Riviera Country Club brings a century of history into this week as it hosts the U.S. Women’s Open for the first time. Ben Hogan won a U.S. Open here in 1948, but until now, the course has never hosted a USGA women’s championship. On Wednesday, players, including Nelly Korda, walked the kikuyu fairways. Korda has won three times in seven starts this season and is focused on winning this title. As the tournament begins, the weight of history is clear. On Wednesday, someone else was present there, not as a competitor but as a witness.

Paige Spiranac, a former Division I golfer, mini-tour competitor, and the most-followed golf personality in the world, was at Riviera creating content when something made her pause. She shared an Instagram Story that wasn’t about outfits or trick shots, but rather about swings and tempo.

“The US Women’s Open is this week at Riviera, and I was out there today shooting content. And one thing that really stood out to me is how great their tempos are on every single shot, whether it’s off the tee, their irons, wedges, around the greens, putting, everything. They just look so in control and so smooth.”

The numbers are clear. LPGA Tour leaders hit over 80% of fairways. That is far above the PGA Tour average of 58%. Scratch golfers only find the fairway about half the time. Greens in regulation show the same pattern. Players like Atthaya Thitikul match the best ball-strikers on the men’s tour. The difference in putting between the tours is just over one stroke per round.

Tempo is where amateurs lose strokes, and it does not happen on the range. Rather, those things happen on the course, under pressure, when mechanics break down because the rhythm is missing. The LPGA shows what recreational golfers need but rarely practice, and that is one reason to watch them play: to learn.

Spiranac posted a second observation to her Story:

“I watch a ton of women’s golf on TV, but to like see it in person and the amount of power that they can generate with such a smooth swing is so impressive. And it was making me think, I’m like, I need to do more of that. Everyone needs to do more of that.”

Spiranac is not just another voice in the crowd. She played college golf at San Diego State, competed on the Cactus Tour, and has analyzed swing mechanics for a large audience online. And she is issuing a direct call to action to her fan base, watch the US Women’s Open this week.

“I know we love to watch the men hit as hard and fast as they possibly can, but you can learn so much from watching women’s golf. So if you have any time this weekend, tune in to the US Women’s Open and watch them play. Cause it’s very impressive.”

Nelly Korda is the central figure this week, having made every cut in seven starts this season, recorded seven top-10 finishes, and won three times. Her Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green is +4.94 per round, the highest on tour, and adding to that, she leads in approach play and requires only average putting to win. She won the Chevron Championship in dominant fashion, leading from start to finish with rounds of 65, 65, 70, and 70. It was her third major, and she finished five shots ahead, but the U.S. Women’s Open has eluded her so far, and her worst performance there came in 2024 when she missed the cut. However, last year at Erin Hills, she finished runner-up, just one stroke behind the closest she had ever been, and this year she will try again at Riviera.

Paige Spiranac and the New Audience Shaping Women’s Golf

Institutions adapt when they must. Grace Charis started playing golf during the pandemic and quickly amassed millions of followers on Instagram and TikTok before turning 22. Now, the CPKC Women’s Open has formalized its influencer program, bringing creators in just as it does sponsors. The tournaments did not pursue to drive this change and evolve; they are simply responding to a reality that was created outside their control.

In this new digital media era, Spiranac was one of the first movers to capitalize on the market, amassing 4.1 million followers on Instagram, 1.7 million on TikTok, and 1.1 million on X, for a total of 11.6 million, according to Pro Shop. In February 2026, she launched Paige Co. as a joint venture with Pro Shop, the company behind Netflix’s Full Swing, expanding her footprint in the social media space. She took an equity stake and became a producer. The result is new shows, branded products, and a business built on ten years of audience trust and an increasing fan following.

On Wednesday, Spiranac was at Riviera, filming content for her growing social media empire. While Korda will tee off Thursday morning, aiming for a title no woman has won at this course. Spiranac observed the smoothness and quiet power in play this week. These details rarely make the broadcast, but they should.