Where Are They Now?: Paige Spiranac

Four years after gracing the pages of the SI Swimsuit Issue, Paige Spiranac has been named the Sexiest Woman Alive by Maxim, topping the magazine’s Hot 100 list. “To me being sexy is about confidence and feeling comfortable in your own skin,” she posted in reaction to the Maxim release. The former pro golfer can turn heads on any course, but there is so much more to her than what meets the eye.

Since her 2018 SI photo shoot in Aruba, the 29-year-old has launched a podcast and has continued her work with Cybersmile (more on both below). With her success, Spiranac has become all the more confident and vocal about being herself 100 percent of the time despite what naysayers like to comment. Keep reading to learn all about the “OG Insta Golf Girl,” who has more social media followers than Tiger Woods, and you, too, will realize she is most definitely above par!

Playing a Round

At the beginning of 2020, Spiranac took her love for golf and launched the Playing a Round with Paige Renee podcast. On it, she expands on her passion for all sports and talks about her personal life. In one episode, she revealed that she split from husband Steve Tinoco. “I think before, I kept my private life so private,” she said. “I definitely want to do that again, but I almost felt like I was hiding it in a way and I don’t want to do that again. I believe in love marriage and soulmates. I believe in finding your person and all of that. I don’t think you should ever let a bad experience taint a good experience in your life.”

Focusing on ending cyberbullying

Having endured a fair share of trolling even to this day, it’s been a mission of hers to do as much as she can to be a support system for others through the nonprofit Cybersmile. “People of all walks of life are cyberbullied every single day and that’s not O.K.,” she said to SI Swimsuit in 2018. “It’s time we start supporting the victims instead of telling them to delete social media or ignore the hate. It’s time we made a difference, so I’ve dedicated a significant portion of my time to helping others.”

Making statements on and off the course

She is an open book and has no problem letting her opinions be known on everything from “golf’s elitist attitude” to standing up to people who have nothing nice to say under her posts. “I realized that I shouldn’t change myself to please other people! My whole message is about love, kindness, compassion and being the person YOU want to be,” Spiranac, who has close to 10 million followers across her social media platforms, wrote on Instagram after she posed for SI Swim. “I believe I can celebrate my body as a woman and be respected for my mind and heart. Here’s to loving and being yourself!”

Paige for President

The golf analyst was invited to speak in front of Congress about her love of the sport for National Golf Day. “I started playing golf at 12. It quickly became my whole life. From countless hours spent on the range, more rounds than I can count, junior, college, and professional golf. I’ve met so many amazing people and made lifelong friends. It’s shaped me into the person I am today. One thing has stayed consistent through all the extremely difficult failures and the successes and that’s my love for this crazy game,” she shared about her visit. “My goals have shifted as I’ve gotten older and now my passion is growing the game. I was invited to #nationalgolfday in Washington D.C. to be the voice of my generation while we spoke to congress. I’m proud to announce I’m on the millennial task force with @wearegolf and I’m so excited to see how we can make the game more welcoming to everyone. I love this game and forever thankful for everything golf has given me. Now I want to do my part to give back.”

To keep up with Spiranac, follow her on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube.