Paige Spiranac, the golf influencer with millions of followers and a decade-long presence in the sport, is facing her roughest round yet after being accused of cheating during Barstool Sports’ Internet Invitational tournament. A short, silent clip—just seconds long—set off a firestorm that’s now consumed her social media feeds and her peace of mind.

The controversy dates back to the final match of the tournament filmed over the summer. Cameras caught Spiranac patting down a patch of long grass in front of her partner Malosi Togisala’s ball. It was a casual gesture but one that, under golf’s strict rulebook, can count as improving a player’s lie. Though her team lost the match and the million-dollar prize, the accusation stuck, resurfacing this month when Barstool released the series on YouTube.

Now Spiranac is speaking publicly for the first time. In a somber Instagram Q&A, she admitted she was “painfully embarrassed” by the moment and said she didn’t realize it was a violation. She insisted she would never intentionally cheat, especially in a tournament surrounded by cameras. She called the grass tap an honest mistake and said she’d learned the rule the hard way.

If the mistake was small, the backlash was anything but. Spiranac described the past week as the worst of her career, saying she’s received tens of thousands of abusive messages, including death threats. The avalanche of harassment became so severe that she and her team discussed pursuing a restraining order.

Spiranac said she stayed silent at first because she needed to step away for her own mental health. Wanting to be liked, she said, makes the cruelty land even harder. She credited family and her inner circle for helping her weather the storm.

The controversy didn’t stop with her. Togisala, her partner during the match, was also accused of using a prohibited slope option on his rangefinder. He defended himself on the Good Good Podcast, claiming the group wasn’t informed of the rule until after the first hole. He insisted he turned the slope setting off immediately and “would die on this hill.”

Spiranac’s team ultimately fell short on the 18th hole, ending any championship hopes. But the fallout, fueled by viral outrage and anonymous hostility, has far outlasted the tournament itself.

For Spiranac, the rule was minor. The impact has been anything but.