Paige Spiranac’s Rival Fears Blacklisting After Calling Out the Lack of Female Golfers in Influencer Event

It was last year when Barstool Sports boss, Dave Portnoy, teased fans for a big YouTube golf event. Earlier in May, he finally confirmed the event happening, and it will be a stacked roster of stars who will play from August 12 – 16 in Missouri. With the official lineup for Portnoy’s highly anticipated golf invitational now confirmed, the spotlight isn’t just on the celebrity-packed roster, but also on who is missing. Despite a large field dominated by high-profile male personalities, only three women golfers were included. And that didn’t sit well with Hailey Rae Ostrom.

Taking to social media, she commented directly on the imbalance, stating, “There are too many amazing female golfers in this space to only be making up 6% of the field.” Out of the 48 personalities battling it out $1 million plus, only three of them are women, including Paige Spiranac, Ostrom, and Gabby Golf Girl. Ostrom was so disappointed that she even resposted it on her story, and added—”My take on the internet invitational lineup: Love a lot of these men & think they’re awesome. But only having 3 women in this large field is disappointing.”

She even added below, “I’ve never been invited to a single creator classic event so I’m sure this is ruining any future chances but I have to stand up for women in the golf space.” Her remarks quickly gained traction, opening a broader discussion about gender representation in the influencer-golf space. So far, the PGA Tour has organized two Creator Classic events, and Ostrom was not part of any.

Ostrom’s criticism doesn’t come from a place of bitterness but from a genuine concern over visibility and fairness. Having built her impressive platform, Ostrom knows the value of opportunity in a sport that remains male-dominated, especially in the influencer scene. Her willingness to call out the disparity is a sentiment that, perhaps surprisingly, puts her in alignment with Paige Spiranac, who has long been outspoken about the challenges women face in golf. This moment marks a shift in how the rivalry between Spiranac and Ostrom is viewed.

Spiranac and Ostrom’s rivalry

It was in 2023 when Ostrom and Spiranac were involved in a feud over Tiger Woods. It started when Ostrom remarked on Woods’s reputation of being a ‘girl dad’ concerning what happened in 2009. The remarks did not sit well with Spiranac, and she immediately jumped to Woods’s defense, leading to a heated exchange. Eventually, this led to Spiranac blocking Ostrom on social media and left fans speculating about what went wrong. While neither of the two commented or shared their views further, it was eventually settled later.

Spiranac and Ostrom both have a large fan following on social media. While Spiranac has already touched 4 million, Ostrom is also about to reach a million followers soon. They are so often pitted against each other that fans even asked for a match between the two sometime last year. “Hey, [Paige Spiranac], it sounds like everyone wants to see us play. What do you say?” Ostrom took to X. And Spiranac seemed game, responding with “Let’s do it!” While the match never actually happened, their competitive edge still exists. Spiranac also showed support when Hailey had a scary encounter with a stalker. 

Ostrom’s recent extension of her support for broader female representation, including Spiranac’s place in the sport, suggests that some rivalries can evolve into something more constructive.