to be there for Livvy when she went through the hardship that was being a woman and embracing your sexuality and capitalizing on that, and that makes a lot of people very uncomfortable,” Spiranac told us earlier this summer. “It can be really isolating from [both] men and females. We always talk about female empowerment and being there for your friends and people who are going through the same thing, and so I reached out publicly and privately and wanted [Livvy] to know that she could always reach out to me if she ever needed anything.”

Below, we’re throwing it back to a few of our favorite photographs from Spiranac’s SI Swimsuit debut in Aruba.

James Macari/Sports Illustrated

James Macari/Sports Illustrated

James Macari/Sports Illustrated

James Macari/Sports Illustrated